Building architectural models of the embedded computing resources for cyber-physical systems (CPS) has been shown to be both practical and pragmatic. Nevertheless, the government and Department of Defense (DoD) contractor community has been slow to adopt this practice. We have observed, firsthand, contractor skepticism on the question of whether the increased cost of building these models is justified. In this SEI Blog post, we examine the problem space and advancements in the design and implementation of embedded computing resources for CPS, the complexities of which drive the need for model building. We also examine the use of traditional methods, such as return on investment (ROI), to justify the added expense of building and maintaining these virtual models, the limitations of ROI in this context, and alternative ways to quantify and rationalize the benefits. Finally, we discuss our vision for using model-based methods to reduce integration and test risk, the potential benefits of that change on CPS, and our recommendations for organizations that want to move forward with a model-based approach in the absence of solid ROI data.
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