Aerospace and defence programmes operate at a scale unheard of in most industries. Projects often involve thousands of stakeholders and long development cycles. Teams work across distributed supply chains while adhering to strict regulatory standards. There are also potentially millions of requirements, which must remain consistent and traceable.
Effective requirements management is paramount to project success, and managing such complexity requires tools built specifically for large-scale engineering environments. That’s where Codebeamer by PTC comes in. In this article, we’ll explain why.
Requirements management challenges
Requirements management in aerospace and defence is a core engineering discipline that can be the difference between success and failure. But it’s also one of the most challenging aspects of a project.
Large programmes routinely handle tens of thousands of interlinked requirements. Each one may link to system models, verification activities, risks, defects and software components. Keeping those relationships intact over projects that may span many years is essential.
With distributed teams including OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and subcontractors often working across multiple countries and time zones, secure access, structured workflows and clear approval processes are essential to keep work moving without losing control.
Compliance raises the stakes further. Standards such as DO-178C, DO-254 and MIL-STD-882 require clear traceability and controlled change processes. Organisations must be able to demonstrate exactly how requirements were implemented, tested and verified.
Generic tools often struggle under these conditions. Performance becomes an issue as datasets grow. Workflows become difficult to enforce consistently. You need a tool that will not let you down.
How Codebeamer delivers
Codebeamer is designed for structured requirements management at enterprise scale. It supports large deployments with high numbers of users and artefacts, allowing teams to manage complex programmes without losing visibility.
Here are five areas where Codebeamer excels:
- Organisation - Requirements can be organised in hierarchies, versioned and baselined. This gives teams clear control over change. When requirements evolve, teams can track what changed, when it changed and how it affects downstream activities.
- Traceability/Compliance - Requirements can be linked directly to tests, risks, defects and source code. This creates a continuous chain of evidence, which is essential for both engineering confidence and regulatory audits.
- Collaboration - Role-based access, electronic approvals and workflow automation allow distributed teams to work together while maintaining control over sensitive data and decisions.
- Automation – With built-in workflows, templates and audit trails, teams can standardise processes and maintain clear records without relying on manual tracking.
- Integration - Codebeamer connects with development and lifecycle tools, including Jira, Git, Jenkins and PLM systems.
Codebeamer is already way ahead of similar platforms like Catia Magic, but PTC is always working to improve the product. It is investing in new AI-driven capabilities, including impact analysis, intelligent traceability suggestions, and predictive quality analytics. You’ll encounter them in future Codebeamer versions.
Try Codebeamer today
Aerospace and defence programmes will continue to grow in complexity. More stakeholders, more software and stricter compliance requirements are becoming the norm. At this scale, requirements management directly affects programme success.
A&D companies need robust traceability, secure collaboration and the ability to manage change across large, distributed teams. Codebeamer is designed to meet these needs, giving engineers the control to deliver complex systems across long lifecycles.
Find out more about Codebeamer here.