Using VOLTA's BPMN to Manage and Link Engineering Handoffs Across Product Design

ESTECO VOLTA’s Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) provides a standardized yet flexible framework to manage complex engineering handoffs across product design. This work proposes the use of BPMN, integrated with a Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) system, to orchestrate and link multidisciplinary engineering activities while preserving full context for all managed artifacts. In the proposed approach, BPMN models define the end-to-end development and handoff processes between engineering and technical disciplines, capturing not only task flow but also inputs, outputs, roles, and decision points. These processes are executed and monitored via VOLTA’s Kanban-style workflow, where Systems Engineering actively manages deliverables, assigns and reassigns tasks, and adjusts resources as needed to maintain schedule and quality. Central to this approach is VOLTA’s SPDM system, which serves as the authoritative source of truth by storing simulation and design artifacts in a governed system of record rather than within ad hoc shared-drive file structures. This reduces the risk of escapes and the downstream productivity loss associated with using outdated or incorrect data. Program teams can instantiate the BPMN-defined processes for specific projects, enabling consistent execution while retaining flexibility to identify process gaps, tailor workflows, and highlight opportunities for automation and integration. Over time, the curated data and process traces—enriched with metadata and contextual information—form a high-value, structured corpus suitable for AI training and advanced analytics. This creates a closed-loop environment where managed processes and governed data reinforce each other, improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost across the product lifecycle.