Requirements Engineering for the Automotive Industry

Product development White paperJune 2009
Requirements engineering for
the automotive industry.
Improving the product development process using IBM Rational DOORS softwareRequirements engineering for the automotive industry.Page 2
Requirements engineering and its role in automotive product developmentContents It's easy to plan meetings or events when there are few people and resources involved. But when either the number of people or the required resources 2 Requirements engineering grows, planning can quickly become difficult and execution even more so. and its role in automotive Therefore, effective collaboration and communication becomes essential.product development3 Meeting challenges in the Likewise, successful product development depends greatly on collaboration among automotive industry the many individuals and teams involved, including systems, software, electrical 4 Defining requirements and mechanical engineers and others such as the engineering director. They engineering must all understand and work toward the project's requirements, which is the 6 Requirements engineering thread that connects all project stakeholders and teams with common objectives. for the automotive industry Requirements also create a link between development teams and customers, sup-9 Rational DOORS: success stories pliers and business partners. Ultimately, requirements define a product designed in the automotive industry to satisfy a customer need or marketplace demand-so they must tune into those 10 Conclusion needs and demands.
For industrial product development, the requirements-engineering process helps companies manage complex requirements, improve team collaboration and ultimately produce high-quality products more cost-effectively. This white paper explores requirements engineering and its groundbreaking role in product devel-opment and engineering for the industrial segment. It discusses the best practices and benefits of requirements engineering, and how automotive manufacturers can overcome today's quality and cost challenges using those best practices supported by IBM solutions. Several case studies illustrate how automotive original equip-Ūment manufacturers (OEMs) and industry suppliers have used IBM Rational ŪDOORS software to help improve communication and collaboration through the requirements-engineering process. As a result, these organizations can boost pro-ductivity, increase time and cost savings, and create higher quality end products.Requirements engineering for the automotive industry.Page 3
Meeting challenges in the automotive industryHighlights Due to the poor economic climate, the issues facing the automotive industry permeate the daily lives of industry professionals and consumers alike. Headlines in daily newspapers warn of increasing fuel costs and shifts in consumer behavior. And TV newscast tickers provide constant reminders of the pressure to reduce CO2 emissions and the fluctuation in exchange rates.
A requirements-driven approach With those concerns at the forefront, automotive companies must focus on new to product development and ways to develop higher quality products faster and more cost-effectively. Most engineering can help automakers important, they must clearly understand what they are building through-develop models more cost- out the development lifecycle-in other words, they need to know whether effectively, faster and at a all customer requirements are fulfilled. Therefore, automotive companies higher quality. can successfully manage product development and engineering by taking a requirements-driven approach. Requirements engineering can help meet some of the following key challenges.
Cost-effective innovationOEMs and suppliers need innovative products to win marketshare. But to improve profit margins, they need to differentiate their brands and enhance performance while accelerating lifecycles, reducing costs, assuring quality and delivering prod-uct excellence.Requirements engineering for the automotive industry.Page 4
Supplier collaborationHighlights Reducing development cost and managing complexity require close association and integration between OEMs and suppliers and some fundamental changes in the way they do business. Suppliers need to align design and product devel-opment with rapidly changing OEM requirements while increasing product quality and reducing time to market and cost.
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