3 technical diagrams every automotive expert needs (FTA, VSM, BPMN)

The pillars of success: Safety, efficiency, governance

Successful automotive brands rely on precise documentation to support three core pillars: safety, efficiency, and governance. Visual clarity is key for navigating the complexities of the modern automotive industry, as well as ensuring these three core pillars are upheld.

In this blogpost, we’ll cover three diagramming methods (fault tree analysis, value-stream mapping, and Business Process Model and Notation) that help automotive engineers and experts analyze failures, optimize production, and standardize complex workflows.

1. Fault tree analysis (FTA)

Used by: Safety and reliability engineers

In automotive engineering, safety is the ultimate priority. A fault tree analysis, a type of failure analysis, looks at various hardware combinations and software failures that could lead to an undesired state, such as brake failure or unintended acceleration.

FTA is a core requirement for compliance with functional safety standards like ISO 26262. In short, you cannot put a modern car on the road without rigorous FTA to prove the systems are fail-safe.

FTA is used to:

• Trace failure logic: Examine the chain of events leading to the undesired state.
• Ensure compliance: Provide documented proof that safety and reliability requirements (like ISO 26262) are met.
• Prioritize risk: Identify the most critical components and events to focus resources where they matter most.
• Optimize system design: Use top-down analysis to derive lower-level safety requirements during the design phase.
• Streamline diagnostics: Act as a blueprint for identifying root causes and developing diagnostic manuals and processes.[1]

2. Value-stream mapping (VSM)

Used by: Manufacturing and industrial engineers

Value-stream mapping (also known as material- and information-flow mapping) is a tool used to visualize the flow of materials and information required to bring a product from supplier to customer. VSM is a staple for industrial and manufacturing engineers who rely on it to keep massive assembly plants running efficiently.

Rooted in the Toyota Production System, Lean principles have since evolved into a global standard across domains beyond the automotive industry, including business, software development, and healthcare. The goal remains universal: maximize efficiency by identifying and reducing the “Three Ms”:

• Muda (waste): Activities that consume resources without adding value.
• Muri (overburden): Stress on personnel or equipment caused by over-demanding requirements.
• Mura (unevenness): Inconsistencies or irregularities in the production process.[2]

Mapping the supply chain for a high-volume EV component: The door hinge assembly

3. Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

Used by: Operations and quality managers

While FTA focuses on the machine and VSM on the factory floor, BPMN is the language of the organization itself. It is used to standardize high-level business workflows and ensure ASPICE process compliance; the “gold standard” for process quality in automotive software and systems development.

BPMN allows operations experts to map the logic required for regulatory audits, ensuring that hand-offs between engineering, supply chain, and logistics are seamless. As vehicles become more software-defined, BPMN has become critical for managing complex “if-then” scenarios, such as the coordination of over-the-air (OTA) updates.

By providing a clear, standardized notation, BPMN bridges the gap between technical engineering requirements and the broader business strategies that keep a global automotive brand moving.

BPMN Collaboration Diagram: Automotive oil service and diagnostics

FAQs

I work in a highly regulated industry, how can I maximize draw.io app security?

For teams with strict data sovereignty requirements, draw.io is available as a Zero Egress app or an Advanced app edition with a zero-egress switch. These versions allow you to fully lock down your data by restricting all data egress except for Atlassian API calls, meaning your diagram data never leaves your Confluence or Jira environment.

Does draw.io support specific symbols for VSM and BPMN?

Yes, draw.io offers bespoke shape libraries for Value-Stream Mapping, and BPMN and BPMN 2.0.

You can also enable a wide range of electrical shape libraries for wiring and circuit diagrams. Simply click +More Shapes at the bottom of the left-hand panel to select the relevant libraries.

Where can I find out more?

We recommend the following articles:

• UML state diagrams with draw.io
• Automatically create draw.io diagrams from CSV files
• Using draw.io for BPMN Diagrams 
• Navigating BPMN Gateways: Making Sense of 69 Options

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