EN 
DE The life cycle from cradle to grave
Authors: Alfred Ressenig, RealSkills, Remo Markgraf, MicroConsult
Contribution – Embedded Software Engineering Congress 2017
Let's take a control unit for a coffee machine and examine the lifecycle of this embedded system from its inception to its retirement. The control unit tells a fascinating story with many surprises. You'll likely recognize some of the episodes from the ESKA01 embedded system's life cycle. Systematic lifecycle management is an effective control tool in critical phases such as the development, integration, and market launch of embedded systems. It provides structure and order, saves you time and money, and prevents dissatisfied customers. This article introduces the lifecycle and lifecycle management of embedded systems and products. It explains the advantages and provides practical tips and best-practice recommendations for implementation.
Every embedded system has a birth and a retirement. Every embedded system thus has a life, and we want to examine this life more closely by dividing it into phases. Let's allow an embedded system to tell its own life story.
1. The life story of ESKA01
Hello, may I introduce myself? My name is ESKA01. I'm an embedded system for a coffee machine. I was born on April 5, 2011. Mr. Müller from the coffee machine company had the idea that one day I should take over the control and operation of a new coffee machine. He also immediately created the initial concept outlining everything I should do. My embedded systems company was then commissioned to develop me. That's how it all began.
Idea generation phase
We call the first phase the ideation phase. In the embedded systems environment, customer-specific projects predominate, as in our example for the control and operating component of a coffee machine. The ideation phase therefore took place at the client's site, the coffee machine company.
Development phase
The second phase is the development phase, consisting of concept creation, the actual development, and integration. In our example, the client provided the initial concept. The detailed concept, development work, and module testing are carried out by the contractor. This process typically proceeds as follows:
Oliver was supposed to develop the software and Martina the hardware. The only problem was that vacation time started right after they were commissioned. Mr. Müller was in the Maldives for three weeks and unreachable. His deputy wasn't very knowledgeable and could hardly help with clarifications. Afterward, Oliver went to the North Cape for two weeks. On the last day of his vacation, he sprained his wrist so badly that he couldn't work on the computer for another two weeks. At least he could make phone calls, and Mr. Müller was back in the office.
My development was therefore delayed from the very beginning. The boss of the coffee machine company soon became quite nervous. He couldn't sell the coffee machine to customers without me. That was the first time I realized how important I actually was.
A project delay is nothing unusual. Neither is a redesign. ESKA01 explains:
Oliver suggested we could easily make up for the initial project delay by streamlining the concept. That triggered my first redesign. Martina was furious because she had to start all the work from scratch. She was fresh out of university and initially thought it was an exception. Many hours of overtime later, I delivered a first version.
At the end of the development phase, the embedded system is integrated into the reference product. These tasks, including system tests, are carried out jointly by the two participating companies and often reveal a number of surprises.
The coffee machine company made a big announcement that customers could buy our service starting November 15th. However, they only allotted four weeks for my integration into the machine. The first problem was a misunderstanding about the amount of water in the coffee. It became impossible to trace who had agreed to, changed, or decided what. In any case, Oliver programmed it incorrectly. Then there was Martina's bug with the connections, which we couldn't find for a long time. On November 15th, we were still in the middle of the integration. The head of the coffee machine company was furious. Mr. Müller was close to quitting. Oliver went to get treatment for his sprained wrist. Martina became increasingly frantic.
Market phase
Once integration is complete, the product can be launched on the market, and the third phase for an embedded system begins: the market phase. The reference product, with the embedded system as a component, can then be purchased and used by customers.
The market launch was a disaster. The head of the coffee machine company insisted on December 1st as the absolute latest possible launch date. So much for a quiet Christmas season. Our service staff were almost exclusively occupied with customers and, with a great deal of creativity and some underhanded tactics, managed to make the cups of coffee and espresso somewhat palatable. After the third patch, which Oliver and Martina delivered, the complaints about the cappuccino also decreased significantly.
The market phase lasts as long as the reference product can be purchased new by customers. For the manufacturer of an embedded system, this means addressing defects and fulfilling warranty obligations. Product adjustments and enhancements may also be necessary. This means that budget and resources must be allocated for the embedded system even during the market phase.
