Collaborative diagnostic network for motor vehicle service work, sub-project research and implementation

More targeted means that, with the help of Web 2.0, the cooperation structures between the problem solvers in the workshops, but also with the actors of the automobile and diagnostic system manufacturers, are to be intensified. It also means searching for precisely those participatory approaches that enable the systematic and purposeful capture and use of the experiential knowledge of workshop experts.

Research focus/research questions

Provision of the overall KoDiN-Kfz system:

• Which diagnostic cases pose a challenge, and for which can it be assumed that the diagnostic network to be implemented will lead to success in troubleshooting?
• How do problem-solving processes proceed in the workshop and how can they be supported by a collaborative diagnostic network? What structures must KoDiN-Kfz have so that skilled workers experience an immediate benefit in the diagnostic process?
• What contribution can the existing technical specifications of the manufacturers make within the diagnostic network to improving diagnostic success?
• How should KoDiN-Kfz be designed in its technical functions and in its interface so that learning can actually take place in work processes?
• Which communication structures dominate in motor vehicle workshops and how can they be made usable for collaborative diagnostic tools?
• Which device-related possibilities must be ensured so that people with different learning and working types can use and further develop diagnostic strategies?

Design of the KoDiN-Kfz system with the aim of improving the quality of diagnostic work:

• How should influence processes be designed so that diagnostic routines can be improved by skilled workers with diagnostic experience?
• How can it be ensured that the diagnostic routines created by skilled workers support targeted troubleshooting and can be used from within unstructured work processes, thereby improving the quality of work?
• How should the diagnostic procedures in KoDiN-Kfz be designed so that they can be used for the learning of non-experts in the respective work process?
• How can beginners’ know-how be used for the design of KoDiN-Kfz, and how can its optimal usability in the work process be ensured through the design?
• How can it be ensured that KoDiN-Kfz provides support for skilled workers in troubleshooting rather than “patronising” them?

Methods

The sub-project of the University of Bremen is shared by three university partners. These are the Institute Technology and Education, the Center for Computing Technologies (TZI) and the Institute of Electrodynamics and Microelectronics (ITEM). The ITB coordinates the working groups of the University of Bremen and is represented in the project management group. It conducts surveys in the workshops in order to be able to integrate KoDiN-Kfz into the workshop structure. In addition, the ITB organises the partnership-based development of the conceptualisation of KoDiN-Kfz, develops a work-process-related didactics and a corresponding learning concept on the basis of the analysis of learning needs, evaluates the project and ensures workshop integration appropriate for skilled workers. To this end, the ITB researches the workshop and task structures of the workshops participating in the project and incorporates the analysis results on diagnostic procedures and structures. The ITB supports the building of the community, as well as the participatory system development and the testing of the application within the participating independent workshops. The ITB participates in the development of the business model and in the transfer of the findings to other diagnostic and vehicle manufacturers.

Results

During the project period, the KoDiN system is used to build up three expert communities: (1) Volkswagen technical specialists, (2) trainees in the additional qualification “Volkswagen Technology for Trainees” and (3) motor vehicle service technicians of the training centre of the motor vehicle trade guild, Hamburg. After successful completion of the project, the infrastructure developed in the project (KoDiN software and KoDiN portal) can be opened up to other automobile manufacturers and workshops. Beyond the application of KoDiN-Kfz at VDS (Volkswagen Service Deutschland), the ITB, in cooperation with the ZDK (German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs), will make KoDiN-Kfz usable for further workshops of the motor vehicle trade. A corresponding business model is being developed during the project. Due to the open architecture of the application, it can also be used in other industries for fault diagnosis or in further research projects, e.g. in optimising components of the shift-by-wire system.