Q&A – Software Integration

In the automotive industry, software and hardware have to go hand in hand more than in almost any other sector. Nevertheless, software integration can sometimes be challenging. Find out how we overcome these in the Q&A.

Q: What is the biggest challenge for an software integrator in a project?

A: The biggest challenge as a software integrator is communication and coordination with all roles in the project. At the beginning of the project, the software integrator lays out the basic framework of the software together with the software architect. In the development phase, the software integrator works very closely with the software developers, testers, function developers and is responsible for the delivery of the software.

Q: How can the integration strategy influence the overall product?

A: There are several strategies in software integration and each strategy has its justification and use case. But in the end, the entire software must be integrated, ideally cyclically and often. That’s why continuous integration in the development phase is very important. Thanks to the cyclical and, above all, automatic software integration, many software developers can work together in a project and problems and errors are identified promptly.

Q: How do you achieve automation of the integration process and what makes it so demanding?

A: The ultimate goal of automation is the elimination of manual steps in the project, because in most cases humans are the biggest source of errors. Automation has only systematic errors, the implementer/reviewer has many different factors. In the field of software integration, it is important to use external tools as little as possible, because this creates dependency and reproduces the project costs.