q.sphere
Why we founded q.sphere
q.sphere was founded on a clear conviction:
software-defined products are not an evolution, they are a paradigm shift.
Software is no longer an enabler of hardware. The roles have reversed. Hardware has become the execution platform for software.
This inversion changes more than products. It changes how organizations think, decide, and assume responsibility. In a software-defined world, the traditional SOP no longer marks the end. It marks the beginning.
Functionality, performance, and quality evolve continuously across the entire life-cycle, long after production start. Responsibility does not end with release but it persists in operation.
This reality challenges established cost and investment logics. Hardware decisions made today must enable software-driven functionality years into the future. Computing power, sensors, connectivity, and update capability can no longer be optimized for short-term efficiency alone.
At the same time, products are no longer standalone assets. They are elements of ecosystems spanning software, services, cloud platforms, and partners. Quality no longer emerges within organizational boundaries but it emerges across systems, companies, and interfaces.
This is not a technical challenge. It is a strategic one. It reshapes strategy, organization, processes and accountability.
This is why q.sphere exists.
We believe this paradigm shift can only be addressed holistically. Technology alone is not sufficient. Neither is the mechanical application of yet another framework or standard.
Meaningful change requires orientation, clarity, and professional guidance. That is why our work consistently integrates three inseparable dimensions: strategy, organization, and processes. In a world of software-defined products, responsibilities and value creation can no longer be addressed in isolation.
We do not bring “the next standard” into organizations.
We recognize the value of ASQMS as a strong orientation framework, not because certification is the objective, but because the standard addresses fundamental questions of responsibility, lifecycle governance, and ecosystem integration in software-defined environments.
For us, ASQMS is not an end in itself. We use it as an operating framework to structure complexity, clarify accountability, and create stability in highly dynamic, software-driven organizations.
Transformation management is therefore not an add-on. It is an integral part of everything we do. Change must be understood, contextualized, and actively guided in order to become effective.
q.sphere stands for trust, respect, fairness and performance.
We combine deep experience in software and hardware, system development and quality management systems with a strong understanding of organizational change. Our work is shaped by practice, not theory.
The founding team of q.sphere brings together long-standing experience in automotive, consulting, system engineering and quality management. This combination allows us to understand both the technical depth and the organizational reality of our clients.
Our ambition is not to change organizations.
Our ambition is to support them in shaping change themselves — consciously, safely and effectively.
The q.sphere Manifesto
1. Software-defined products are a paradigm shift. Not an evolution. Not a tooling problem.
2. Software leads. Hardware executes. Responsibility does not end at SOP, it begins there.
3. Quality is no longer created in isolation. It emerges across lifecycles, systems, and ecosystems.
4. Frameworks do not create change. People, clarity, and accountability do.
5. We work holistically — across strategy, organisation, and processes — because software-defined value creation cannot be fragmented.
6. We use ASQMS as orientation, not as an end. Not to certify compliance, but to govern responsibility in dynamic environments.
7.Transformation is not an add-on. It is the work.
Dirk
is a co-founder of q.sphere and brings structure to complex organizational challenges and ensures that strategic objectives are translated into clear, executable systems. His focus lies in aligning organizational setup, processes, and responsibilities to enable reliable delivery in software-defined environments.
At q.sphere, he supports companies in navigating the structural transformation towards software-defined products. His work is characterized by a strong emphasis on clarity, accountability, and timing, ensuring that organizations not only define the right direction but also deliver results when it matters.
With a background in engineering and extensive experience in consulting and transformation, Dirk combines analytical thinking with a pragmatic, results-oriented approach. He is particularly effective in situations where complexity, cross-functional dependencies, and organizational change intersect.
Beyond his professional work, Dirk is an avid road cyclist and mountain biker. Long-distance rides, including multi-day alpine crossings, reflect the same endurance and focus that define his consulting approach. In 2017, he published his first business novel, “Reifegrad 3”, demonstrating that even complex topics such as R&D management can be communicated in an engaging and accessible way.
Andreas
is a co-founder of q.sphere and has been working as a consultant for product development, organization, and transformation in industry for many years. His focus is on designing effective development and anagement models in software-dominated contexts. He works at the interface of strategy, organization, and product development and supports companies in systematically managing complexity, dynamics, and conflicting goals.
Andreas Grohmann brings extensive experience from working with OEMs, suppliers, and industrial companies of various sizes and specializes in particular in translating between management perspectives and operational reality.
A particular focus of his work is on the classification and effective application of agile approaches in development environments between hardware and software. Instead of understanding agile as a set of methods, he works with organizations to combine agile principles with the realities of hardware, system integration, and regulatory requirements. The goal is to make agility effective where early commitments are necessary through clear decision-making logic, conscious handling of uncertainty, and integrated leadership across software and hardware domains.
Torsten
is a co-founder of q.sphere and an expert in the topics of product development, software quality, and integrated management systems at q.sphere. His focus is on structurally enabling organizations to manage quality, responsibility, and development processes consistently across the entire life-cycle.
Companies from mechanical engineering, automotive, electronics, and information technology benefit from his ability to connect deep technical understanding with organizational requirements. His work goes beyond isolated improvements, aiming instead at building robust structures that meet the demands of increasingly software-driven systems.
Across more than 50 projects in over 20 companies, he has supported organizations in systematically evolving their product development, clarifying responsibilities, and establishing quality as an integrated organizational capability. His approach is characterized by structure, clarity, and practical implementation with the goal of preparing organizations for the challenges of software-defined products.
Dominik
is co-founder of q.sphere and a proven expert in software and system development in complex environments. His professional focus is on the design, evaluation, and implementation of development processes and organizations for software-defined products.
He has extensive experience in the field of Automotive SPICE® (ASPICE) and supports companies in the introduction, development, and practical application of software and system development processes. His focus is not on formal compliance, but on the effective and efficient implementation of ASPICE principles in real-world development.
Dominik Feurer combines technical understanding with in-depth process and methodological expertise. In his work, he supports organizations in harmonizing development capability, quality, and verifiability, especially in transformation scenarios toward software-defined products and systems.
Our Headquarter
Alfred-Herrhausen-Allee 3-5
65760 Eschborn
Germany
