How to integrate with real cars -- minimizing lead time at Volkswagen

TL;DR

This paper presents a method for integrating new software with real cars in large automotive companies, reducing lead times by using dynamic stages and feature toggles to overcome legacy system constraints.

Contribution

It introduces a practical approach for short development cycles in brown field environments within the automotive industry, specifically at Volkswagen.

Findings

Successful integration with real cars achieved at Volkswagen.

Reduced lead times for software updates in legacy systems.

Effective use of feature toggles and dynamic stages.

Abstract

The most successful tech companies of the world release new software versions to production multiple times a day. Thereby, they are able to quickly fix emerging bugs and rapidly deliver new features to their customers. This leads to short development cycles, minimal lead times and a high customer-centricity. Short development cycles are easy to achieve if you start a software project on a green field. Nevertheless, this does not apply to brown field environments which are usually found in big corporates such as traditional car manufacturers. For instance, if you want to integrate with real cars you have to interface legacy systems with development cycles of up to several months. We present a solution, which worked for one of the world's largest car manufacturer, leveraging in-house core development teams, dynamic stages and feature-toggles to overcome a brown field environment, allow for short development cycles and minimize the lead time.