Increase development productivity by domain-specific conceptual modeling

This paper addresses the question of whether and how the development and use of a domain-specific modeling method (DSMM) can increase productivity in the development of technical systems in an industrial setting. This is because an essential prerequisite for DSMMs to become established in operational practice is that productivity increases can be achieved with them and qualitative benefits such as quality assurance, innovation potential, and the like can be exploited. After all, managers’ decisions are ultimately based on whether or not the use of a new method pays off. We illustrate our findings using the example of a DSMM development for the design and realization of electric vehicle testbeds, which we carried out as part of a cooperation project. This work sets the base for possible generalization into other automotive, mechatronic, and technical areas.