  In order to increase the ability to build complex, software-intensive
systems, as well as to decrease time-to-market for new functionality,
automotive companies aim to scale agile methods beyond individual teams. This
is challenging, given the specifics of automotive systems that are often
safety-critical and consist of software, hardware, and mechanical components.
This paper investigates the concrete reasons for scaling agility beyond teams,
the strategies that support such scaling, and foreseeable implications that
such a drastic organizational change will entail. The investigation is based on
a qualitative case study, with data from 20 semi-structured interviews with
managers and technical experts at two automotive companies. At the core of our
findings are observations about establishing an agile vehicle-level feedback
loop beyond individual teams. (I) We find that automotive OEMs aim to decrease
lead-time of development. (II) We also identify 7 strategies that aim to enable
scaled-agile beyond teams. (III) Finally, we extract 6 foreseeable implications
and side-effects of scaling agile beyond teams in automotive. By charting the
landscape of expected benefits, strategies, and implications of scaling agile
beyond teams in automotive, we enable further research and process
improvements.
