scope:

Purpose

This NASA Technical Handbook provides guidance for establishing NASA's digital engineering acquisition framework that includes Data Requirements Descriptions (DRDs) and contractual language for the Statement of Work (SOW) in support of a digital engineering environment (DEE).

A DEE will modernize how the Agency conceptualizes, designs, develops, delivers, operates, and sustains systems. A DEE will help enable collaborative digital engineering while integrating stakeholders with authoritative decentralized sources of data and models seamlessly across organizations and disciplines supporting life-cycle activities from concept through disposal.

Digital engineering is the integrated digital approach that utilizes authoritative sources for product and system data and associated models collaboratively across all product-involved disciplines supporting life-cycle activities from conceptualization through disposal (Pre-Phase A through F). A DEE enables the interconnected data, people, processes, and technology used to store, access, analyze, and visualize evolving systems' data and models to address the needs of enterprise-wide stakeholders. It provides information referencing topics such as model-based definitions (MBD) (annotated 3D CAD models), model-based analyses (MBA), model-based systems engineering (MBSE), model-based enterprise (MBE) (aiding manufacturers to integrate system, service, product, process, and logistics models across the manufacturing/support enterprise), product data and life-cycle management (PDLM), and general guidance to adapt the methods needed to implement digital engineering product/data acquisition requirements maximizing model representations. This NASA Technical Handbook supersedes NASA-HDBK-0008, NASA Product Data and Life-Cycle Management (PDLM) Handbook.

A process for management of technical data is required by NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 7123.1, NASA Systems Engineering Processes and Requirements, for ensuring that the data required are captured and stored, data integrity is maintained, and data are disseminated as required. A digital engineering acquisition framework requires that information technology (IT) systems across NASA be made interoperable or federated to the extent needed to provide a secure, readily accessible environment to enable required collaborative digital engineering capabilities. This framework augments PDLM and addresses the acquisition, retrieval, usage, and storage of all program/project data in addition to the technical data used in the life cycle of a system.

Implementing a digital, model-based acquisition framework negates much of the traditional document-centric approach in lieu of a digital engineering environment where digital models hold the information once housed in documents to meet the program/project's decision or information needs in addition to supporting the product-related activities. To achieve the highest level of collaboration, interoperability, efficiency, and data availability, the implementation of a fully digital model-based acquisition framework environment is necessary. A model-based acquisition framework is intended to increase the probability of mission success by increasing the availability, effectiveness, and efficiency of data interchange and integration across like as well as disparate systems for availability of the right data to the right people at the right time, thereby enabling the right decisions and reducing risk.

Applicability

This NASA Technical Handbook is applicable to the complete program/project life cycle of current and future NASA space flight single-project and tightly coupled programs and their projects as defined in NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements, and is recommended as guidance in all other programs/projects. The example DRDs in this NASA Technical Handbook should be modified to meet each program/project's and product's needs.

This NASA Technical Handbook is approved for use by NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers and Facilities. It may also apply to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (a Federally Funded Research and Development Center [FFRDC]), other contractors, recipients of grants and cooperative agreements, and parties to other agreements only to the extent specified or referenced in their applicable contracts, grants, or agreements.

This NASA Technical Handbook, or portions thereof, may be cited in contract, program, and other Agency documents¹.

¹ NPR 7120.10, Technical Standards for NASA Programs and Projects