Lifecycle Modeling Language (LML) Specification

Systems engineering approaches, methods and tools have evolved but have not kept pace with the rate of change of modern systems. Model Based Systems Engineering, SysML, DODAF, MODAF, and UAF are tremendous steps forward but do not address the entirety of the problem. Large portions of the development lifecycle are ignored by these approaches. A new approach to analyzing, planning, specifying, designing, building and maintaining modern systems is needed. The Lifecycle Modeling Language (LML) is that approach. LML was designed with 6 major goals:

1. To be easy to understand,
2. To be easy to extend,
3. To support both functional and object oriented approaches within the same design,
4. To be a language that can be understood by most system stakeholders, not just Systems Engineers,
5. To support systems from cradle to grave,
6. To support both evolutionary and revolutionary changes to system plans and designs over the lifetime of a system.

Current Systems Engineering languages tend to add complexity to already complex problems, thus making it more difficult to communicate the underlying issues and develop effective solutions. LML is designed to be a simpler language, both in terms of its ontology and visual expressions. This feature makes it easy to understand by the entire set of lifecycle stakeholders. Such a simplified language many not include all the “bins” for information a particular domain wants, hence, LML is extensible allowing for discipline and domain specific extensions to support the needs of a specific project, organization or customer. The process for extension submission will be detailed on the lifecyclemodeling.org website.