Framework for continuous transition to Agile Systems Engineering in the Automotive Industry

TL;DR

This paper proposes an agile Systems Engineering framework tailored for the automotive industry to address VUCA challenges, supported by a pilot project demonstrating its effectiveness in fostering innovation and continuous improvement.

Contribution

It introduces a novel agile SE framework specifically designed for automotive industry needs and provides empirical evidence of its successful implementation.

Findings

Enhanced collaboration and innovation in automotive development

Successful pilot implementation in chassis development

Framework facilitates continuous improvement and learning

Abstract

The increasing pressure within VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) driven environments causes traditional, plan-driven Systems Engineering approaches to no longer suffice. Agility is then changing from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have" capability for successful system developing organisations. The current state of the art, however, does not provide clear answers on how to map this need in terms of processes, methods, tools and competencies (PMTC) and how to successfully manage the transition within established industries. In this paper, we propose an agile Systems Engineering (SE) Framework for the automotive industry to meet the new agility demand. In addition to the methodological background, we present results of a pilot project in the chassis development department of a German automotive manufacturer and demonstrate the effectiveness of the newly proposed framework. By adopting the described agile SE Framework, companies can foster innovation and collaboration based on a learning, continuous improvement and self-reinforcing base.