Digital systems engineering framework for the Giant Magellan Telescope: integrating requirements, interfaces, and configuration management

Abstract

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) has progressed from preliminary into final design, a major milestone in the realization of one of the world's most advanced astronomical observatories. Supporting this transition is a robust digital systems-engineering framework that integrates requirements, interfaces, and configuration management through a coordinated application of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM), complementary enterprise tools, and AIassisted quality analysis. The framework provides a centralized repository for requirements and interface data, structured according to the Product Breakdown Structure (PBS), and supports end-to-end traceability, controlled baselines, automated publishing, and project-wide reporting. Its effectiveness depends not only on tool configuration but also on usabilityfocused workflows, role-specific views, custom widgets, standardized templates, and sustained user training. Together, these elements have produced a well-adopted environment that improves engineering visibility, strengthens design integrity, and supports readiness for Verification and Validation (V&V). This paper summarizes the framework architecture, implementation approach, adoption strategy, and lessons learned from deploying an integrated digital engineering environment for a next-generation observatory.