Use, potential, and showstoppers of models in automotive requirements engineering

Several studies report that the use of model-centric methods in the automotive domain is widespread and offers several benefits. However, existing work indicates that few modelling frameworks explicitly include requirements engineering (RE), and that natural language descriptions are still the status quo in RE. Therefore, we aim to increase the understanding of current and potential future use of models in RE, with respect to the automotive domain. In this paper, we report our findings from a multiple-case study with two automotive companies, collecting interview data from 14 practitioners. Our results show that models are used for a variety of different purposes during RE in the automotive domain, e.g. to improve communication and to handle complexity. However, these models are often used in an unsystematic fashion and restricted to few experts. A more widespread use of models is prevented by various challenges, most of which align with existing work on model use in a general sense. Furthermore, our results indicate that there are many potential benefits associated with future use of models during RE. Interestingly, existing research does not align well with several of the proposed use cases, e.g. restricting the use of models to informal notations for communication purposes. Based on our findings, we recommend a stronger focus on informal modelling and on using models for multi-disciplinary environments. Additionally, we see the need for future work in the area of model use, i.e. information extraction from models by non-expert modellers

ADOPTING ENGINEERING STANDARDS FOR AN OIL & GAS (PETROLEUM) COMPANY USING BENCHMARKING & GAP ANALYSIS

Engineering Standards are documents that provide the basis for common and repeated use the minimum meeting requirements of a system or equipment. Engineering Standards form the backbone of Oil & Gas industry and are used to ensure consistency, reduce cost and improve efficiency and effectiveness of the company. Thus to build and maintain plant facilities, the companies requires a standardization system (the process of developing and implementing engineering standards) which helps to maximize compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability and quality. This study is based on a National Oil & Gas company (Company A) which used to have its own set of engineering standards and currently has an agreement with an International Oil company (Company B) for using their set of engineering standards. Since the agreement is expiring soon, Company A is in search of selecting the best option and is keen to study standardization and gaps from available options. In this study, the identities of companies are not being disclosed due to confidentiality clauses and instead the term Company A and Company B were used. The period taken to carry out this study was four months and it was carried out in Engineering Department of Company A. The objective of this study is to capture evolution process regarding application of engineering standards till date in Company A which requires an understanding of the justifications for technical adoption of standards. It also requires analyzing different available options for Company A adoption and selecting the most viable option and finally developing an implementation guideline for Company A for selected option. On expiry of the agreement, Company A has three viable options: 1. Use Company A or Company B standards on standalone basis 2. Renew its agreement with Company B 3. Develop a new set of company standards The Methodology used was first to benchmark Company A against Company B, followed by carrying out a gap analysis between standards by preparing survey questionnaire to get acceptability of standards as per available options. The questionnaire was distributed to selected sample of engineers. Data was received from 51 respondents and was analyzed using statistical tools (SPSS & Excel). Based on the analysis results, an option was selected and an implementation guideline was developed for selected option. After conducting this study, it can be concluded that option 1 can be removed since neither Company A nor Company B standards were complete and both had gaps. A detailed analysis was carried out on the remaining two options by using three kind of analysis: general, business & cost analysis. From these analyses, it was found that the second option was the best option for Company A and that was to renew the agreement with Company B for fulfilling its standards requirements. In the last part of the study, an implementation guideline for Company A has been developed for adoption of the selected option

An Empirical Investigation of Using Models During Requirements Engineering in the Automotive Industry

Context:The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation from a manufacturing industry towards an industry that relies heavily on software. As one of the main factors for project success, requirements engineering (RE) plays a major role in this transition. Similar to other areas of automotive engineering, the use of models during RE has been suggested to increase productivity and tackle increasing complexity by means of abstraction. Existing modelling frameworks often prescribe a variety of different, formal models for RE, trying to maximise the benefit obtained from model-based engineering (MBE). However, these frameworks are typically based on assumptions from anecdotal evidence and experience, without empirical data supporting these assumptions.Objective:The overall aim of our research is to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks of using model-based RE in an automotive environment based on empirical evidence. To do so, we present an investigation of the current industrial practice of MBE in the automotive industry, existing challenges in automotive RE, and potential use cases for model-based RE. Furthermore, we explore two use cases for model-based RE, namely the creation of behavioural requirements models for validation and verification purposes and the use of existing trace models to support communication.Method:We address the aims of this thesis using three empirical strategies: case study, design science and survey. We collected quantitative and qualitative data using interviews as well as questionnaires.Results:Our results show that using models during automotive RE can be beneficial, if restricted to certain aspects of RE. In particular, models supporting communication and stakeholder interaction are promising. We show that the use of abstract models of behavioural requirements are considered beneficial for system testing purposes, even though they abstract from the detailed functional requirements. Furthermore, we demonstrate that existing data can be understood as a model to uncover dependencies between stakeholders. Conclusions:Our results question the feasibility to construct and maintain large amounts of formal models for RE. Instead, models during RE should be used for a few, important use cases. Additionally, MBE can be used as a means to understand existing problems in software engineering

