The automotive industry is known for its high quality standards and rigorous testing procedures. The reason for this is that software used in vehicles must be absolutely reliable, as errors can pose serious safety risks for people.

Examples of this are:

• ASPICE (Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination): A framework aimed at improving and evaluating the software development process in the automotive industry. ASPICE defines clear phases and frameworks for the development process, including requirements management, design, implementation, testing and maintenance. Specific activities and responsibilities are defined for each phase, resulting in a more structured and systematic approach. Requirements management is particularly important for every software project. This framework specifies the criteria according to which requirements should be recorded, documented, checked and managed. This also includes the tracking of changes to requirements over the entire life cycle of the software. The term used for this is traceability and its assurance is supported by specific tools.

• ISO 26262: A standard for functional safety that covers the entire service life of electronic systems in motor vehicles and aims to identify and minimize risks and malfunctions. The aspect of safety analyses in particular can be transferred from this standard to software projects in other sectors. Here, various analyses such as FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis), FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) and other methods are used to identify and evaluate potential sources of error and their impact on system integrity.

• MISRA (Motor Industry Software Reliability Association): Guidelines for improving the safety, reliability, portability and maintainability of software used in motor vehicles. One of the most important aspects that we incorporate into our software development processes are strict Coding rules: MISRA defines specific rules for programming. These rules exclude certain language constructs that are considered unsafe or error-prone and instead promote clearer and safer alternatives. These rules are checked by static code analyses.

We can transfer our knowledge of these sophisticated quality assurance principles to other industries as required in order to create more robust, error-free and user-friendly software solutions.

One particularly outstanding standard from the automotive world is AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture). It is one of the most important software development standards in the automotive industry. AUTOSAR is a global development partnership between vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and other companies from the electronics, semiconductor and software industries. It aims to establish a standardized software architecture for electronic control units (ECUs) in vehicles and is the prerequisite for efficient cross-company collaboration in software development.

We present the following aspects of the applicability of AUTOSAR principles in other industries:

• Modularity and reusability: AUTOSAR promotes a modular software architecture that enables the reusability of software components. We can apply these principles in other industries to shorten development times and ensure integrability.
• Standardization and interoperability: By creating uniform interfaces and standards, AUTOSAR facilitates the integration of different systems and components. This architecture facilitates cooperation between different systems and manufacturers. This means that low-level and high-level software can be developed by different partners and then integrated smoothly. In web development, we see analogies here in the interaction of front-end, middleware and back-end development services.
• Safety and reliability: AUTOSAR’s high safety and reliability standards are crucial in the automotive industry. These standards can be transferred to industries where data security and reliability of systems are of high importance.
• Scalability: AUTOSAR supports the development of scalable systems ranging from small, non-networked ECUs to highly complex, networked systems. This standardized scalability can also be of considerable benefit in other areas of technology.

Although AUTOSAR was developed specifically for the needs of the automotive industry, the core principles of modularity, standardization, security and scalability can be transferred to software development projects in other industries. Adapting these principles requires a deep understanding of both the AUTOSAR architecture and the specific requirements of the respective industry.  

Agile software development, a core principle in the modern automotive industry, promotes flexibility, rapid feedback and continuous improvement. This methodology allows teams to react quickly to changes and develop products iteratively, which is particularly beneficial in the fast-paced world of web development. By adopting these agile practices, digitalization agencies can shorten their development cycles while ensuring the quality of their products.

In the automotive industry, software is often developed modularly to reduce complexity and increase the reusability of code. This modular approach is ideal for creating scalable solutions for web and digitalization projects. Our web and digitalization agency clients can benefit from this methodology by developing reusable components that can be used in different projects, reducing development time and costs.

The measurement of software quality is of central importance both in automotive software development and in software development in general. We present 5 of the most important measurement parameters here.

• Error density: This metric measures the number of errors in relation to the code size (for example, errors per thousand lines of code). A lower error density indicates higher software quality.
• Code coverage: Code coverage refers to the percentage of source code that is covered by automated tests. High code coverage is often an indicator of a comprehensive test strategy, which in turn indicates high software quality.
• Performance indicators (performance metrics): These include response times, throughput and resource utilization. These metrics are crucial for determining how efficiently and effectively the software works under different operating conditions.
• Maintainability: This metric evaluates how easy it is to make changes to the code, fix bugs or add new features. Factors such as code complexity, compliance with coding standards and documentation quality influence maintainability.
• Reliability: Reliability measures how consistently and dependably software performs its intended functions under specified conditions. This includes the frequency and severity of system failures or crashes.

In practice, dozens of individual metrics can be considered in a comprehensive software quality management plan. The selection and prioritization of these metrics is industry-specific and depends on the specific goals and requirements of each project.

The selected metrics help our developers and project managers to evaluate and improve the quality of the implemented software products. They also provide valuable insights into various aspects of software quality, support decision-making in the development process and can be used for regular status reports.

Die Automobilindustrie setzt auf strenge Testverfahren, um die Zuverlässigkeit und Sicherheit der Software zu gewährleisten. Die wichtigsten Testmethoden sind: 

• Unit Testing: Testet einzelne Softwarekomponenten oder Module isoliert von anderen Teilen des Systems. Das Ziel besteht darin, sicherstellen, dass jede Komponente wie erwartet funktioniert und korrekt auf Eingaben reagiert. 
• Integrationstesting: Überprüft, wie verschiedene Module oder Komponenten der Software zusammenarbeiten. Damit werden Fehler in den Schnittstellen und Interaktionen zwischen verschiedenen Teilen des Systems identifiziert. 
• Systemtesting: Auch Spezifikationstest genannt, testet das gesamte Software-System als Ganzes und berprüft, ob das gesamte System die spezifizierten Anforderungen erfüllt und korrekt funktioniert. 
• Funktionale Sicherheitstests (Functional Safety Testing): Diese Methode überprüft, ob die Software auch unter fehlerhaften Bedingungen sicher funktioniert. Es wird damit sichergestellt, dass die Software keine gefährlichen Zustände verursacht und Sicherheitsmechanismen wie erwartet funktionieren. 
• Regressionstests werden durchgeführt, um sicherzustellen, dass Änderungen, Updates oder Verbesserungen die bestehende Funktionalität nicht beeinträchtigen. Diese Tests verifizieren, dass Änderungen keine unbeabsichtigten Nebenwirkungen auf die bestehende Funktionalität haben. 

Diese Testmethoden und deren richtige Kombination sind entscheidend für die Entwicklung sicherer und zuverlässiger Automotive-Software, insbesondere angesichts der wachsenden Komplexität und Vernetzung moderner Fahrzeugsysteme. 

Das Wissen um Art und Ziele dieser Testmethoden hilft uns dabei, Fehler während der Entwicklung frühzeitig zu erkennen und zu beheben. Diese erhöht die Sicherheit, Robustheit und Qualität unserer Softwareprojektes. 

Would you like to know whether experience from automotive software engineering can also give your project new impetus?   

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