How to Coordinate Across Labs, Suppliers & Cert Bodies
Validation is no longer a solo act — here's how to keep everyone aligned in complex, multi-stakeholder testing environments.
The Reality of Modern Validation
Think of a typical test campaign today:
- You’re testing a battery system with a cell from one vendor, a BMS from another, an enclosure from a third - (We can go on here).
- Tests are being executed at multiple different labs.
- Last minute adaptations on the DUT or test setup, not reflected in any documentation
- Results need to be accepted by both your internal engineering lead and a certifying body.
- Everyone is in a different time zone.
- And you’re on the hook to deliver compliance documentation… yesterday.
Sound familiar?
The more partners we rely on — and more components we integrate — the harder coordination becomes.
Why Things Break
Let’s break down the typical failure modes:
| Issue | Why It Happens | Real Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 🔄 Specs and docs get out of sync | Local copies, delayed emails, missed DMS updates | Mismatched assumptions, invalid results, test to be repeated |
| ⏱️ Scheduling conflicts | Issues with individual items of a whole sequence, parts availability | Delays, idle time, rescheduling hell |
| 💬 Communication loops | Info scattered in email, Slack, Teams, with different colleagues | Missed updates, duplicated effort |
| ❌ Traceability gaps | No structured way to link test -> DUT -> spec | Slows audits, breaks confidence |
| 📄 Reporting inconsistency | Everyone builds reports differently | Manual rework, confusion, missed checks |
What Coordinated Testing Should Look Like
True coordination means all parties operate on the same source of truth, in real time.
It should be possible to:
- Share DUT and test definitions without file versions flying around
- Update sequences and notify only relevant stakeholders
- Automatically log every change, request reviews and comment for future audits
- Reserve and request change in lab capacity based on actual project timelines
- Export reporting in a standardized, cert-ready format
This isn’t a luxury. It’s baseline infrastructure for modern test campaigns.
What’s Needed to Get There
To pull this off, you need more than a shared folder and a few Jira tickets.
You need a platform that provides:
- 📚 A single source of truth with all relevant information and exchange
- 📦 Product including Variant and Version Management
- 📆 Integrated Project-, Resource-, and Lab-planning
- 🔗 Traceability across all processes, Live updates with version history and reviews
- 🎯 Collaborative User-Management and communication (engineers, managers, cert reviewers)
- 📊 Structured test data and automated reporting
Without this, you're coordinating in the dark.
Under the bonnet: Test Data Management (TDM)
One initiative we’re exploring to enable better cross-partner alignment is a structured, platform-agnostic format for test metadata — capturing:
- DUT properties and product variants
- Test case logic, sequences, and expectations
- Measurement boundaries and version history
- Validity rules and traceability links
While still evolving, this approach draws inspiration from Product Data Management (PDM) systems and Battery Passport concepts. But it aims further — toward a comprehensive Test Data Model (TDM) that integrates:
- 🔩 Product architecture and history
- 📋 Test specification and logic
- 🌍 Environmental context — capturing real-world use conditions, intended application profiles, and whether parameters are representative, accelerated, or regulatory
- 🧪 Chamber capabilities — defining what test environments can physically reproduce (e.g., temperature, vibration, current limits) and how they constrain or enable test scenarios
A foundation like this could turn today’s fragmented test documents into structured, sharable building blocks — enabling smarter planning, revalidation, and collaboration across OEMs, suppliers, and labs.
Think of it as the “API of testing” — a format that can be shared, parsed, validated, and reused across tools and teams.
We’re working to make this a foundational part of TestForge X — and invite partners and community to shape it. Feel free to reach out to us, if you are eager to exchange thoughts.
Real Collaboration in TestForge X
TestForge X is purpose-built for multi-stakeholder testing.
With TFX, you can:
- Define, manage, and share test campaigns across teams
- Assign labs and resources dynamically with all necessary notifications
- Track communication history and approvals per test case
- Generate reports that meet certification expectations by design
- Ensure everyone works off the latest test and DUT spec version — always
Summary: You Can’t Coordinate with Files Alone
Coordination is no longer a process of sending files and hoping for alignment.
To build trust, efficiency, and audit confidence, you need:
- A shared language
- A shared timeline
- A shared platform
That’s what TestForge X enables.
📅 Next Week:
“Scaling Test Insights: From Execution to Analytics” --> How structured data unlocks faster decisions, smarter revalidations, and predictive testing