How Motional built audit-ready quality management on Google Workspace

Motional puts driverless vehicles on public roads, which means OSHA, ISO 9001, and IATF 16949 all watch its quality documentation. After a 2019 gap analysis found critical documents scattered across disconnected systems, the Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture chose AODocs as the Google-native platform to bring them under control, and deployed it mid-merger with partner Wursta. QMS Manager Harold Rice tells the story.

Story highlights

Challenges

Quality documents everywhere, control nowhere

A 2019 gap analysis revealed massive volumes of quality content — work instructions, SolidWorks files, supplier documentation, living in disconnected systems inherited from two merging companies. SharePoint was evaluated and lacked the flexibility the team required.

A platform to augment Google, not replace it

Moving to Google Workspace as part of the merger, Motional needed content management native to that ecosystem. Most vendors offered to "make it work" in Google; Motional needed one for which Google was the home field.

Solutions

Google-native by design, not adaptation

Against the CSP and ECM vendors covered by Gartner and Forrester, AODocs stood out where the others compromised: performing optimally in the Google environment, flexible, and able to integrate with Motional's existing systems.

Compliance content under one roof

The 1,000+ Motional employees on AODocs manage every document that OSHA, ISO 9001, and IATF 16949 require, with strict security controls protecting the intellectual property behind driverless technology.

Deployed at merger speed with Wursta

With Aptiv and Hyundai teams becoming one company, partner Wursta configured AODocs at the pace the transition demanded: workflows and libraries built in close collaboration with the AODocs team.

Trained to run it themselves

Wursta trained Motional's team to administer the low-code platform on their own: custom libraries and ad-hoc workflows, created in-house, without a services engagement for every change.

Wins and results

Audits without the scramble

When auditors come, reports and content sharing are simple and straightforward. The documentation is already controlled, already organized.

IP protected at driverless stakes

Strict security controls guard the intellectual property of a company whose product is its research, breach prevention built into daily document work.

1,000+ employees, one platform

Quality content that once lived in two companies' disconnected systems now runs through a single governed platform, company-wide.

Self-sufficient from day one

Trained on the low-code platform, Motional's team builds its own libraries and workflows. The deployment ended, the autonomy remained.

Shifting Gears to Google Workplace, and to a Better Approach for Managing Content

After conducting a gap analysis in 2019, Motional leadership realized that the company had massive volumes of quality-related documents (work instructions, SolidWorks files, supplier-related documentation, etc.) residing in numerous disconnected systems. The IT team looked into harmonizing this chaotic information management environment within SharePoint, but quickly learned that the platform did not have the flexibility to be configured in the manner they required.

When Aptiv become a part of Motional, there was a period of time when we were using existing systems from both companies to manage content,” said Harold Rice, Quality Management System Manager at Motional. “We made the full transition to Google Workspace as part of the assimilation process, and that’s when we began looking at content management platforms that were a part of the Google Workspace ecosystem. We needed a platform that would not replace our existing systems, but augment them.

AODocs Outpaces Other Rigid and Non-Google Friendly Offerings

Motional took a close look at several of the content services platforms (CSP) and enterprise content management (ECM) solutions evaluated by Gartner, Forrester Research, and other industry analyst firms.

We needed a platform that would perform optimally in the Google environment. Many of the vendors we spoke to said they could ‘make it work” in Google Workspace, but with AODocs, this was a strength. We found AODocs to be quite flexible and adaptable, and it could integrate seamlessly with our existing systems, added Rice.

Ensuring Compliance and Smooth Audits While Enforcing Document Control and Security

There are many regulations Motional must adhere to and certifications the company must maintain in order to bring driverless technology to market, and all of them require strict control over all quality documentation and related processes. From requirements related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and ISO 9001, to the International Automative Task Force (IATF) 16949 standard, the 1,000+ Motional employees with access to AODocs use the platform to manage all of this content. And when preparing for audits, AODocs makes it simple and straightforward to create reports and share content with auditors.

Protecting intellectual property and preventing information breaches is of upmost importance for Motional, and the company is able to enforce strict security controls with AODocs.

Wursta Instrumental in Successful AODocs Deployment

The selection and deployment of AODocs occurred during the time when Aptiv and a segment within the Hyundai Motor Group merged to become what is now known as Motional. Motional began working with Wursta, an IT services and support company and AODocs partner, to help the company with its Google Workplace implementation and migration away from the MSFT stack.

When Motional made the decision to select AODocs, they asked Wursta to help them quickly deploy the content services platform.

“With the merger taking place, having a reliable implementation partner that understood the complexities of our needs, and that could help us quickly configure AODocs to meet them, was critical. We needed people who understood agility and the depth of requirements. Wursta provided the speed and agility we need to move this forward at the pace we required,” noted Rice.

Wursta trained the Motional team on how to administer the AODocs low-code platform to create their own customized libraries and ad-hoc workflows.

The leadership of the Wursta team in this project was instrumental in the success of our AODocs deployment, said Rice.

About Motional

Motional is a driverless technology company making self-driving vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality, behind the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S., the world's first robotaxi pilot, and the world's most-established public robotaxi fleet. It is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, a global technology leader in advanced safety, electrification, and vehicle connectivity.