Simulation Governance & Management Working Group

Mission

The NAFEMS Simulation Governance and Management Working Group (SGMWG) shall provide a vendor-neutral, end-user driven consortium that promotes advancement of the technology and practices associated with all aspects of managing engineering simulation processes and techniques. It will support the mission of the international NAFEMS organisation, namely:

• To facilitate international industry, academia, government, and vendor collaboration, that leverages unbiased multi-disciplinary expertise dedicated to the engineering modelling, analysis, simulation, and systems engineering communities.
• To improve engineering product and process simulations. 
• To have a positive impact on quality, profitability, schedules and safety for engineering companies. 
  

Vision

Engineering analysis and simulation processes, procedures, and best practices for ensuring quality and reliable simulations are recognised as strategic business assets within all companies utilising virtual engineering product development techniques.

Scope

The focus of the Simulation Governance and Management Working Group is to champion and improve best practices that relate to engineering analysis and simulation. It will promote and enrich simulation management practices aligned with the rapidly-developing technologies in advancing the productivity and quality of virtual product development processes. This includes the development and promotion of requirements and standards that will have general benefits to the international engineering analysis and simulation community.

Discussion Video Series

The Simulation Governance and Management Working Group has begun developing a series of discussion videos tackling key topics within the group's scope. The videos are available to watch via the group's 'Discussion Videos' page.

Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference for the SGMWG can be viewed below:

Simulation Governance and Management Working Group Overview

An outline of the group's remit and activities can be downloaded below:

If you would like to express an interest in becoming a member the SGMWG, please complete this form.

Comments from the Chair

The primary focus of the Simulation Governance and Management Working Group (SGMWG) is the Quality Assurance of engineering simulation and the management of the simulation process.  This is predominantly a management responsibility in as much as it demands the development of appropriate procedures and organisational support.

The Terms of Reference refer to Engineering Analysis and Simulation. The remit of the working group therefore extends beyond FEA, to encompass CFD and the emerging simulation technologies such as multi-physics. The working group will also examine the role of the more traditional techniques such as hand calculation (this still being simulation by calculation). The group has already attracted support from the CFD fraternity. We consider quality assurance to be relevant to the assessment and qualification of products or structures through any form of calculation, whether computer aided or not.

The working group output therefore influences not only the quality of the simulation, but by extension the quality of the finished engineered product.

A current issue is the rapid increase in the use of ‘push-button’ simulation products; where sophisticated simulation tools are embedded in CAD systems.  Whilst these technologies have obvious benefits in terms of productivity and accessibility, there is concern that such products suggest that complex simulations are fool-proof.  The challenge is to examine the uses for these simulation tools; looking at the proper implementation of quality control measures whilst at the same time not hindering the development and deployment.  With the simulation remit we are able to examine the advantages, disadvantages, concerns and potential dangers of such trends in the technology.

The working group would welcome the involvement of software developers to assist in our discussions and developments.