Volvo Accelerates Software Releases and Boosts Stability with Plain Concepts
Volvo is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the automotive and industrial equipment sectors, known for its commitment to innovation, safety, and high-quality engineering. As the company continues to expand globally and increase its reliance on software to support critical operations, connected services, and internal processes, maintaining a stable and efficient technological platform has become essential.
To strengthen its software delivery capabilities and ensure that its digital infrastructure could support future growth, Volvo sought a technology partner with strong expertise in platform optimisation, process improvement, and automation. Plain Concepts was selected to help Volvo enhance the reliability, performance, and visibility of its software operations.
Volvo was facing significant challenges within its integration team, where limited process visibility and the lack of a structured operating model meant that issues often went undetected until they caused major disruptions. System defects occurred frequently, leading to unplanned downtime, productivity loss, and increasing pressure on the teams responsible for maintaining the platform. The release cycle had become slow and unpredictable, as there was no clear or consistent process to ensure timely and stable software updates. Response times to system defects were also delayed, prolonging issue resolution and affecting day-to-day operations. If left unresolved, these challenges posed a serious risk to Volvo’s ability to innovate, scale its software operations, and maintain long-term system stability.
How Volvo Accelerated and Stabilised Its Software Delivery Process
Volvo, a global leader in automotive and industrial equipment manufacturing, relies heavily on software to support operations, connected systems, and business-critical processes. As the company expanded, maintaining a stable and efficient platform became essential to ensure uninterrupted service and operational continuity.
The integration team, however, faced limited visibility and structural gaps that caused defects to accumulate and go undetected until they triggered major disruptions. This led to recurring system failures, unplanned downtime, and slow release cycles that compromised productivity. Seeking to strengthen stability and improve operational efficiency, Volvo partnered with Plain Concepts to modernise its delivery processes and introduce a more resilient, proactive operating model.
Volvo’s main challenges revolved around a lack of process visibility, frequent system defects, slow and unpredictable release cycles, and delayed responses to issues. These limitations created operational risk, reduced productivity, and hindered the company’s ability to innovate and scale its software operations effectively. Without intervention, the stability and reliability of Volvo’s platform would continue to be at risk.
Plain Concepts worked to stabilise the platform, improve visibility, and introduce automation across workflows. The team implemented DORA Metrics to measure release velocity and incident response times, enhanced the architecture while resolving existing defects, and ensured new feature development could continue uninterrupted. Automated deployment processes and CI/CD pipelines were introduced to streamline releases and minimise operational disruptions, supported by monitoring tools, Salesforce integration, and a robust .NET backend hosted on Azure.
Technologies Used
Technologies used: .NET on Azure, Salesforce integration, DORA Metrics, monitoring tools, CI/CD pipelines, automated deployment workflows, and continuous improvement DevOps practices.
Results
- Accelerated software release velocity, reducing delays and enabling faster delivery of new features.
- Significant reduction in system defects, improving overall platform stability and minimising disruptions.
- Establishment of a long-term partnership between Volvo and Plain Concepts, focused on continuous improvement.
- Greater operational efficiency, shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive system optimisation.
- A high-performing integration team capable of consistently delivering reliable, high-quality updates.
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