Optimizing the Requirements Engineering Process for the Luggage Compartment Load Floor

Sammanfattning

This thesis focuses on the luggage compartment load floor, a component that isoften overlooked in vehicle development despite its influence on customer experienceand product cost. Conducted at Volvo Cars, the study aimed to optimize therequirements engineering process for the load floor by identifying outdated and excessiverequirements and developing a structured prioritization framework to reduceunnecessary complexity and cost while maintaining customer value.The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining semi-structured interviews,internal and external surveys, benchmarking, production observations, andanalysis of internal quality data. The findings indicate that several requirements nolonger reflect actual customer needs and have been carried over from previous vehicleprograms without sufficient validation. To address this, a structured RequirementsEngineering framework was developed to support the development, specification,and management of requirements. The framework was validated through the P113case study, demonstrating that requirements can be systematically challenged whendecisions are supported by empirical data. The results indicate that cost reductionscan be achieved by removing outdated requirements without negatively affectingcustomer satisfaction.