Program stabilization · ~5 months
Critical vehicle access & authorization system stabilized under deadline pressure
5 months to stable validation · 50+ engineers across 4 sites · critical defects close to zero · still stable 12 months after handover
Starting point: A distributed, customer-facing key system (key fob, mobile app, NFC, UWB, keyless ECU) stuck in reactive mode: tests remained incomplete close to milestones, changes were validated too late, and the HiL infrastructure was unstable and insufficiently automated. Collaboration between systems, software and test was fragmented, customer complaints were rising and an escalation was taking shape. Release decisions were no longer defensible.
Approach:
- Transparency and risk prioritization. End-to-end tracking of all validation activities in one shared system, risk-based prioritization of test cases, and a regression strategy aligned with project risk and release needs rather than with completeness.
- Clear release criteria and alignment. Binding release criteria: no delivery without validated changes, no delivery with critical defects. Cross-functional alignment of systems, software and test teams with clear accountabilities and timelines.
- Infrastructure and an additional test level. Structured stabilization of HiL usage with a higher degree of automation, introduction of unit testing practices into the CI pipelines, and vehicle validation as an additional level before release, so that critical end-customer scenarios are covered under real conditions.
- Anchoring within the teams. Transition of the test teams into an agile operating model with workflows genuinely practiced across all four sites. The processes have sustained themselves since then, without further need for the external role.
Result: Critical defects close to zero, considerably fewer late defects at the customer, and release decisions based on reliable data instead of gut feel. The looming escalation was averted and the program regained its control under deadline pressure. Twelve months after handover, validation is still running stably.
Tobias made a decisive contribution to stabilizing a critical project situation. Particularly noteworthy are his focus on risk-based prioritization and his ability to enable confident, data-based release decisions in a complex, cross-functional setup.
Michael Hall · Head of Functional Test, BU Entry & Access Systems · Marquardt GmbH
Enterprise V&V governance · 12 months
Enterprise-wide V&V governance established across 1,000+ engineers
12 months of high-velocity transformation · 1,000+ engineers in 5 countries · enterprise V&V framework with standardized test levels and quality gates · aligned with ISO 26262 (ASIL-D), Automotive SPICE, ISO 29119
Starting point: A global R&D organization with more than 1,000 engineers, characterized by fragmented, domain-specific test approaches, limited transparency, inconsistent quality control and test monitoring, and results that were barely comparable across international projects and sites. The initiative started without formal organizational anchoring and without dedicated resources.
Approach:
- Anchor governance at director level. Establishment of a “Test Central” product owner team at director level, consisting of the Director Quality, Director Validation, Director Systems Engineering and the Head of Systems Engineering Process Group, accountable for strategic direction and prioritization. Alignment and commitment were secured from all R&D directors across the business units.
- Build an operational delivery unit. A cross-functional Test Central team as the operational delivery unit, with the Head of Functional Test, Test Process Lead, test leads for electronics, mechanics and software, the Development Quality Assurance Team Lead as well as functional safety and cybersecurity experts, accountable for developing and implementing the V&V methodology. Together this setup established an agile operating model that connects strategic prioritization and cross-functional execution directly.
- Establish an enterprise V&V framework. The core of the transformation: a structured enterprise V&V framework with standardized test levels, test objectives and quality gates, enabling consistent assessment of project maturity across all domains. For the first time, test approaches, maturity levels and quality statements became comparable across business units, projects and sites. The framework is aligned with ISO 26262 (ASIL-D), Automotive SPICE and ISO 29119, and was sharpened in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external subject-matter experts.
- Add data-based assessment and defect governance. Building on the framework, a data-based approach to assessing test coverage, maturity and quality risks that supports a more objective view of project status. Alongside it, a cross-functional defect governance for greater transparency, traceability and consistency in handling defects, particularly in safety-critical environments.
- Roll out globally and apply in critical programs. An international functional test leadership team across Germany, India, Romania, China and Tunisia enabled rollout, synchronization and continuous feedback. An international test manager network across the most critical development programs ensured application in real projects and the systematic feedback of project risks. The defined approaches were applied in selected critical development programs, including structured risk identification and mitigation under tight schedules.
Result: A fragmented, domain-specific testing setup was transformed into a structured, scalable V&V governance approach. At its center sits the enterprise V&V framework, which makes the assessment of project maturity and quality risks consistent across the entire organization, with an end-to-end connection between strategic direction and operational execution including direct feedback loops from critical programs. This led to improved alignment of new development projects with defined V&V standards, increased transparency on quality risks, more reliable release decisions and the stabilization of critical, high-revenue programs. The structures established form a solid basis for further professionalizing and scaling V&V activities.
A fragmented, domain-specific testing setup was transformed within a short time into a structured and scalable V&V governance approach, with increased transparency on quality risks and the stabilization of critical programs.
Dr. Erhardt Wunderlich · Quality Coach · Member of the German Testing Board (GTB) e.V. · Head of the Software Test Regional Group Berlin/Brandenburg, ASQF e.V.