Ford AV | Accelerating Quality and Software Maturity Through Automated Testing
Ford AV’s engineering teams were developing complex systems to support autonomous vehicle operations—software that demanded exceptional reliability, scalability, and safety. However, despite technical strength, Ford AV faced a key barrier: slow release cycles caused by manual testing, fragmented workflows, and a lack of developer-driven quality assurance practices.
Challenge
Although Ford AV had established a strong foundation for its autonomous vehicle platform, feature releases were slow and resource-heavy. Key challenges included:
Long release cycles: New features took weeks—sometimes months—to reach production due to reliance on manual regression testing.
Limited test coverage: Without automated testing, code changes risked introducing undetected regressions.
Reactive QA processes: Bugs were discovered late in development, increasing rework and delaying deployment.
Cultural barriers: Developers viewed testing as separate from engineering, creating disconnects between quality and velocity.
To achieve greater software maturity, Ford AV needed a mindset shift—one that positioned QA not as a gatekeeper, but as a core engineering practice.
Solution
Our first step was a comprehensive codebase and process audit, assessing architecture, workflow efficiency, and test coverage across multiple products. From there, we co-created a roadmap to modernize QA practices—focusing on automation, test-driven development (TDD), and continuous integration (CI/CD). By pairing Ford AV developers with TribalScale engineers, we demonstrated how automated tests could be built, executed, and maintained directly by developers—enabling faster feedback loops, improved collaboration, and shared accountability for quality.
Automated Testing Framework: Introduced and implemented unit testing using Swift + XCUITest for iOS components and Cypress + JavaScript for web services.
Continuous Integration Pipeline: Integrated QA automation into CI/CD, ensuring tests were automatically triggered with every new code submission.
QA Culture Shift: Conducted workshops and pair-programming sessions to train teams on TDD and the long-term benefits of developer-owned testing.
Team Enablement: Onboarded and mentored 6+ QA engineers, establishing a sustainable, internal testing practice.
This combination of hands-on transformation and technical enablement created a ripple effect—turning quality from a checkpoint into a competitive advantage.
Tools and Technologies Used:
Rally
Swift
Git
Perfecto
Outcome
Ford AV evolved from a reactive QA model to a mature, automation-driven engineering culture. By embedding TDD and automated testing across its teams, Ford accelerated delivery, improved reliability, and set a new benchmark for quality in its software ecosystem.
The transformation also served as a foundation for future engineering programs across Ford’s connected vehicle and mobility divisions—proving that cultural change, when coupled with technical discipline, drives lasting organizational impact.
Why It Matters
In the race toward autonomous mobility, quality assurance isn’t just a process—it’s a pillar of safety and innovation. By aligning people, process, and technology, Ford AV and TribalScale demonstrated how cultural transformation fuels better code, faster delivery, and smarter, more resilient teams.