Current and future mobility needs are constantly changing. Electrification, digitalization, and automation are fundamentally transforming the vehicle. Software has therefore become a central design element and will determine how customers experience their cars in the future. A leading software and technology division of an automotive OEM has set itself the goal of consolidating the software expertise of various divisions and projects across the company through its software platform. The central software division is continuously expanding the central and strategically important design element of software. Within this area, the processes and structures for developing the operating system needed to be established for the future.
Strategic Goals for Future-Proof Operating Systems in the Automotive Industry
To ensure long-term software capability in the vehicle, the Operating System division has defined three specific strategic objectives:
- Seamless integration of the software into the hardware.
- Ensuring continuous updates in the vehicle.
- The development of new applications and services based on all in-vehicle data.
However, these objectives are caught between regulatory requirements (e.g., compliance with A-Spice, UNECE CSMS) and the enormous complexity, which is constantly growing due to the increasing number of functionalities and internal customers, as well as external stakeholders.
The OrgExcellence@OS project was established and supported in collaboration with a team from 3DSE to restructure and reposition the organization, thereby enabling it to overcome the challenges mentioned. Two key drivers were identified to ensure the long-term success of Operating System:
- Optimization of the agile process organization with a focus on structuring the agile release trains.
- Designing a structured collaboration model for the future software architecture based on systems engineering.
Agility and systems engineering as drivers of long-term software expertise
The optimization of the agile process organization began with the definition of strategic requirements and design criteria. This framework ensured a targeted development of the future structure of the agile release trains and provided guidance for evaluating different organizational options. After identifying the most suitable organizational structure, the target state was defined in detail. To ensure the Operating System division’s ability to deliver during the transformation, a step-by-step approach was developed to iteratively transition the organization to the target state.
Transformation through iterative approaches and transparent processes
At the same time, a collaboration model for the future software architecture was developed based on systems engineering, which structures highly dynamic collaboration with internal customers. Clear responsibilities, transparency regarding organizational dependencies and process steps—as defined by a project structure—and the description of clear systems engineering deliverables and artifacts for each development level and timeframe reduced complexity and accelerated collaboration.
