Joakim Fröberg

Industrial Requirements on Component Technologies for Embedded Systems

Software component technologies have not yet been generally accepted by embedded-systems industries. In order to better understand why this is the case, we present a set of requirements, based on industrial needs, that are deemed decisive for introducing a component technology. The requirements we present can be used to evaluate existing component technologies before introducing them in an industrial context. They can also be used to guide modifications and/or extensions to component technologies, to make them better suited for industrial deployment. One of our findings is that a major source of requirements is non-technical in its nature. For a component technology to become a viable solution in an industrial context, its impact on the overall development process needs to be addressed. This includes issues like component life-cycle management, and support for the ability to gradually migrate into the new technology.

Real world influences on software architecture - interviews with industrial system experts

Industrial systems are examples of complex and often long-lived systems in which software is playing an increasingly important role. Their architectures play a crucial role in maintaining the properties of such systems during their entire life cycle. In this paper, we present the results of a case study based on a series of interviews and a workshop with key personnel from research and development groups of successful international companies in their Swedish locations. The main goal of the investigation was to find the significant factors which influence system and software architectures and to find similarities and differences between the architecture-determining decisions and the architectures of these systems. The role of the architect was an important subject of the investigation. Our findings result in recommendations relating to the design and evolution of system architectures and suggestions regarding areas in which future research would be beneficial.

Making Decisions in Integration of Automotive Software and Electronics: A Method Based on ATAM and AHP

In this paper we present a new method for making decisions on integration strategy for in-vehicle automotive systems. We describe the problem of choosing integration strategy and we describe the method, which is a combination of the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method, ATAM, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process, AHP. We exemplify the use of the proposed method by evaluating the integration decisions concerning the physical connection of a realistic example system; a computer controlled automatic gearbox. We present analysis on the use of the method and conclude that the method has several benefits compared to ATAM or AHP used individually. The method firstly supports a structured way of listing system goals, and secondly, it also supports the making of design decisions.

A Model for Reuse and Optimization of Embedded Software Components

In software engineering for embedded systems generic reusable software components must often be discarded in favor of using resource optimized solutions. In this paper we outline a model that enables the utilization of component-based principles even for embedded systems with high optimization demands. The model supports the creation of component variants optimized for different scenarios, through the introduction of an entrance preparation step and an ending verification step into the component design process. These activities are proposed to be supported by tools working on metadata associated with components, where the metadata is possible to automatically retrieve from many development tools. This paper outlines the theoretical model that is the basis for our current realization work.

Towards efficient functional safety certification of construction machinery using a component-based approach

Electronic systems in the automotive domain implement safety critical functionality in vehicles and the safety certification process according to a functional safety standard is time consuming and a big part of the expenses of a development project. We describe the functional safety certification of electronic automotive systems by presenting a use case from the construction equipment industry. In this context, we highlight some of the major challenges we foresee, while using a product line approach to achieve efficient functional safety certification of vehicle variants. We further elaborate on the impact of functional safety certification when applying the component-based approach on developing safety critical product variants and discuss the implications by cost modeling and analysis.

Problems and their mitigation in system and software architecting

Context: Today, software and embedded systems act as enablers for developing new functionality in traditional industries such as the automotive, process automation, and manufacturing automation domains. This differs from 25-30years ago when these systems where based on electronics and electro-mechanical solutions. The architecture of the embedded system and of the software is important to ensure the qualities of these applications. However, the effort of designing and evolving the architecture is in practice often neglected during system development, whilst development efforts are centered on implementing new functionality. Objective: We present problems and success factors that are central to the architectural development of software intensive systems in the domain of automotive and automation products as judged by practitioners. Method: The method consisted of three steps. First, we used semi-structured interviews to collect data in an exploratory manner. As a second step, a survey based on problems extracted from the interview data was used to investigate the occurrence of these problems at a wider range of organizations. In order to identify and suggest how to mitigate the problems that were considered important, we finally performed root cause analysis workshops, and from these a number of success factors were elicited. Results: A total of 21 problems have been identified based on the interview data, and these are related to the technical, organizational, project, and agreement processes. Based on the survey results, the following four problems were selected for a root cause analysis: (1) there is a lack of process for architecture development, (2) there is a lack of method or model to evaluate the business value when choosing the architecture, (3) there is a lack of clear long-term architectural strategy, and (4) processes and methods are less valued than knowledge and competence of individuals. Conclusion: In conclusion, the following identified success factors are crucial components to be successful in developing software intensive systems: (1) define an architectural strategy, (2) implement a process for architectural work, (3) ensure authority for architects, (4) clarify the business impact of the architecture, and (5) optimize on the project portfolio level instead of optimizing each project.

Industrial Challenges to Achieve Functional Safety Compliance in Product Lines

Developing safety critical products demands a clear safety argumentation for each product in spite of whether it has been derived from a product line or not. The functional safety standards do not explain how to develop safety critical products in product lines, and the product line concept is lacking specific approaches to develop safety critical products. Nonetheless, product lines are well-established concepts even in companies developing safety critical products. In this paper we present the results of an exploratory study interviewing 15 practitioners from 6 different companies. We identify typical challenges and approaches from industry and discuss their suitability. The challenges and approaches brought out by this study help us to identify and enhance applicable methods from the product line engineering domain that can meet the challenges in the safety critical domain as well.

Effect Analysis of the Introduction of AUTOSAR: A Systematic Literature Review

Many complex software-intensive systems have a long life time, and undergo substantial evolution. These evolutions are either additions of functionality or system refactoring, i.e., updating the architecture to improve quality attributes without changing functionality. However, the return of investment for such a system refactoring is not easily measured due to a lack of understanding of its effects. In order to improve our understanding of these effects, we have conducted a systematic literature review of the reported effects of one such refactoring: the introduction of AUTOSAR, an open automotive software architecture standard. The effects include both benefits, like lower complexity and more efficient system development, and costs, like performance risks. We have investigated how the effects depend on different elements in AUTOSAR, and how the reports correspond to the stated objectives of the standard. It is also discussed to what extent these effects can be generalized to other types of refactoring.

An empirical study of refactoring decisions in embedded software and systems

This paper describes an empirical study of decision-making when changing the architecture in embedded systems. A refactoring of the system architecture often gives effects on both system properties ...

Analysis of the Business Effects of Software Architecture Refactoring in an Automotive Development Organization

This paper presents an exploratory study of an automotive manufacturer, which develops embedded software for over 150 products and has adopted a company-wide software product-line approach. The company is facing the introduction of a new software architecture in all products in near time. This architecture introduces new paradigms more explicitly, such as explicit software components and signal-based communication, newer technologies, and adheres to new standards. Concretely, the architecture consists of common infrastructure and other generic components. Such a fundamental and drastic technology change can be expected to have far-reaching consequences, both of technical and non-technical nature. In this study we systematically investigate the introduction of the new software architecture, by mapping individual elements of the architectural change to system properties and company functions. The study implies that the whole organization is affected, and the new architecture also influences the cooperation with suppliers.