The Challenges: Complexity is increasing, and traditional methods are reaching their limits in product development.
The development of highly complex technical systems is increasingly presenting companies with strategic challenges. In the automotive industry in particular, rising and rapidly changing customer demands, technological innovations, and increasing connectivity are leading to a new level of complexity. Today, vehicles are no longer merely mechanical structures but integral parts of a comprehensive mobility ecosystem. They interact with external infrastructure, digital services, and IoT platforms. This development requires a fundamental shift in thinking regarding product development.
A key challenge in this context is managing so-called emergent phenomena —system properties that are not determined by individual components but arise from their interaction. These include, for example, vehicle weight, driving dynamics, and aerodynamics. These cross-functional characteristics cannot be efficiently managed through conventional development processes, as they transcend departmental boundaries and involve numerous technical and economic interactions.
The question is: How can companies ensure that their development processes manage these challenges rather than being driven by them?
The solution: Introducing new roles to manage complex properties in a targeted manner.
A leading German automaker has recognized that traditional development processes can no longer meet rising demands. The solution: redefining roles and responsibilities to specifically manage properties (non-functional characteristics such as weight or aerodynamics) and features (customer-relevant functionalities such as driver assistance systems).
These specialized roles ensure that cross-functional characteristics and functions are managed consistently from the concept phase through to mass production. This prevents conflicts of interest, improves communication between departments, and ensures transparent management of the development process.
An Overview of the New Role Structure
The new role model includes both property and feature roles:
Property Roles: Controlling Cross-System Properties
- Property Manager (PM) – bears overall responsibility for the strategic management and objectives of a property, coordinates development across various departments, and ensures that economic and technical requirements are optimally balanced.
- Property Manager (PR) – Operational responsibility for the implementation and management of the property within a specific system.
- Property Implementer (PI) – Implementation of the property at the component level, with a focus on technical implementation.
Feature Roles: Ensuring Customer Expectations Are Met
- Feature Responsible (FR) – Responsible for the development and integration of a feature across all system levels.
- Customer Function Responsible (CFR) – Managing the customer view, defining requirements from the user’s perspective.
- Technical Function Responsible (TFR) – Translating functional requirements into technical solutions, coordinating with system architects.
This clear division of roles ensures consistent management, prevents silos, and significantly improves interdisciplinary collaboration.
Transforming Systems Engineering Through Clear Responsibilities
The introduction of these roles fundamentally changes the existing approach to the development process. While traditional models often fail due to departmental silos, the new roles ensure end-to-end accountability throughout the entire product lifecycle.
A concrete example is a vehicle’s “total weight” property. While in traditional processes each functional department works independently to reduce weight, the new roles establish an overarching authority. The Property Manager defines strategic weight targets, which are then implemented in the individual systems and components by the Property Responsible and Property Implementer. Conflicts of interest—for example, between lightweight construction, safety, and costs—can thus be identified early on and resolved at a strategic level.
For companies, this means: increased efficiency, improved transparency, and reduced risk in product development.
To ensure that properties and features are optimized throughout the entire development cycle, they are firmly integrated into the existing V-model. Properties and features are identified and systematized early on in requirements management. In architecture management, the requirements are transferred in a structured manner to various system levels. Finally, development and validation ensure systematic verification to guarantee that the defined quality goals are met.
Strategic Competitive Advantages for Businesses
Implementing this kind of systems engineering approach offers companies numerous benefits:
- Better management of emergent phenomena: Clear lines of responsibility ensure that cross-functional product features are managed efficiently.
- Greater transparency and traceability: Rigorous tracking of features and properties improves control over the development process.
- Optimized interdisciplinary collaboration: Clear roles and responsibilities reduce friction between departments.
- Reducing Development Risks: By identifying and managing conflicting objectives early on, undesirable outcomes can be avoided.
- Sustainable improvement in competitiveness: Companies with a consistent systems engineering strategy are able to succeed in an increasingly complex market environment.
Conclusion: Shaping the Future of Systems Engineering
The increasing complexity of technical systems makes it essential to reevaluate and transform traditional development approaches. Introducing specialized roles for features and properties is a crucial step toward combining business agility with technical excellence.
Companies that adapt early on and implement new role models in systems engineering can not only overcome the challenges of digital transformation but also position themselves as leaders in innovation.
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