A method of evaluating compatibility of a first system component with at least one other system component of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: - providing a database comprising: vehicle platform configuration information comprising configuration information about two or more vehicle models, wherein each vehicle model comprises one or more aspect domains, wherein each aspect domain comprises one or more system components, wherein each system component comprises configuration information, wherein each configuration information comprises a set of one or more parameter values; wherein at least two system components of two different vehicle models belong to the same aspect domain; wherein at least one of the number of aspect domains of each vehicle model and the number of system components of each aspect domain of said vehicle model is twenty or more; - determining a compatibility result between said first system component and at least one other system component in said vehicle platform by comparing the configuration information of said first system component to the configuration information of said at least one other system component, wherein the set of one or more parameter values in the configuration information of said first system component is compared to the set of one or more parameter values in the configuration information of said at least one other system component to determine if said sets of parameter values (18a, 19a) have at least a compatible parameter value, wherein a positive compatibility result is determined between said first system component and at least one other system component if no constraints selected from the group of legal constraints, technical constraints, design constraints and geographical constraints are violated; - wherein a positive compatibility result is only determined for those of said at least one other system component that is not the same as said first system component and - returning one of a positive compatibility result and a negative compatibility result based on if said first system component is determined to be compatible with said at least one other system component in said step of determining a compatibility result between said first system component and at least one other system component in said vehicle platform. - providing a database comprising: vehicle platform configuration information comprising configuration information about two or more vehicle models, wherein each vehicle model comprises one or more aspect domains, wherein each aspect domain comprises one or more system components, wherein each system component comprises configuration information, wherein each configuration information comprises a set of one or more parameter values; wherein at least two system components of two different vehicle models belong to the same aspect domain; wherein at least one of the number of aspect domains of each vehicle model and the number of system components of each aspect domain of said vehicle model is twenty or more; vehicle platform configuration information comprising configuration information about two or more vehicle models, wherein each vehicle model comprises one or more aspect domains, wherein each aspect domain comprises one or more system components, wherein each system component comprises configuration information, wherein each configuration information comprises a set of one or more parameter values; wherein at least two system components of two different vehicle models belong to the same aspect domain; wherein at least one of the number of aspect domains of each vehicle model and the number of system components of each aspect domain of said vehicle model is twenty or more; - determining a compatibility result between said first system component and at least one other system component in said vehicle platform by comparing the configuration information of said first system component to the configuration information of said at least one other system component, wherein the set of one or more parameter values in the configuration information of said first system component is compared to the set of one or more parameter values in the configuration information of said at least one other system component to determine if said sets of parameter values (18a, 19a) have at least a compatible parameter value, wherein a positive compatibility result is determined between said first system component and at least one other system component if no constraints selected from the group of legal constraints, technical constraints, design constraints and geographical constraints are violated; - wherein a positive compatibility result is only determined for those of said at least one other system component that is not the same as said first system component and - returning one of a positive compatibility result and a negative compatibility result based on if said first system component is determined to be compatible with said at least one other system component in said step of determining a compatibility result between said first system component and at least one other system component in said vehicle platform.