Digital Engineering Transformation as a Sociotechnical Challenge: Categorization of Barriers and Their Mapping to DoD's Policy Goals
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Wiley
2026
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| _version_ | 1867016503973380096 |
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| author | Md Doulotuzzaman Xames Taylan G. Topcu |
| author_facet | Md Doulotuzzaman Xames Taylan G. Topcu Md Doulotuzzaman Xames Taylan G. Topcu |
| collection | Wiley Open Access |
| contents | Digital Engineering Transformation as a Sociotechnical Challenge: Categorization of Barriers and Their Mapping to DoD's Policy Goals Md Doulotuzzaman Xames Taylan G. Topcu Systems Engineering ABSTRACT Digital Engineering (DE) transformation represents a paradigm shift in systems engineering (SE), aiming to integrate heterogeneous analytical models and digital artifacts into an authoritative source of truth to improve traceability and lifecycle management. However, despite institutional support, many DE initiatives underperform or fail to realize their purported benefits. This article posits that this is an outcome of an incomplete understanding of sociotechnical barriers, and more specifically, how their interplay influences DE transformation efforts. To that end, we present a structured synthesis of these challenges based on the literature and the sociotechnical systems theory, organized across dimensions of people, technology, processes, culture, infrastructure, and goals. We then map these barriers against the U.S. Department of Defense's DE policy goals. Our findings reveal that technological investments alone are insufficient, and DE failures often stem from social factors such as workforce readiness, leadership support, and cultural alignment. Further, our analysis shows that sociotechnical barriers often cascade across multiple policy goals, thus complicating accountability, prioritization, and long‐term sustainment. These findings have direct implications for stakeholders who play a critical role in DE transformation initiatives. For instance, managers could use our mapping as a diagnostic tool to proactively identify risks and prioritize resource allocation; policymakers could complement their strategic mandates with sustained investments and long‐term change management support; and finally, engineers could benefit from approaching DE as a more effective mode of collaboration, and not as a threat to their job security. Significance and Practitioner Points For Researchers: This study addresses a persistent gap in digital engineering (DE) scholarship: the absence of a structured, policy‐grounded account of why DE transformation initiatives stall in practice. By mapping sociotechnical barriers onto the DoD's 2018 published DE policy objectives, the paper produces a diagnostic framework that reveals not only which barriers are most prevalent, but how they propagate across dimensions and undermine multiple goals simultaneously. This cross‐cutting view is not available from existing literature, which tends to treat barriers in isolation or at a level of abstraction disconnected from policy. By bridging DE‐specific and broader digital transformation literatures, the work provides a coherent, testable foundation for future empirical research on DE implementation, prioritization, and impact assessment. For Practitioners: For engineers, managers, and policymakers, this study offers a structured lens for sensemaking rather than prescriptive guidance. The barrier‐to‐policy mapping functions as a diagnostic instrument: it helps practitioners identify which obstacles are most likely to cascade across organizational and technical boundaries, where coordinated intervention is most warranted, and how to communicate implementation risk to leadership and resource authorities. The findings highlight that the persistent obstacles, including workforce readiness, interoperability, and data governance, often cut across multiple policy goals and cannot be addressed through isolated or purely technical interventions. Sustained progress requires organizational commitment and deliberate coordination, and this framework gives practitioners a shared vocabulary and structure to pursue both. 10.1002/sys.70059 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1002/sys.70059 |
| format | Artículo Open Access |
| id | wiley_oa_10_1002_sys_70059 |
| institution | Wiley Open Access |
| license_str_mv | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | wiley_oa |
| spellingShingle | Digital Engineering Transformation as a Sociotechnical Challenge: Categorization of Barriers and Their Mapping to DoD's Policy Goals Md Doulotuzzaman Xames Taylan G. Topcu Systems Engineering Digital Engineering Transformation as a Sociotechnical Challenge: Categorization of Barriers and Their Mapping to DoD's Policy Goals Md Doulotuzzaman Xames Taylan G. Topcu Systems Engineering ABSTRACT Digital Engineering (DE) transformation represents a paradigm shift in systems engineering (SE), aiming to integrate heterogeneous analytical models and digital artifacts into an authoritative source of truth to improve traceability and lifecycle management. However, despite institutional support, many DE initiatives underperform or fail to realize their purported benefits. This article posits that this is an outcome of an incomplete understanding of sociotechnical barriers, and more specifically, how their interplay influences DE transformation efforts. To that end, we present a structured synthesis of these challenges based on the literature and the sociotechnical systems theory, organized across dimensions of people, technology, processes, culture, infrastructure, and goals. We then map these barriers against the U.S. Department of Defense's DE policy goals. Our findings reveal that technological investments alone are insufficient, and DE failures often stem from social factors such as workforce readiness, leadership support, and cultural alignment. Further, our analysis shows that sociotechnical barriers often cascade across multiple policy goals, thus complicating accountability, prioritization, and long‐term sustainment. These findings have direct implications for stakeholders who play a critical role in DE transformation initiatives. For instance, managers could use our mapping as a diagnostic tool to proactively identify risks and prioritize resource allocation; policymakers could complement their strategic mandates with sustained investments and long‐term change management support; and finally, engineers could benefit from approaching DE as a more effective mode of collaboration, and not as a threat to their job security. Significance and Practitioner Points For Researchers: This study addresses a persistent gap in digital engineering (DE) scholarship: the absence of a structured, policy‐grounded account of why DE transformation initiatives stall in practice. By mapping sociotechnical barriers onto the DoD's 2018 published DE policy objectives, the paper produces a diagnostic framework that reveals not only which barriers are most prevalent, but how they propagate across dimensions and undermine multiple goals simultaneously. This cross‐cutting view is not available from existing literature, which tends to treat barriers in isolation or at a level of abstraction disconnected from policy. By bridging DE‐specific and broader digital transformation literatures, the work provides a coherent, testable foundation for future empirical research on DE implementation, prioritization, and impact assessment. For Practitioners: For engineers, managers, and policymakers, this study offers a structured lens for sensemaking rather than prescriptive guidance. The barrier‐to‐policy mapping functions as a diagnostic instrument: it helps practitioners identify which obstacles are most likely to cascade across organizational and technical boundaries, where coordinated intervention is most warranted, and how to communicate implementation risk to leadership and resource authorities. The findings highlight that the persistent obstacles, including workforce readiness, interoperability, and data governance, often cut across multiple policy goals and cannot be addressed through isolated or purely technical interventions. Sustained progress requires organizational commitment and deliberate coordination, and this framework gives practitioners a shared vocabulary and structure to pursue both. 10.1002/sys.70059 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| title | Digital Engineering Transformation as a Sociotechnical Challenge: Categorization of Barriers and Their Mapping to DoD's Policy Goals |
| topic | Systems Engineering |
| url | https://incose.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sys.70059 |