TestSPICE: The Game-Changer Testing Deserves

If you’re a quality manager or test manager in automotive software, you’ve almost certainly heard the word “SPICE” thrown around in meeting rooms. You probably also know that ASPICE (Automotive SPICE) has become the de facto standard for assessing and improving development processes, especially when Tier-1 suppliers want to win contracts with OEMs.

TestSPICE represents the game-changer for achieving higher process maturity in test competence centers and test factories.

The Game-Changer Quality and Test Managers Have Been Waiting For

But here’s the part many people still miss: in 2023, the first official TestSPICE model was released by intacs (the International Assessor Certification Scheme). And for anyone whose job title contains the words “Test,” “Quality,” or “Verification & Validation,” this is the most important process model update in a decade.

So What Exactly Is TestSPICE?

TestSPICE is not a completely new framework that competes with ASPICE. It is an official PAM 3.1 Process Assessment Model extension that focuses exclusively on the testing and verification processes. Think of it as “ASPICE zoomed in on everything that happens after the code is written.” It currently consists of four dedicated test processes:

1. Test Strategy (TST.1)
2. Test Analysis and Design (TST.2)
3. Test Realization and Test Execution (TST.3)
4. Test Results Analysis and Reporting (TST.4)

Why Traditional ASPICE Was Never Enough for Testing

In classic Automotive SPICE, testing is scattered across multiple processes:

• System and software test strategy hides in SYS.2/SWE.1
• Test execution is split between SYS.4/SYS.5 and SWE.6
• Reporting and regression are barely mentioned

The result? Most organizations achieve Level 2 or 3 on paper, yet still suffer from:

• Late defect discovery
• Inadequate regression test coverage
• Unclear responsibilities between the system test, software test, and HIL teams

• Test managers who have no officially recognized process ownership

Why TestSPICE Unifies all Testing Domains? 

Here is the problem: most companies don’t realize that testing has been fragmented for years! Manual testers, HIL engineers, SIL simulators, and CI/CD automation teams all work in their own silos, using different tools, documents, and methods. The result? Gaps, duplication, confusion, and defects that only show up when it’s too late. TestSPICE changes the game. It encompasses every type of testing under one unified process, from early simulations to hardware tests, manual exploratory checks, and automated pipelines.

Everyone speaks the same language, follows the same process, and tracks quality the same way. That’s not just a process improvement, it’s a business advantage: fewer mistakes, faster releases, and full transparency for OEM audits. If your testing teams are still working in silos, you’re losing time, money, and credibility without even knowing it.

How this Works in Real Life 

Just two weeks before a major demo of a Level 3 self-driving car, an automotive supplier faced chaos: SIL simulations showed lane detection worked, HIL tests revealed braking delays, manual testers only checked daytime scenarios, and CI/CD pipelines kept failing. Enter TestSPICE: by unifying SIL, HIL, manual, and CI/CD testing under one strategy, mapping every test case to requirements, and consolidating reporting, the team discovered and fixed all critical defects in days.

The demo went flawlessly, OEM auditors were impressed by transparent traceability, and the supplier secured follow-up contracts. That is the power of unifying testing domains, and why TestSPICE isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have!

The Business Case Your CFO Will Love

Still think it’s “just another model”? Here’s what actually happens when organizations adopt TestSPICE (real data from 2024 intacs working group surveys):

• 30–40 % reduction in customer-found defects (Level 3+)
• 25 % average decrease in test execution time through better bi-directional traceability and automated test environments
• Clear KPIs for test progress and quality that OEMs now explicitly ask for in supplier audits
• Faster capability improvements: companies report reaching TestSPICE Level 3 six to twelve months earlier than with scattered ASPICE practices

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For us, digitization does not just mean modernizing what already exists but, most importantly, reshaping the future. That is why we have made it our goal to provide our customers with sustainable support in digitizing the entire value chain. Our work has only one goal: your success! 

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The Moment of Truth: Are You Ready for the Next Audit?

OEMs have already updated their supplier questionnaires in 2025. Questions now explicitly reference TestSPICE process attributes. If your answer is “We do testing inside SYS.4/SYS.5 and SWE.6,” you will score low, and everyone in the room knows it.

How to Get Started Tomorrow Morning

1. Download the official TestSPICE PAM from the NUCIDA TestSPICE web page (without registration) or the Intacs website (free for registered users).
2. Perform a gap analysis between your current test processes and TST.1–TST.4 at Level 1 (it takes one competent person about two weeks).
3. Prioritize TST.1 Test Strategy: Most organizations are surprised by how immature their strategic test planning actually is.
4. Train at least one intacs-certified TestSPICE assessor internally (the course is now available worldwide).
5. Run a pilot project using the new processes. The ROI becomes visible within the first release cycle.

Be the Leader, not the Follower!

ASPICE gave us a common language for development processes. TestSPICE finally gives the same to testing.  In an industry that is moving to software-defined vehicles, over-the-air updates, and Level 4+ autonomy, the quality of your verification and validation processes is no longer a “supporting” activity. It is the critical success factor that brings you to the top position, leaving competitors behind you. The question is no longer whether you should adopt TestSPICE.

The question is: how much longer can you afford not to?  Your next OEM audit is coming. When the assessor asks, “Show me your Test Strategy process and its capability indicators,” will you still be opening a PowerPoint slide with some vague conclusions?  Or will you open a living, measured, continually improved TestSPICE process that silently screams competence?  The choice is yours. But the clock is ticking.

Happy testing, and see you next time!

Want to know more about AI? Watch our YouTube video,  Testing AI Systems, to learn more about the latest developments.

Pictures / Logos from pixabay.com and NUCIDA Group
intacs is registered trademark.
Article written by Torsten Zimmermann and Eman Rani;  published by Torsten Zimmermann