The engineering lifecycle
Ngenaire is organized around a lifecycle that matches the verb-form sidebar: Define → Model → Verify → Track, with a final Report stage for deliverables. The sidebar lists pages under these sections in roughly the order you work through them. You can move freely between stages, but the order is the recommended path through a project.
Define → Model → Verify → Track → Report
Trace links connect artifacts across every stage, so a requirement defined early can be followed forward to the diagram that realizes it, the test that verifies it, and the risk that threatens it. The AI Assistant is available at every stage to draft, critique, and connect this work.
Define — the "what"
You answer: what is this system for, and what must it do?
Pages in this stage:
- CONOPS — a narrative concept of operations describing how the system is used and who interacts with it.
- SOW (Statement of Work) — formal scope, deliverables, and acceptance criteria. Highlight any phrase to mint a reusable SOW object.
- Requirements — atomic, testable statements, organized in a parent/child outline.
- Baselines — snapshot and lock an approved set of requirements for change control.
- Trade Studies — structured, weighted comparison of design alternatives.
The output of this stage is an agreed scope and a baselined set of requirements.
Model — the "how"
You answer: how is the system structured, and how do the parts interact?
Pages in this stage:
- Diagrams — UML and SysML diagrams (use case, sequence, state, activity, class, and SysML block/internal-block diagrams).
- Data Flow Diagram — how data moves between processes, stores, and external entities.
- 3D Models — geometry of the physical system or its environment.
The output of this stage is an architecture the team can build against, with diagram elements traced back to the requirements they satisfy.
Verify — the "proof"
You answer: does the system actually meet its requirements?
Pages in this stage:
- Test Plan — the overall verification strategy and resources.
- Test Procedure — step-by-step instructions for running a test.
- Test Executions — the pass/fail/blocked/skipped record of each run, per build.
- RVTM — the Requirements Verification Traceability Matrix linking requirements to their verifications.
- Coverage Matrix — a visual gap analysis showing which requirements still lack verification.
- Verification Report — the rolled-up outcome with supporting evidence.
The goal of this stage is that every requirement is closed by at least one passing verification.
Track — governance and execution
You answer: is the project on schedule, and what could go wrong? Track runs in parallel with the earlier stages.
Pages in this stage:
- Gantt Chart — the project schedule and task dependencies.
- Critical Path — the longest dependency chain through the schedule (CPM).
- Schedule Risk — a Monte Carlo simulation over three-point task estimates that produces a finish-date distribution and a per-task criticality index.
- Risk Register — identified risks with likelihood, impact, mitigation, and risk-to-risk links.
- Issue Tracker — concerns, defects, and action items.
- Project Inbox — a triage queue of findings raised by the Project Monitor and Consistency Auditor.
- Project Memory — durable per-project notes the AI Assistant reads and writes.
The output of this stage is a project that ships on time with managed risk.
Report — the deliverables
You answer: how do we package this for a reviewer or customer?
Pages in this stage:
- Report Templates — reusable document structures.
- AI Report Builder — generate a polished, exportable report drawing on the project's artifacts.
How the AI Assistant fits in
The AI Assistant participates in every stage. It can decompose requirements in Define, generate diagrams in Model, draft test procedures in Verify, summarize risks and schedule slip in Track, and assemble deliverables in Report. See What the AI Assistant can do for the full list.