Business challenge
The increased use of software in the design and development of locomotives has led to improved functionalities and flexibility, but also to the false impression that software can be adapted at the last minute to add extra requirements.
The company also has to constantly improve its software, increasing the need for structured development processes are essential, not just for quality, but for increasing normative demands for homologation.
Process
At the outset, the way the business unit Locomotives developed its software was analyzed. This led to identification of the root causes of quality gaps, overruns and delays. One of these was a clear conclusion that various software development stakeholders had differing interpretations of the current development process.
Based on the analysis, an improvement program was defined and implemented.
Program and Performance Management
A solid Performance Management System for software development was developed which included a Project Planning Process and project status KPIs to aid management decision-making based on a commonly agreed, transparent process supported by standardized document templates.
Organizational Transformation
A pilot project was selected to test and fine-tune the revised developed methodologies. The results of this pilot were used to further improve the new processes by incorporating first-time user feedback, Before roll-out across all projects, a training plan was implemented with more than 130 people trained at different sites. Each project team was also supported by a joint task-force to foster adoption and proper use of the new way of working.
Soft results
- The new processes are fully compliant with European regulation (EN5012x).
- The same principles applied in future systems’ development improvement projects.