SmartDelta Methodology enables companies to efficiently manage product quality across different software versions and variants

In today’s fast-paced market, software is constantly evolving with new features and deployment in different operational environments. Ensuring consistent quality in software development throughout this evolution is crucial for long-term success of companies. The ITEA project SmartDelta offers solutions for large-scale automated quality assurance and optimisation in the incremental development of industrial software-intensive systems.

A key achievement of the project, the SmartDelta Methodology, enables companies to address essential aspects of delta management in their software development process. It offers a clear, structured approach to incremental software systems development while aligning with business goals and strategies. The methodology includes distinct phases consisting of different technical focus areas and a comprehensive set of tools, making it easy to implement across different industries and use cases.

As a concrete example, the SmartDelta Methodology has already delivered strong results in the railway domain for Swedish project partner Alstom Rail Sweden A.B. by improving how requirements are managed, test cases are generated, and code quality is ensured. SmartDelta tools like REQ-I and REQA have helped identify and allocate project requirements more accurately and efficiently, making it easier to handle large documents and team assignments. The VARA+ tool has enhanced reuse analysis, recommending reusable components with 82% accuracy, reducing lead times and improving delivery quality. The TIGER tool has optimised test case generation, reducing test suite sizes by over 80% while maintaining fault detection rates of 87% to 100%, significantly improving testing efficiency for iterative updates. And the DRACONIS tool has introduced automated and configurable static code analysis, enabling early error detection and reducing the manual review burden in safety-critical contexts. Together, these tools and processes illustrate how the integration of SmartDelta's Methodology into Alstom's workflow improves overall software development.

By adopting the SmartDelta Methodology, companies can streamline their development process, improve software quality, and stay ahead in the competitive industrial software market.

Details about the methodology are provided in the deliverable SmartDelta D2.4 - SmartDelta Methodology Users and Developers Guidelines.pdf. An interactive version of the methodology with all the tools is also available at https://smartdelta.org/smartdelta-methodology/.

More information:

• https://smartdelta.org/
• https://itea4.org/project/smartdelta.html