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Aug 21, 2024

Embracing Agile in Hardware Development: Driving Innovation and Improving Adaptability

As industries face growing complexities, rising costs, and increasing customer demands, adopting Agile principles in hardware development is becoming not just feasible but essential for fostering innovation and reducing the cost of change.

The Traditional Challenges are there to stay

Imagine a world where hardware products take years to develop, with long cycles of planning, design, and manufacturing. This often results in missed market opportunities, escalating costs, and high risks. The inflexibility of traditional hardware development methodologies has long been a bottleneck. For instance, companies face the challenge of reducing time-to-market, where every delay can mean a significant competitive disadvantage. Unpredictable costs and rising product complexities add further strain, making it difficult to maintain quality and oversight throughout the development process.

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Can Agile be a Solution?

Agile—a methodology that revolutionizes how we approach product development. Unlike the rigid phases of traditional methods, Agile introduces flexibility, iterative processes, and rapid feedback loops. This transformation is akin to shifting from a lumbering ship to a fleet of nimble speedboats, capable of quickly changing direction and adapting to new conditions.

While companies like Tesla exemplify the rapid, iterative approach of Agile in hardware, the goal isn't necessarily to emulate Tesla's exact methods. Instead, it's about learning what works best and enhancing our ability to innovate and reduce the costs and risks associated with change. Agile enables us to bring new, innovative products to market more efficiently, meeting the demands of today's fast-paced environment and increasing number of constraints.

What Benefits can Agile bring?

The benefits of Agile in hardware are manifold. By enabling faster and more flexible responses to market changes, Agile helps teams break down the development process into smaller, manageable increments. This not only reduces risks but also fosters an environment of continuous learning and improvement, as well as continuous clarification of the customer need.

Take the example of Saab Aeronautics and their development of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet. By using Scrum teams, Saab accelerated learning and delivery, ensuring their jets are adaptable and high-quality. Similarly, Bosch applied Agile principles to develop an anti-collision device for freight trains in one-week sprints, involving customers in every review. This approach allowed for rapid prototyping and iterative improvements, significantly enhancing the product’s performance and reliability.

What changes in the product development when we introduce Agile?

Modular Design: Philips Healthcare

Philips Healthcare, a leader in medical devices, has embraced Agile through modular design. By breaking down complex products into smaller, independent modules, Philips can develop and test each module separately before integrating them into the final product. This approach not only speeds up development but also ensures higher quality and easier maintenance. Each module undergoes rigorous testing and feedback loops, allowing the company to quickly identify and address issues, thereby reducing the overall risk.

Concurrent Engineering: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin’s approach to the F-35 fighter jet exemplifies concurrent engineering. In this method, multiple engineering disciplines work simultaneously on different aspects of the product. For the F-35, this meant integrating software, hardware, and mechanical components in parallel, rather than sequentially. This strategy significantly reduced the time-to-market and improved the integration of complex systems, ensuring that each component worked seamlessly with the others from the outset

Frequent Prototyping: Bosch

Bosch’s iterative field finder development for anti-collision devices in freight trains is a shining example of frequent prototyping. Bosch developed the device in one-week sprints, with customer involvement at every stage. The initial prototype was a commercial off-the-shelf product used to gather data, followed by a series of iterations that included DIY enclosures, different sensors, and software adjustments. Each sprint produced a functional prototype that was tested and refined based on customer feedback, leading to a final design that was ready for industrialization within a remarkably short time frame

Cross-Functional Teams: Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars employs cross-functional teams to develop and integrate new features using the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Engineers from various disciplines—software, mechanical, and electrical—work together in stable teams to deliver integrated, high-quality outcomes. This collaborative approach not only enhances innovation but also reduces the handover delays typical in traditional development processes. By maintaining long-term team stability, Volvo ensures that team members develop deep expertise and strong working relationships, further boosting productivity and quality

What do we think the future has in store

The path forward for Agile in hardware development is paved with real-world success stories and a clear understanding of the strategies that make it work. By embracing modular design, concurrent engineering, frequent prototyping, and cross-functional teams, companies can overcome traditional challenges and achieve unprecedented levels of innovation and efficiency.

This article is provided by

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Marina Voropaeva

SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC)
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Written by Marina Voropaeva, SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC)