Automotive SPICE (often written as ASPICE) is an internationally recognized process assessment model and framework specifically designed to help automotive suppliers and manufacturers improve the quality and reliability of their software and systems development processes. The acronym “SPICE” stands for Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination.
Key Points about Automotive SPICE
1. Purpose
- ASPICE provides a standardized way to evaluate and improve the processes used to develop automotive software and electronic systems.
- The goal is to reduce defects, ensure safety and reliability, and meet increasingly strict automotive industry requirements.
2. Origins
- Based on the ISO/IEC 15504 (now replaced by ISO/IEC 330xx), known as SPICE, but adapted for automotive.
- Developed by the Automotive Special Interest Group (SIG) and the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).
3. Structure
- ASPICE is organized into process areas, such as Requirements Engineering, System Design, Software Implementation, Testing, etc.
- Each process is assessed on a scale of maturity/capability levels (Level 0–5), from “Incomplete” to “Optimizing”.
4. Why It Matters
- Many major automotive OEMs (like BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler, etc.) require suppliers to achieve certain ASPICE levels (often Level 2 or 3) to do business.
- It ensures consistency, traceability, and predictability in the development of complex vehicle systems, which is vital for functional safety (ISO 26262) and cybersecurity (ISO/SAE 21434).
5. Main Process Groups
ASPICE process areas are grouped into:
- Primary Lifecycle Processes (e.g., Acquisition, System Development, Software Development)
- Supporting Lifecycle Processes (e.g., Configuration Management, Quality Assurance)
- Organizational Lifecycle Processes (e.g., Process Improvement, Training)
6. Assessment
- Organizations are assessed against the ASPICE model by accredited assessors.
- The assessment measures the process capability and helps identify gaps and areas for improvement.
7. Relationship to Other Standards
- ASPICE is often used alongside ISO 26262 for functional safety.
- It aligns with general SPICE and CMMI principles, but with a focus on automotive-specific needs.
Example
If a company is developing an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for a car, an ASPICE assessment would evaluate:
- How well requirements are captured, managed, and traced.
- Whether software is designed, implemented, and tested according to best practices.
- How defects are tracked, how configuration is managed, and how quality is assured.
In Summary
- Automotive SPICE is a process assessment model for improving and ensuring the quality of software and system development in the automotive industry.
- It’s widely used and often mandated by car manufacturers for their suppliers.
Would you like to see a diagram of the ASPICE process levels or a breakdown of its specific process areas?