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Campaign Management

Under UNECE R156, software updates must be executed as controlled campaigns with clear scope, approvals, staged rollout, communications, and auditable outcomes. Effective campaign management reduces operational risk and supports type-approval evidence.

Objectives

  • Plan updates with precise scope (VINs, ECUs, markets, time windows).
  • Manage eligibility, dependencies, and risk gates before rollout.
  • Execute staged deployments with pause/resume controls and KPIs.
  • Communicate clearly with dealers, customers, and authorities.
  • Capture end-to-end records for auditability and lessons learned.

Campaign Planning

  • Scope: define package set, target ECUs, affected functions, markets/regions, VIN cohorts.
  • Calendar & windows: maintenance windows, charging/power constraints, service capacity.
  • Eligibility rules: prerequisites (versions, hardware rev), geographic/legal constraints.
  • Dependencies: inter-ECU order, backend feature flags, dealer tool versions.
  • Risk checks: safety (ISO 26262), cybersecurity (R155/ISO 21434), EMC (R10), privacy.

Approvals & Governance

  • Gate reviews: security, safety, compliance, market approvals where required.
  • Segregation of duties: distinct initiator, reviewer, approver; dual control for signing keys.
  • Dossier freeze: lock artifacts, eligibility rules, rollout plan, and comms before start.

Staged Rollout Strategy

  • Canary cohort: small, representative group; verify KPIs before expansion.
  • Phased expansion: ramp to larger cohorts by market/region; define thresholds to pause.
  • Controls: rate limits, server capacity guards, retry/backoff logic.
  • Pause/Resume: manual and automatic triggers (KPI breaches, incident linkage).
  • Rollback readiness: pre-validated rollback path; clear execution criteria.

Communications

  • Dealers: service bulletins, tool prerequisites, step-by-step instructions, escalation contacts.
  • Customers: notifications (OTA/app/email), expected duration, driving/charging guidance, safety notes.
  • Authorities: required filings or notices; align content with type-approval scope.
  • Supply chain: advisories to key suppliers for mirrored actions or coordinated timelines.

Operational Controls

  • Eligibility engine: enforce VIN/ECU targeting and prerequisites on backend and vehicle.
  • Health checks: pre- and post-install diagnostics; A/B slot verification if used.
  • Telemetry KPIs: success rate, retry/abort rate, install time, DTCs, battery/network conditions.
  • Issue handling: real-time triage channel, PSIRT linkage (R155), hotfix/patch path.

Privacy & Compliance

  • Minimize personal data in telemetry; define retention and access controls.
  • Record lawful basis for processing operational data; support data subject requests.
  • Ensure comms and records meet market-specific regulatory expectations.

KPIs & Decision Thresholds

  • Go/No-Go: minimum success rate, maximum fail/abort thresholds, max incident rate.
  • Performance: median/95th install time, retry counts, network/battery failure rate.
  • Quality: verification failures, post-update DTCs, regression defect rate.

Records & Traceability

Maintain traceability from campaign authorization to per-VIN outcome:

  • Approval records (who/when/what), artifact hashes, signatures, eligibility decisions.
  • Rollout logs by cohort/region, pause/resume events, incident links, rollback events.
  • Per-VIN results (success/fail/partial), error codes, retries, post-update validation results.

Practical Do / Don’t

Do

  • Start with a tightly-scoped canary in diverse conditions.
  • Automate eligibility checks on both backend and vehicle.
  • Define pause/rollback thresholds before rollout.
  • Provide dealers with a single-page quick guide and escalation matrix.
  • Archive a signed manifest of all campaign artifacts and approvals.

Don’t

  • Launch wide without a canary and live KPIs.
  • Change eligibility rules mid-campaign without re-approval.
  • Rely on email alone for dealer instructions; use a controlled portal.
  • Skip post-update validation or telemetry checks.

Typical Outputs / Evidence

  • Campaign dossier (scope, risk reviews, eligibility, dependencies, approvals, comms).
  • Staged rollout plan and KPI thresholds; pause/resume/rollback criteria.
  • Dealer/customer communications, translations, and distribution logs.
  • Operational dashboards/screenshots with timestamps and cohort stats.
  • Per-VIN outcome records; incident/rollback links; lessons-learned report.
Disclaimer: This page summarizes campaign management expectations under UNECE R156. For authoritative requirements, consult the regulation text and your approval authority’s guidance.