Supporting Vehicle Option Change Management Through a Graph-Based Visualization Tool

Abstract

When implementing configuration management methods, the amount of data required can be problematic when validating changes to the database. This is especially true for rule-based configuration management techniques. This paper presents a graph visualization tool to assist in validating changes to the rule database. The development and implementation of the tool is presented, along with the execution and results of two user studies designed to test specific aspects of the support tool. The paper then presents how the visualization tool was implemented for four ongoing configuration changes at the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to prove the effectiveness of the tool in assisting in validating configurations changes.