Efficient development and documentation based on models at Atlas Copco
By using model-based development methods, Atlas Copco expects it to be easier to keep documentation up to date when developing new systems.
Atlas Copco manufactures products used in the production lines of automobile and aircraft manufacturers. In order to develop products as efficiently as possible, they are already working on code generation and various development models. But wholly model-based development has not been used before. This is about to change.
“It was Combitech who pointed out that model-based development is not just about achieving more efficient implementation. Documentation can also be managed more effectively. We thought this sounded appealing,” says Arne Muñoz, project manager at Atlas Copco.
In many projects, it is the documentation work in particular that gets left behind when the developers think they can make better use of their time by working more on the development itself and less on describing the functionality they have just input. Of course, model-based development does not eliminate the work involved in documenting what you have done, but the documentation becomes a more natural part of the development work.
“The main advantage, as I see it, with the model-based approach is that the documentation is kept up-to-date the whole time and aligns with the implementation in a better way,” says Arne Muñoz.
Working with model-based development involves a slightly different approach and, as with all other methods, there are pitfalls you need to avoid. Grappling with model-based development without any experience of the working method in the organization is, therefore, something you probably should avoid.
“A good piece of advice for anyone considering this route might well be to bring in someone like Combitech. There is a definite advantage to having the support and help of someone who has done this before. Who can demonstrate how to work with model-based development in the best way. That is what Combitech helped us with,” says Arne Muñoz.
