Developing complex engineering systems requires theconsolidation of models from a variety of domains such aseconomics, mechanics and software engineering. These modelsare typically created using differing formalisms and bystakeholders that have varying views on the same problemstatement. The challenging question is: what is needed to makesure that all of these different models remain consistent duringthe design process? A review of the related literature revealsthat this is still an open challenge and has not yet beeninvestigated at a fundamental level within the context ofModel-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). Therefore, thispaper specifically focuses on examining the fundamentals ofconsistency management. We show that some inconsistenciescannot be detected and come to the conclusion that it isimpossible to say whether or not a system is fully consistent. Inthis paper, we first introduce a mathematical foundation todefine consistency in a formal manner. A decision-basedapproach to design is then studied and applied to thedevelopment of a real-world example. The research revealsseveral distinct types of inconsistencies that can occur duringthe design and development of a system. We show that theseinconsistencies can be further classified into two groups:internal and external consistency. From these insights, theontology of inconsistencies is constructed. Finally,requirements for possible tool support and methods to identifyand manage specific types of consistency issues are proposed.
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