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Optimised testing boosts competitiveness
To achieve product quality in complex systems needs advanced testing. The results of the SYSTEST project, now freely available, will allow manufacturers to optimise testing processes and gain competitive advantage.
 Modern production processes use and produce complex systems. The quality and efficiency of these advanced manufacturing processes, from systems to make soup cartons to those for large aerospace components, is critically dependant on the Verification Validation and Testing (VVT) of their products.
In the global marketplace parameters such as time-to-market, competitive cost and product quality are critical. Product development times and life cycles are shortening, whilst the complexity of products is increasing. Optimising the VVT function is a vital part of ensuring competitiveness and should be an integral part of the complete product life cycle from initial design concept to end-of-life disposal.
To test or not to test?
An ineffective VVT process can lead to extensive product rework and significant failure costs. The release of a single poor-quality product line can have a long-lasting effect on an enterprise's reputation. Conversely an over-specified VVT process will produce a ‘gold-standard' product but at a cost that may not be competitive. How can manufacturers get their unique VVT processes optimised?
This was the goal of the Systest project that brought together eight European companies, research institutes and organisations to develop a generic methodology and process model to support the process of VVT in systems engineering. One of Systest's aims was to decrease product development cost and time to market by 10%. To test the methodology and its potential impact on the ‘bottom line' six diverse and ‘real-life' pilot projects were used.
The project was co-ordinated by Dr. Avner Engel of Israel Aircraft Industries. “Systest delivered two useful outcomes for European industry,” says Dr. Engel. “The project has developed a generic, flexible methodology for VVT together with a VVT model and embedded tool that allows the optimisation of VVT strategies for a wide spectrum of different products and processes.” The Institute of Aeronautics at the Technical University of Munich was the primary research institution involved in the project.
The three main Systest products are now available in the open literature and details can be obtained from the project website. The VVT Methodology Guidelines is a 328 page booklet describing VVT activities and methods and tailoring rules for different environments (industrial sectors, lifecycles and project types). In all, 65 VVT activities and 29 sub-activities are outlined as well as 31 different VVT methods.
The Quantitative VVT Process Model and software tool is designed to estimate VVT costs and scheduling for a given VVT strategy together with the resulting product quality and associated risk factor. A VVT Strategy and Planning Procedure was also developed that can accommodate the characteristics of the individual project and enterprise, its objectives and any particular risk issues to output-specific VVT activities, methods and tools for the project.
Pilot success
The six pilot projects involved five distinct industrial sectors: electronics/ avionics, automobile, control systems for aerospace, steel production and food packaging. Each pilot project used most components of the Systest methodology and process model and showed an average cost reduction of nearly 8% compared to historical project data.
The Israel Aircraft Industry's project was to develop a new avionics system for a transport helicopter, while French aerospace company Hispano-Suiza looked to extend the operational life of a jet engine with a new control unit. The Fiat Research Centre's project was the development of a new cylinder head casting-mould for a car engine. In the same sector Daimler Chrysler's Research and Technology division in Berlin created a new navigation-based driver assistance system for top-of-the-range automobiles. Tetra Pak Carton Ambient based in Italy designed and produced a flexible cap applicator for liquid food packaging and steel-maker Arcelor improved its Spanish tinplate production line.
All the pilot projects showed benefits in terms of quality and process although assessment of the results in terms of cost and time savings were complicated for some by late project specification changes and similar issues. However, for example, Daimler Chrysler's application of the Systest methodology significantly reduced VVT costs (44% reduction) as well as rework (40% reduction) leading to an overall project cost reduced by 34%. Similarly, the Tetrapak project achieved an overall cost reduction of 15.6% through a reduction in VVT costs of 3% and a tremendous 53% reduction in cost of rework.
VVT dissemination
“The results of the pilot projects clearly show that the Systest products bring savings in time-to-market and cost, and can improve the process and product quality,” concludes Dr. Engel. “All the project partners are continuing to successfully apply VVT methodology to their own projects and many other companies and organisations have approached us for information and training on the subject.”
The Norwegian Systems Engineering Council, a chapter of the International Systems Engineering Council (Incose), has a specific role in the project to promote dissemination of Systest's results, products and tools. More information on Systest can be found at their website. | 
