Software traceability in the automotive domain: Challenges and solutions

In the automotive domain, the development of all safety-critical systems has to comply with safety standards such as ISO 26262. These standards require established traceability, the ability to relate artifacts created during development of a system, to ensure resulting systems are well-tested and therefore safe. This paper contrasts general traceability challenges and solutions with those specific to the automotive domain, and investigates how they manifest in practice. We combine three data sources: a tertiary literature review to identify general challenges and solutions; a case study with an automotive supplier as validation for how the challenges and solutions are experienced in practice; and a multi-vocal literature review to identify challenges and solutions specific to the automotive domain. We found 22 challenges and 16 unique solutions in the reviews. 17 challenges were identified in the case study; six remain unsolved. We discuss challenges and solutions from the perspectives of academia, tool vendors, consultants and users, and identify differences between scientific and “grey” literature. We discuss why challenges remain unsolved and propose solutions. Our findings indicate that there is a significant overlap between general traceability challenges and those in the automotive domain but that they are experienced differently.