Effective data parallel computing on multicore processors

The rise of chip multiprocessing or the integration of multiple general purpose processing cores on a single chip (multicores), has impacted all computing platforms including high performance, servers, desktops, mobile, and embedded processors. Programmers can no longer expect continued increases in software performance without developing parallel, memory hierarchy friendly software that can effectively exploit the chip level multiprocessing paradigm of multicores. The goal of this dissertation is to demonstrate a design process for data parallel problems that starts with a sequential algorithm and ends with a high performance implementation on a multicore platform. Our design process combines theoretical algorithm analysis with practical optimization techniques. Our target multicores are quad-core processors from Intel and the eight-SPE IBM Cell B.E. Target applications include Matrix Multiplications (MM), Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD), LU Decomposition (LUD), and Power Flow Solver based on Gauss-Seidel (PFS-GS) algorithms. These applications are popular computation methods in science and engineering problems and are characterized by unit-stride (MM, LUD, and PFS-GS) or 2-point stencil (FDTD) memory access pattern. The main contributions of this dissertation include a cache- and space-efficient algorithm model, integrated data pre-fetching and caching strategies, and in-core optimization techniques. Our multicore efficient implementations of the above described applications outperform nai¨ve parallel implementations by at least 2x and scales well with problem size and with the number of processing cores

Technology Trends and Opportunities for Construction Industry and Lifecycle Management

Master's thesis in for Offshore Technology: Industrial Asset ManagementThe purpose of the report is to highlight methods that can make it easier for the construction industry and industry in general to benefit from new technology. The report is intended as a reference to technological solutions that along with some techniques, can streamline workflow for multiple tasks in planning, design, and operation and maintenance management. The problems focused on is how to: • Simplify the procurement and tracing of documentation • Optimize building stages, design, and Life Cycle Management (LCM) • Provide interactions between disciplines and employees using different software Scientific Platform are based on literature within technology trends. Some history and trends in digital technology are presented. Definition of roles and general terms related to documentation is derived from Norsk Standard and is interpreted on this basis. The report charts the use of individual software and technical setup of digital tools within CAD-engineering (Computer Aided Design), HDS-technology (High Definition Surveying), and gaming technology. This technology combined with cloud-services to support planning, design and management of building stages. Later to support LCM of facilities and businesses' ERP-systems (Enterprise Resource Planning). Use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), for document control tasks. The result of the report is that several suppliers provide services and products accessible through web. Setup and implementation will require some work and knowledge for business and organizations, but the gain largely seems to justify the use of resources for this purpose. Particularly through IOT-interactions (Internet of Things), cloud-services and free downloadable applications that may be considered as a paradigm shift related to the issues in the report. Also, presenting new platforms for engineering phases to support Building Information Modeling processes (BIM). With the use of Algorithmic Editors for encoding between computer programs without the need of data programmer expertise. To streamline workflows, reduce recreation of data, interactions between different software of various user level, and support of AI to optimize designing by adds-on for CAD-engineering (Computer Aided Design). Mobile devices like phones and tablets to support several of solutions and products presented is very accessible. It seems naturally to assume that the vast majority of people are familiar with technology related to smartphone applications for daily use. The use of resources for implementing the presented solutions have not been considered in this report. Some of the equipment presented can be interpreted as relatively expensive. Investment analysis would be sensible. The trend however, shows continues price drops and increased availability. At the same time as the user interface is being improved for both software and digital equipment. The conclusion, is that the construction industry, as well as Facility Management (FM). Within both, public, and private sector, can have much to gain using the technology and techniques presented in the report

A Framework for Measuring Return on Investment for Healthcare Simulation-Based Training

In the healthcare sector, providing high-quality service in a safe environment for both patient and staff is an obvious and ultimate major objective. Training is an essential component for achieving this important objective. Most organizations acknowledge that employee simulation-based training programs are an important part of the human capital strategy, yet few have effectively succeeded in quantifying the real and precise ROI of this type of investment. Therefore, if the training is perceived as a waste of resources and its ROI is not clearly recognized, it will be the first option to cut when the budget cut is needed. The various intangible benefits of healthcare simulation-based training are very difficult to quantify. In addition, there was not a unified way to count for the different cost and benefits to provide a justifiable ROI. Quantifying the qualitative and intangible benefits of medical training simulator needed a framework that helps to identify and convert qualitative and intangible benefits into monetary value so it can be considered in the ROI evaluation. This research is a response to the highlighted importance of developing a comprehensive framework that has the capability to take into consideration the wide range of benefits that simulation-based training can bring to the healthcare system taking into consideration the characteristics of this specific field of investment. The major characteristics of investment in this field include the uncertainty, the qualitative nature of the major benefits, and the diversity and the wide range of applications. This comprehensive framework is an integration of several methodologies and tools. It consists of three parts. The first part of the framework is the benefits and cost structure, which pays special attention to the qualitative and intangible benefits by considering the Value Measurement methodology (VMM) and other previously existing models. The second part of the framework is important to deal with the uncertainty associated with this type of investment. Monte Carlo simulation is a tool that considered multiple scenarios of input sets instead of a single set of inputs. The third part of the framework considers an advanced value analysis of the investment. It goes beyond the discounted cash flow (DCF) methodologies like net present value (NPV) that consider a single scenario for the cash flow to Real Options Analysis that consider the flexibility over the lifetime of the investment when evaluating the value of the investment. This framework has been validated through case studies

