A lifecycle approach to design validation is it necessary? Is it feasible?

Due to the ever increasing complexity of car electronics, the automotive industry is challenged by serious test problems. These problems no longer can be solved using ad-hoc test approaches, hence the industry is driven toward finding new strategies for test, strategies that can deal with the increased complexity land at the same time keep the product costs at a reasonable level. This paper is proposing a test strategy that can satisfy the conditions stated above. It is based on optimizing the tests performed on vehicle electronics from a lifecycle test perspective, i.e. by optimizing the tests performed at each integration level from an overall DV perspective. The paper also discusses the feasibility of such an approach from test coverage point of view and states the reasons for such a view. The paper also presents a test methodology that was successfully applied at Ford Motor Company and which can cover all the stages of product development. This methodology is currently in use at Ford for all stages of product validation