Automotive Software Company Achieves 90% Strategic KPI Adherence with IBM Enterprise Agile Planning Platform

ETAS, a Stuttgart-based automotive software company and wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, provides software development tools, testing solutions, middleware, and engineering services for software-defined vehicles. Despite years of Agile transformation at the team level, ETAS operated multiple Scrum teams across the organization using disparate tools—sticky notes managed backlogs, and Release Trains relied on MS Project. This fragmented toolset created visibility gaps that prevented managers from seeing what teams were actually building and made it impossible to align tactical execution with strategic objectives.

ETAS implemented the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to standardize processes, but soon recognized that process framework alone was insufficient without a unified platform. The company selected IBM Targetprocess, an enterprise Agile planning solution that provides real-time visibility into team work, dependencies, and portfolio alignment. With Targetprocess, ETAS standardized how teams manage work items, enabled managers to view project status across the entire organization, and created a common platform for developing objectives and key results (OKRs) tied directly to strategic goals. The unified approach eliminated tool sprawl and simplified program increment planning by making dependencies and cross-team work transparent.

The transformation delivered measurable improvements in strategic execution and operational efficiency. Historically, ETAS achieved 50-60% adherence to its roadmap KPIs; after implementing SAFe and Targetprocess, this metric consistently exceeded 90%. Beyond strategic alignment, ETAS achieved faster response times to customer requests, replaced manual testing with automation to increase efficiency, and established transparency that enhanced cross-team collaboration. The solution generated such strong user adoption that ETAS developed a waiting list for new platform access—a testament to the value teams recognized in centralized Agile planning and strategic visibility.