The Capability Adviser supports Automotive SPICE™ 3.1, VDA Guidelnies, ISO 15504/ISO 330xx series, SPICE Extension for ISO 26262, ASPICE Extension for Cybersecurity, HW SPICE Assessments over the Intra-/Internet, creates Profiles, Assessment Reports, and presentations. It is developed as a multi-user database portal which supports the work of the assessment team (e.g. consolidation view where all assessors see each other).

• Consolidation View: Assessors working in a team can see the comments and ratings from other assessors during the interview. This way it is easier to identify open questions and differences in ratings and rather ask a further questions and clarify instead of long consolidation sessions after the interview.
  
  
• VDA 3.1 Guidelines: The rules (RL) and recommendations (RC) of the VDA guidelines are displayed per BP and GP during the assessment. Moreover, the Capability Adviser database contains all relationships so that rule violations are identified and displayed to the assessor. This allows that during interviews rules, recommendations and rule violations are live displayed and can be handled directly. This then safes a lot of time in complex consolidation sessions after the interviews.
  
  
• Functional Safety integration with ASPICE: ISCN in the working group SOQRATES developed a mapping of Parts 2 to 6 of ISO 26262:2018 onto ASPICE 3.1 and this has been integrated as an extended assessment view to the tool. This allows a combination of ISO 26262 audit and ASPICE assessment.
  
  
• Cybersecurity Integration with ASPICE: ISCN in the working group SOQRATES developed a mapping of SAE J3061 onto ASPICE 3.1 and currently works on a mapping of ISO 21434 onto ASPICE 3.1. Once the best practice maping has been agreed in the partnership it will be integrated as an extended ASPICE 3.1 cybersecurity view into the Capability Adviser.
  
  
• Scaling of systems, it is not just one solution: Capability Adviser comes in 3 different potential solutions. (1) A portable Raspberry server, a server installed on a laptop, or as a corporate server installed in the T department of a company. All solutions are developed by single source and platform independent strategy, and all three solutions allow data exchange by export and import.

• MySQL Database
• Intranet and Internet Solution
• Operating System Independent (Linux, Windows etc.)
• No Limitation in the Number of Assessments, Projects or Assessors
• Multiuser System
• Interactive Help
• Rating and Comments on Indicator Level
• Process Tailoring
• Evidence Collection
• Assessment Profiles and Attributes
• Benchmarking
• Collaboration of Assessors
• Team and Comsolidation View
• ASPICE 3.1 and VDA Guidelines Integrated
• Rating Consistency View
• Online Review of Evidences through Assessors
• Knowledge-Database
• Generation of Microsoft Word© and Adobe PDF© Assessment Reports
• Export of Assessment Results and Comments to Microsoft Excel© and Microsoft Word©
• Export of Attribute and Profile Ratings to Adobe PDF© and Microsoft Excel©
• Reuse of Assessment Results and Evidences
• Import/Export of Assessments
• Generation of Assessment Reports in Microsoft Word© und Adobe PDF©
• Integrated Automotive & Safety (IEC 61508/ISO WD 26262) SPICE Assessment Approach
• Cross-References to ISO 26262:2018
• Cross References to SAE J3061 (in future ISO 21434)
• Different models supported (ASPICE, HW SPICE, Extension of ASPICE for ISO 26262, etc.)
• Scalable as small portable server, laptop, or corporate server

Robert BOSCH central quality division runs a BOSCH wide server, and assessors from all sites can use/access it. In divisions like BOSCH AS first a Raspberry server is used in the local assessment, then the assessment is exported and imported to the central server. Most use the central serer directly with a https access. Each business unit has an organizational account and each assessor has an assessor account. 

ZF Friedrichshafen AG uses a number of laptop licenses, and runs a central server supported by the IT in the C division in Schweinfurt. ZF has used the portal since many years and assessments since approx. 2007 are maintained in the server. Recently Raspberry servers have been provided for field testing to selected people in ZF.

HELLA uses a corporate wide portal, also applies laptop licenses and in assessments recently the Raspberry portable solutions have been used. All assessors (internal and external) are recommended to use the Capability Adviser infrastructure.

MARQUARDT uses a corporate wide portal, also applies laptop licenses. Assessors (internal and external) are recommended to use the Capability Adviser infrastructure.

The SOQRATES partnership helps to develop new content which can be integrated to the Capability Adviser system. This e.g. refers to the ASPICE extension for functional safety and the ASPICE extension for cybersecurity, as well as the development of HW SPICE.

What makes Capability Adviser special is that the product is scalable. You can use the software as a server, but also a small portable for single assessors, affordable for single people in the entire iNTACS community. See here the Raspberry solution through which we have a growing number of single consultants and assessors using the system.

Below you find some useful information to better understand the Capability Adviser system:

• Paper published in the SPRINGER CCIS series: Messnarz R., Ekert D., Zehetner T., Aschbacher L. (2019) Experiences with ASPICE 3.1 and the VDA Automotive SPICE Guidelines – Using Advanced Assessment Systems. In: Walker A., O'Connor R., Messnarz R. (eds) Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement. EuroSPI 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1060. Springer, Cham (download)
• Raspberry portable server guide
• Capability Adviser - An Introduction
• How to perform an assessment
• How to create and administer assessments
• How to use the benchmarking and custom information fields
• Security Policy

License Packages Information

• Download the license and prices information

Free Access to a Capability Adviser User Day

In annual Tech Day there is a Capability Adviser Forum Meeting with presentations of Capability Adviser users and experience exchange about ASPICE 3.1 and VDA Guidelines assessments. The pre-event is for free.

Register for free by sending an email to capadvsupport(at)iscn.com with subject Capadv User Day Participation.