Qualitative Case Studies in Operations Management: Trends, Research Outcomes, And Future Research Implications

Our study examines the state of qualitative case studies in operations management. Five main operations management journals are included for their impact on the field. They are in alphabetical order: Decision Sciences, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, and Production and Operations Management. The qualitative case studies chosen were published between 1992 and 2007. With an increasing trend toward using more qualitative case studies, there have been meaningful and significant contributions to the field of operations management, especially in the area of theory building. However, in many of the qualitative case studies we reviewed, sufficient details in research design, data collection, and data analysis were missing. For instance, there are studies that do not offer sampling logic or a description of the analysis through which research out-comes are drawn. Further, research protocols for doing inductive case studies are much better developed compared to the research protocols for doing deductive case studies. Consequently, there is a lack of consistency in the way the case method has been applied. As qualitative researchers, we offer suggestions on how we can improve on what we have done and elevate the level of rigor and consistency

Liderança em sistemas de produção enxuta : conceito, competências e influência do contexto

Embora seja reconhecido que a liderança em um Sistema de Produção Enxuta (SPE), neste estudo denominada como liderança lean, seja influenciada pelo contexto que a envolve, os mecanismos ligando os fatores de contexto à liderança ainda não foram devidamente explorados. Esta tese tem como objetivo principal a proposição de um método para a análise da influência do contexto sobre as competências de liderança requeridas em um SPE. Tendo em vista este objetivo, também foi necessário lidar com outra lacuna da literatura, que é a identificação das competências que diferenciam uma liderança tradicional da liderança lean. Assim, os objetivos específicos deste estudo são: (i) investigar como as teorias gerais de liderança podem contribuir para a expansão do conhecimento sobre a liderança lean e (ii) identificar e validar as competências de liderança lean. A abordagem norteadora da tese é a Design Science Research (DSR) que, com sua natureza prescritiva, busca desenvolver o conhecimento por meio da construção de artefatos. A tese está estruturada em três artigos: (i) “Leadership in lean production systems: how it is related to general leadership theories”, que tem como principal objetivo investigar a contribuição das teorias de liderança para o aprofundamento do conhecimento sobre a liderança lean; (ii) “Lean leadership competencies – a multi-method study”, que tem como principal objetivo identificar e validar as competências de liderança lean e (iii) “The influence of context on lean leadership competencies” que tem como principal objetivo a proposição e teste do método de análise da influência do contexto sobre as competências de liderança. Desta forma, o último artigo atende o principal objetivo da tese. Esse artigo também apresenta um modelo de quatro tipos de eventos de liderança lean (linear, aparentemente linear, aparentemente complexo e complexo), indicando que a liderança lean é um fenômeno emergente que exige líderes adaptativos capazes de navegar em um contexto dinâmico.Although it is recognized that leadership in a Lean System, in this study named Lean Leadership, is influenced by the context, the mechanisms linking the contextual factors to leadership have not yet been explored. This thesis aims to propose a method to analyze the influence of context on the leadership competencies demanded in a Lean System. Considering this objective, it was also necessary to deal with another literature gap which is the identification of the competencies that differentiate a traditional leadership from the lean leadership. Thus, the specific objectives of the study are: (i) investigate how the general leadership theories can contribute to the expansion of the knowledge about lean leadership, and, ii) identify and validate the lean leadership competencies. The approach of the thesis is the Design Science Research (DSR) which, with its prescriptive nature, aims to develop knowledge through the construction of artifacts. The thesis is structured in three articles: (i) “Leadership in lean production systems: how it is related to general leadership theories”, which has as its main objective investigating the contribution of the general theories to the deepening of the knowledge about lean leadership; (ii) “Lean leadership competencies – a multi-method study”, which has the main objective of investigating and validating the lean leadership competencies, and, (iii) “The influence of context on lean leadership competencies” which aims at proposing and testing the method to analyze the influence of context on leadership competencies. Having said that, the last article meets the main objective of the thesis. This article also presents a model of four typical lean leadership events (linear, apparently linear, apparently complex, and complex), indicating that lean leadership is an emergent phenomenon that requires adaptive leaders who are capable of navigating across a dynamic context

Dagstuhl-Workshop MBEES:

modellbasierte automobile Steuergeräteentwicklun