In aerospace, defense, energy, and across all complex system industries, reducing development costs and lead times has become a key driver of competitiveness and a necessity. Today, it is no longer enough to optimize the execution of the V model; the underlying development logic itself must be redesigned. Some pioneers have already embarked on this journey, initiating a true paradigm shift.
The Limits of the V-Model
The V-model remains a solid framework to ensure compliance and traceability of requirements. However, its linear sequence — especially during the allocation of requirements to subsystems — often leads to suboptimal design choices and underuse of already available technologies. Too often, it results in technical dead-ends that require rework, causing delays and cost overruns.
A paradigm shift: Elimination of “reinventing the wheel”
Why not reverse the logic?
By starting from available technological building blocks (or those already under development), systems can be designed more rapidly, with better cost control and a significant reduction in technical, industrial, and programmatic risks.
In this model, the system architect becomes an assembler of innovations. Faced with a new functional specification, they map available technology blocks — internal or from partners — and assess their performance, compatibility, and maturity. A gap analysis then helps identify missing capabilities and focuses innovation on true areas of differentiation, while maximizing reuse.
Core Technology Assessment: A Prerequisite to focus innovation where it matters
Supporting this model requires a clear, up to date understanding of the technology building blocks on the market. Yet projects rarely leave time for such exploration, which is why a structured assessment of available technology building blocks, conducted outside project cycles, is essential. This relies on:
- A solid understanding of internal core competencies and capabilities, supported by an explicit Make-or-Buy strategy and a network of identified strategic partners
- A clear and updated view of the technology catalog of key suppliers and partners, as well as their intended technology roadmaps
- A structured dataset capturing functionalities, performance levels, interfaces, technical and industrial maturity, planned evolutions, and more.
This approach is a win-win model: suppliers can influence architecture choices, anticipate needs, enhance their competitiveness in bids, and secure long term strategic partner status.
Deploying the Model: Four Key Enablers
- Proactive and collaborative view of technology building blocks: buyers and engineers collaborate to ensure a shared database is up to date with details of technology building blocks, including maturity levels, cost estimates, and performance levels.
- Management support: dedicated resources, clear KPIs (technology assessment activity, reuse rate, etc.), and active sponsorship of the new approach.
- Value-driven engineering culture: prioritize overall industrial performance rather than purely technical performance.
- Development reference framework: a structured process embedding the first three enablers and ensuring that each key development milestone includes a mandatory assessment of available building blocks and reuse opportunities.
Conclusion: Focusing Innovation, Driving Competitiveness
Embracing this shift means transforming engineering and procurement into engines of innovation and competitiveness.
Moving from a “requirement-driven” to an “industry-driven” development model increases agility, resilience, and innovation. Organizations that succeed in this transformation will shorten development cycles, strengthen partnerships, and capture the benefits of technological breakthroughs faster.
At Avencore, we support industrial players in making this transformation a reality. Let’s talk about it.