After a difficult market launch, things turned out quite well in the end. The coffee machine performed very well in comparative tests and subsequently sold extremely well. Oliver and Martina received high praise from Mr. Müller. Martina was finally able to go on vacation.
Announcement phase
The fourth and final phase for an embedded system is the discontinuation phase. The reference product is no longer offered on the market. However, existing customer obligations must still be fulfilled. Generally, these are warranty obligations. The discontinuation phase ends when there are no more customer obligations and no further expenses are incurred. Neither budget nor resources need to be reserved for the future. The embedded system is then retired by the manufacturer.
My life as an embedded system was wonderful! The beginning was extremely turbulent. Ultimately, however, there were many satisfied customers. My successor, ESKA02, is ready to launch. I wish it much success and a long life.
2. Life cycle of an embedded system as a commissioned project
The embedded system just presented was manufactured as a service and custom-made product. It has four lifecycle phases:
(see. PDF, Figure 1: Life cycle of an embedded system as a commissioned project)
The business model is independent of the number of reference products sold. The client pays the contractor either according to the project progress, or settles the agreed total sum at the end of the development phase.
3. Life cycle of mass-produced goods
Products intended for the mass market, like the coffee machine in our embedded systems lifecycle, have a completely different business model. They need to sell as often as possible. Revenue isn't generated at the end of the development phase, as with custom-built products, but rather after each sale to a customer. The market phase of the product lifecycle is significantly more complex and is divided into five distinct phases: introduction, growth, maturity, saturation, and decline. Figure 2 explains the individual phases.
(see. PDF, Figure 2: Life cycle of a mass-produced product)
4. Lifecycle Management
Systematic life cycle management makes a significant contribution to successful business development.
Basic idea
A company plans and manages the lifecycle of an embedded system or product. This is achieved through milestones, also called gates, which act as gateways to a new state in the lifecycle. The gateway opens when all prerequisites for the next state are met—in lifecycle terminology, when all criteria for the corresponding milestone are fulfilled.
The main task in lifecycle management is to schedule milestones (e.g., market launch on February 6, 2018) and to verify, based on defined criteria, whether a milestone can be declared for the planned date. To continue with the example, a separate management meeting is held approximately one week beforehand to review the prerequisites for whether the market launch can actually take place on February 6, 2018.
The basis for life cycle management is a model that covers the life cycle, as well as the milestones that define the essential state transitions in the model.
We are already familiar with the models, see Figures 1 and 2. Milestones come in three forms:
- Market milestones
- Development milestones
- Marketing milestones
Market milestones
Eight market milestones M0 to M7 cover the complete life cycle of a product from ideation to product discontinuation.
(see. PDF, Figure 3: Market milestones)
Example: Market milestone M3 indicates that the product can be delivered to selected pilot customers. Criteria for this milestone can include:
- In a preliminary version, the product provides basic functionality of sufficient quality.
- Pilot customers have been selected and are ready to test the product in a pre-release version.
- The product can be delivered to and used by pilot customers as a pre-release version.
For a custom-built product or embedded system, only selected market milestones are relevant: M1, M3 and M4 for development and market launch, and M6 and M7 for discontinuation.
Development milestones
Figure 4 shows the four development milestones rfd, rfp, ga and eod that cover the development activity for an embedded system or product.
(see. PDF, Figure 4: Development milestones)
Example: The development milestone "ready for piloting" (rfp) indicates that the product development is complete for pilot deployment. Criteria for this milestone can include:
- The product is available in a sufficiently tested pre-release version.
- The basic functionality of the product is fully developed.
- The quality criteria for a pre-release version are met.
- The product can be delivered to pilot customers as a pre-release version.
For a custom-built embedded system, another development milestone should be considered: ready for integration (rfi).
Marketing milestones
Figure 5 shows the four marketing milestones rfm, eom, rfo and eoo, which cover product marketing and product distribution.
(see. PDF, Figure 5: Marketing milestones)
Example: The marketing milestone "ready for ordering" (rfo) is declared when the product can be sold to customers. Criteria for this milestone can include:
- Prices and discounts are fixed.
