Learn specifics about projects and processes in automotive engineering and how they impact safety.

The course gives an introduction to the key concepts of quality management in companies and the impact of quality on the achievement of safety goals. Basic methods and procedures for the development of processes and process landscapes are laid out, as well as assessment principles and typical pitfalls. The participants are enabled to identify safety risks and distinguish them from the organizational risks in a typical project in automotive engineering. They are familiarized with the Automotive SPICE (ASPICE) process maturity model, especially the processes of software development, which is essential for the prevention of systematic faults in designs and a key precursor of safe software design. Finally, a common project management workflow is described and matched with typically assigned processes. Participants have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with project management and process application in ASPICE by taking part in a small exemplary automotive-related project during the course.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand quality management in the company and on projects and its importance;

• Comprehend process landscape and the role of processes in the automotive industry;

• Familiarize with the important quality standards, such as ISO 9001 and ASPICE;

• Understand assessments and appraisals in auditing with regard to capability levels;

• Understand and be able to conduct basic project management practice with the allocation of the appropriate processes with emphasis on practices in automotive, emphasizing on change and escalation management;

• Understand the integrated planning, and the role of Safety Plan, Quality Assurance Plan or Configuration Management Plan within the Overall Project Plan;

• Comprehend the principles of a project-oriented organization for the safety-relevant area, with a clear distinction between organizational risks and safety risks in the automotive industry.

Hardware (required): Computer with Internet connection, working speakers and microphone.

Software: Chrome browser.

Course Typically Offered: Live Online in Winter quarter (mid January - March) and Spring quarter (April - mid June).

Prerequisites: Students should have a basic understanding of projects from their previous engineering or technical experience or previous studies. Students shall have basic knowledge of system and safety engineering. Ideally, students shall have completed the course “NIT-FSBA-01: Systems, Functions and Safety”.

Next Step: To further figure out what are the process and project requirements in the scope of automotive functional safety, consider taking the course: "NIT-FSBA-05: Functional Safety Standards in Automotive". To practice the field further, consider the courses from the Functional Safety Engineering in Automotive catalog (NIT-FSEA-XX), and also courses from the Automotive Engineering catalog (NIT-AU-XX).

Course Number: NIT-FSBA-04

Duration: 3.00 units (~30 live teaching hours, ~60 hours of individual practice and preparation work)