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# Agile work at CARIAD – Creating a customer web application for controlling the vehicle 

How do you sync rapid web deployment with rigid, 15-year vehicle lifecycles? See how CARIAD leverages Extreme Programming and decentralized microservices to build the My Volkswagen app.

- **Speakers:** Torben Schramme
- **Event:** World Congress 2021
- **Published:** June 29, 2021
- **Duration:** 42:03
- **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/200-agile-work-at-cariad-creating-a-customer-web-application-for-controlling-the-vehicle

## Summary

CARIAD, the dedicated software company for the Volkswagen Group, faces a unique engineering challenge: bridging the highly agile, rapid-deployment world of web and app development with the long-term, rigid lifecycle of millions of embedded vehicle systems. Developing the "My Volkswagen" web application—a centralized dashboard for controlling vehicle settings, media, and diagnostics—requires anticipating future mobility needs while maintaining strict security and reliability standards across hardware iterations spanning up to 15 years.

To achieve this continuous delivery, the organization relies on cross-functional, self-organized teams utilizing a modern connected tech stack that includes React, styled-components, and cloud-based microservices driven by modular feature hub architecture. At the macro level, CARIAD uses the Scaled Agile Framework to organize dependencies across large tech landscapes via three-month Program Increments. However, individual squads are empowered to adopt the working models that fit them best; the frontend team specifically overrides default Scrum to thrive on Extreme Programming, Pair Programming, and Test-Driven Development.

Fostering a true DevOps culture empowers developers to not only build but actively operate their software, which has demonstrably reduced customer problem tickets in production. Furthermore, instituting dedicated "Learning and Innovation Days"—either run bi-weekly or stacked as intensive sprints—fosters a bottom-up culture of technical exploration that ultimately informs better project design. By anchoring operations in high code quality and deeply decentralized architectural autonomy, massive enterprises can pivot to modern, software-first delivery models without compromising on system scale or automotive safety.

**Keywords:** agile automotive development, connected car architecture, embedded vehicle systems, vehicle lifecycle management, scaled agile framework, extreme programming, pair programming, test-driven development, cross-functional engineering teams, cloud-based microservices, modular web components, devops ownership, continuous deployment pipelines, learning and innovation days, automotive security compliance

## Chapters

1. **Defining the system engineer role in technical operations** (00:11) — The system engineer bridges the gap between the product owner's requirements and the technical realization of complex projects.
1. **Centralizing automotive software development across brand portfolios** (04:05) — Developing a unified operating system and cloud platform standardizes vehicle software architectures across varied manufacturing brands.
1. **Adapting digital infrastructure for connected mobility ecosystems** (05:10) — The transition to smart transportation necessitates an interoperable software landscape spanning mobile apps, backends, and vehicles.
1. **Reconciling rapid web updates with legacy vehicle longevity** (06:51) — Balancing the continuous delivery of web applications against decade-long automotive support cycles demands resilient software abstractions.
1. **Designing unified digital dashboards for vehicle management** (12:07) — Consolidated mobility frontends enable diverse demographics to securely monitor remote functionality and resolve operational states.
1. **Implementing application frontends with modular service architectures** (15:38) — Utilizing component frameworks like React alongside backend microservices facilitates robust feature integration and faster deployment.
1. **Empowering cross-functional digital teams with operational autonomy** (18:08) — Organizing technical workflows around discrete product goals encourages deep technical ownership without relying on top-down hierarchies.
1. **Integrating extreme programming with safe scaling frameworks** (23:07) — Merging test-driven strategies and continuous deployment models layers code reliability onto multi-team structural alignments.
1. **Structuring daily synchronous cycles for remote engineering teams** (28:17) — Deploying rotational pairing matrices and afternoon status checkpoints safeguards communication bandwidth among distributed agile programmers.
1. **Promoting technical growth through dedicated biweekly innovation days** (29:57) — Reserving recurring time blocks allows engineers to evaluate tangential technologies while independently resolving lingering architectural constraints.
1. **Scaling technical teams to achieve enterprise software transformation** (32:10) — Accomplishing global digital shifts requires cultivating a massive, intercultural workforce equipped with specialized engineering disciplines.
1. **Validating external integration security against cyber vulnerabilities** (33:59) — Calibrating deployment velocities according to specific attack surface profiles prevents digital interference across over-the-air automotive updates.
1. **Demonstrating business value of grassroots technical learning schedules** (37:24) — Securing executive support for unstructured innovation days enabled adoption of personal exploration programs across non-technical domains.
1. **Evaluating competitor benchmarks to resolve user experience gaps** (40:13) — Utilizing baseline comparisons against disruptive market arrivals structures upcoming roadmap initiatives and addresses immediate functionality concerns.

## Related Moments

- [Strategic goals for the Cariad automated driving division](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1082-code-to-road-in-12-hours) (from "Code to Road in < 12 hours")
- [Unified tech stack and hardware for Volkswagen](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/519-finding-the-unknown-unknowns-intelligent-data-collection-for-autonomous-driving-development) (from "Finding the unknown unknowns: intelligent data collection for autonomous driving development")
- [Adopting continuous integration and deployment for automotive innovation](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/780-car-s-are-technology-on-wheels-impact-of-software-and-it-competence-in-automotive) (from "Car's are Technology on Wheels - Impact of Software and IT Competence in Automotive")
- [Adopting a software-first approach to vehicle development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1114-software-defines-the-vehicle-why-customers-and-developers-will-love-cars-even-more) (from "Software defines the vehicle: Why customers and developers will love cars even more")
- [Structuring agile and interdisciplinary engineering teams](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/251-remote-driving-on-plant-grounds-with-state-of-the-art-cloud-technologies) (from "Remote Driving on Plant Grounds with State-of-the-Art Cloud Technologies")
- [Tackling functional complexity with localized vehicle electronic architectures](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/258-on-developing-smartphones-on-wheels) (from "On developing smartphones on wheels")

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