High-Level Requirements Management and Complexity Costs in Automotive Development Projects: A Problem Statement

TL;DR

This paper examines how requirements management in automotive development impacts process complexity and overhead costs, highlighting the need for better decision-making tools to manage these effects effectively.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the relationship between requirements management practices, process complexity, and overhead costs in automotive projects, based on joint research.

Findings

Requirements management influences process complexity and overhead costs.

Current tools may not adequately support complexity-related decision making.

Connecting requirements with costs can improve project decision processes.

Abstract

Effective requirements management plays an important role when it comes to the support of product development teams in the automotive industry. A precise positioning of new cars in the market is based on features and characteristics described as requirements as well as on costs and profits. [Question/problem] However, introducing or changing requirements does not only impact the product and its parts, but may lead to overhead costs in the OEM due to increased complexity. The raised overhead costs may well exceed expected gains or costs from the changed requirements. [Principal ideas/results] By connecting requirements with direct and overhead costs, decision making based on requirements could become more valuable. [Contribution] This problem statement results from a detailed examination of the effects of requirements management practices on process complexity and vice versa as well as on how today's requirements management tools assist in this respect. We present findings from a joined research project of RWTH Aachen University and Volkswagen