Using Boundary Objects for Continuous Compliance in Automotive Development

Abstract

One of the main challenges in multidisciplinary environments, such as in automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), is managing rapid development timelines while ensuring functional safety. To keep track of development, project managers and engineers employ various tools and methodologies. However, sharing and managing data from different frameworks raises new challenges, particularly in ensuring that safety obligations defined by standards such as ISO 26262 remain traceable and actionable throughout the development life-cycle.

In this thesis, we introduce an approach that combines model-based engineering and the boundary objects methodology to link standard-driven safety activities with agile software development practices. The boundary object serves as a structured intermediary that captures safety-relevant constraints and mandated work products while translating them into concrete engineering tasks used in agile project management tools. This approach helps reduce the risk that safety-critical considerations are overlooked in fast-paced development environments and supports clearer communication between safety engineers and development teams.

To evaluate the approach, we apply it to a safety analysis workflow for an automotive propulsion system, demonstrating its ability to support compliance-related activities associated with ISO 26262 without disrupting agile routines. The results indicate that the use of boundary objects improves traceability between safety artifacts and engineering tasks, assists in organizing safety assessments, and reduces manual effort when adapting safety activities to changing project needs. Additionally, the metamodel proposed in this work is already operational with JIRA and GitHub and is designed to allow future integration with other agile tools, making it adaptable across different development ecosystems.

By representing key safety assurance activities within a structured boundary object, this research provides a scalable method for supporting ongoing compliance needs in agile automotive development. The findings suggest that this approach improves traceability and aligns safety activities more effectively with development tasks while preserving the pace of agile development.