Key Success Factors in Control System Software Architecture

The amount of the control system software used in the mobile work machines has increased radically during the last ten years. The software enables development of new features and further automation. Consequently, the productivity of the work machines increases, bringing cost savings. However, the development of control system software is challenging because they have special characteristics, such as close dependency to hardware, strict real-time requirements, distribution, and long life-cycle of the products. In addition, standards and regulations dictate how functional safety should be taken into account. In software engineering, architecture is often seen as the key element of the system enabling high quality design and implementation. Good software architecture helps the developer to easily maintain and further develop the code through the life cycle of the system. Therefore, in this paper we clarify which quality properties and constraints are important now and in the future from the point of view of the software architects of the work machine control systems. The study is based on the questionnaire targeted to the experts of the field and various interview surveys we have carried out during several years in the leading international work machine manufacturers.Peer reviewe