Experiences on Lean Techniques to Manage Software Suppliers

This paper describes our experiences with the installation of a number of software quality assurance programs at DaimlerChrysler’s Passenger Car Development Unit (PCD). Our goal was to establish software quality assurance processes that have to run in parallel with the overall car development process. Depending on the actual problem domain (i.e., powertrain, chassis control, body control, or telematics) we developed four generic software development processes. Along with the development of these processes we wrote an experience based handbook containing general descriptions and a list of best practices for software quality assurance. We describe how we developed the generic processes, and how these processes and the documented best practices are used in our daily work. We concentrate on measures to co-ordinate the co-operation between DaimlerChrysler and its suppliers.