- Order numbers are defined.
- Invoices can be generated.
- Customer management is set up.
- Sales staff are trained.
Market milestones are not relevant for a custom-built product or embedded system.
Agile development and lifecycle management
Lifecycle management does not influence the development methodology. It is a higher-level process and uses milestones to ensure that defined prerequisites are met before a specific activity can begin.
An example will illustrate this. The logical prerequisites for starting development work on an embedded system are:
- Development staff have been assigned to the new task and are available.
- Scrum teams have been formed.
- The required skills are present.
- Development infrastructure and tools are available and ready for use.
- A general description, basic epics, and an initial product backlog for the embedded system to be created are available.
These very prerequisites can be defined as criteria for declaring the project ready for development (rfd). Before development begins with the actual work, the criteria are verified by a committee. The green light for development work is given when the criteria, and thus the prerequisites for this activity, are met.
5. Advantages of life cycle management
The advantages are numerous:
|
Result |
Advantages |
| Long-term planning is supported. | Needs-based allocation of resources and budget |
| Milestones are only explained if specific criteria are met.
Activities will only begin once the necessary conditions have been met. |
Resources and time are not wasted due to a lack of prerequisites for a new activity.
Decisions are made on a factual level (not an emotional one). |
| Systematic Go-To-Market
Coordination of development, marketing and sales |
The embedded system/product arrives on the market too early, in an immature state, and poorly prepared in terms of sales. |
| The announcement will not be overlooked. | No "skeletons in the closet"„
No surprises due to overlooked contractual obligations |
| Good overview of the state of the entire portfolio. | Weaknesses in the portfolio are identified and can be eliminated.
New developments can be initiated in a timely manner. |
Table 1: Advantages of life cycle management
6. Tips and recommendations for practical implementation
Structure and order in business processes are crucial for a company's economic success. Life cycle management makes a significant contribution to this by providing a basic structure through milestones and carefully defined criteria for their explanation. It affects all organizational units within a company that contribute to the definition, development, production, and marketing of products or services.
The best practice recommendations for effective life cycle management relate to three areas, see Figure 6 (PDF):
Creating framework conditions
You need a lifecycle model that depicts the life cycle phases of your embedded systems or products. Figures 1 and 2 show one approach. Building on this model, you need milestones with criteria that must be met, serving as the triggers for each new phase. Both can be provided by a well-trained product management team.
Focus on critical areas
Market launch is a critical phase. The number of potential errors and pitfalls is enormous. Lifecycle management helps ensure that your embedded system or product doesn't enter the market too early and in an immature state, thereby preventing lasting damage. Another sensitive area is product discontinuation, which is often overlooked and underestimated. In practice, this means that these milestones must be defined and monitored with great care.
Integration of tasks into the company
Ensure that lifecycle management is integrated into your process landscape. Overall responsibility can be assigned to product management. Market milestones also fall under the responsibility of product management, development milestones under development, and marketing milestones under marketing and sales. Define the committees and participants required to explain milestones.
(see. PDF, Figure 6: Best practice recommendations for life cycle management)
The lifecycle of embedded systems and products is complex and full of surprises. A carefully defined and integrated lifecycle management system brings order and planning certainty to many processes and supports business decisions. A well-trained product management team is the preferred choice for implementing lifecycle management in modern companies.
authors
Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Ressenig is the founder and owner of the company RealSkills, the specialist for training and consulting for product managers. He has 18 years of professional experience as a product manager in renowned international companies (Siemens, Nokia, conject). As a lecturer at Munich University of Applied Sciences, he gives lectures on technical product management. RealSkills and MicroConsult cooperate on product management training courses for manufacturers of embedded systems.
Dipl.-Ing. Univ. Remo Markgraf is Senior Management Consultant at the MicroConsult GmbH. In addition to his enthusiasm for innovation and passion for embedded systems, he possesses many years of project and international leadership experience in software development, systems engineering, project, product, innovation and business development management, as well as technical sales. He teaches and provides comprehensive consulting on the topics of Cortex-M, testing, test-driven development, and agile development.
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