Case study - Automotive

i2: How an innovation tool fuelled BMW for a decade

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Watch the story

See it in action.

How we built BMW’s internal innovation hub, from idea management and funding workshops to analytics, and made it a template for Agile delivery.

What we built

Key capabilities.

Idea & project management

Capture ideas and manage projects through every stage of maturity.

Analytics

Predictions and detailed visualisations make decisions easier.

Funding

Project funding and tracking, driven by structured questionnaires.

Workshop management

Plan and run pitch workshops, with results visualized in real time.

Highly configurable

New content types, such as blogs, and new properties can be added easily.

Business networking

Networking across departments, organisations and countries.

Product

Inside the platform.

BMW i2 innovation platform screenshot

The journey

From challenge to results.

Challenges

  • This was the third attempt to build the software from scratch; the first two versions had failed.
  • A previous vendor had already used up a major share of the budget and time.
  • A demanding release gateway: penetration and load testing, DevOps (in 2012), technical and deployment documentation, unit-test coverage, and code, design and architecture reviews.
  • In 2012, introducing Agile in a waterfall-driven company was close to impossible.
  • A language gap between German- and English-speaking team members.

Goals

  • Internal central hub for innovation
  • Idea → shortlisting → funding workshop → project management → monitoring → delivery
  • Successful delivery
  • Pass the release gateway: penetration and load tests, plus automated and manual code and design reviews
  • Test-Driven Development (backend and frontend)
  • Documentation in the BMW template: design, deployment, DevOps and test automation
  • Run the project on Agile

Actions

  • We built a hybrid onsite and offshore team with constant communication.
  • Technical and functional experts worked in close, frequent contact.
  • Regular visits kept communication and planning on track.
  • We persuaded management to allow Agile delivery, given the tight timeline and budget.
  • Continuous deliveries and reviews ran throughout the project.
  • Internal management complexities were planned for in detail.
  • Fallback plans were always in place.

Results

  • The tool was delivered on schedule and to a high standard.
  • The project became the template for Agile delivery within BMW. After seeing the gains in quality, acceptance and budget, the wider company set out to move from waterfall to Agile.
  • Every gateway test was passed, thanks to strong engineering quality.
  • After the first release, many other departments adopted the platform to run their own projects.
  • Right after release, top management used the funding workshop module to allocate 45M within a couple of hours. Top management singled out its real-time ratings, live results and automated workshop design.
  • The platform is still in use a decade later.

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What happens next

  1. We reply within one business dayA senior engineer reads every message, not a sales bot.
  2. 30-minute discovery callWe map your goals, data and constraints together.
  3. A clear plan and estimateScope, architecture and timeline, usually within a week.
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