A to Z SPICE !
Noha Moselhy*
Principal ASPICE Assessor, CMMi v1.3 ATM, and a Process Improvement and Software Engineering Quality Expert, Valeo, Egypt
*Corresponding Author: Noha Moselhy, Principal ASPICE Assessor, CMMi v1.3 ATM, and a Process Improvement and Software Engineering Quality Expert, Valeo, Egypt.
Published: April 03, 2023
Abstract
Got a reliable car? With a 252 hp @ 5000 rpm turbo?
Great! All you need is a super skilled driver, with excellent training certificates, & a few months’ probation period, then all your family will be safe and sound using this vehicle – until last year!
This approach alone won’t get you through 2023, the autonomous driving era, because if you’re looking for a great conveyance, Hardware specifications are only half the picture, while Human factors are moving out of the picture!
For a car with less driver interference, high-connectivity, and cybersecurity threats, a high-spec Software is essential for a complete solution, and to develop that Software, your automotive organization needs to benchmark the highest automotive industry standards for System and Software: It needs Automotive SPICE.
Automotive SPICE (or A-SPICE for short) stands for “Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination” which is a set of technical standards and models for Software development processes & related business management functions. It is not a process in itself, but it guides you on how to create – and measure – one!
But why Automotive SPICE in specific?
Not only that it’s a capability determination model, but also it’s a basic OEM (original equipment manufacturer) requirement, and a rigorous marketing tool in automotive industry.
Most of automotive customers look for a proof of traceability that ensures a basic implementation of customer requirements according to the SPICE model at both system and software levels. For that reason, the organization has to dedicate a team to start gap analysis, call for trainings, certify its members as official A-SPICE assessors, and provide support to R&D.
Today, A-SPICE also covers requirements for cybersecurity, hardware, mechanics, and machine learning! And in order to assist the project teams’ daily mission toward A-SPICE compliance, the organization needs to start by conducting awareness sessions, perform assessment dry-runs, engage certified members to participate as assessors, or co-assessors, and assign the Quality Assurance team to support closure of the detected gaps with the project team in different ways according to the customer and project needs, nature, and technology.
The main purpose of standard process models is to support organizations toward customer satisfaction, and to deliver the desired product as required, which cannot be fulfilled in automotive industry without capitalizing A-SPICE knowledge.