Agile Hardware Development

Why focus on Agile Hardware development?

The usage of the Agile development within software has proven to be successful for over 25 years. The iterative character provides a big benefit in delivering the value in the shortest possible time. Though when we start developing physical products we often find ourselves struggling with this iterative character. Long leadtimes and high costs of delivering new versions of parts or modules can be a bottleneck in delivering fast and incremental value. This adds more challenge to an already a challenging Agile transformation.

Is Agile any different for Hardware development than for software development?

In it’s core it is not, the Agile mindset is applicable to both software development as to hardware development. We do see that the application of frameworks, techniques and practices used to become a Agile organization when developing a physical product. Below you see a list of some of these factors.

Typically we see that Agile Hardware development requires more attention to:

• Invest in modular architecture and design of both hardware and software
• Invest in fast integration of HW/FW/SW for early validation of the value
• Safeguard quality by translating phase gates from the V-model in a new operating model
• Explore additive manufacturing solutions to enable shorter leadtimes
• Invest in fast learning and experimenting through e.g. rapid prototyping and simulation
• Collaborate with suppliers in fast delivery of improved hardware components
• Invest in the culture change moving from traditional development towards Agile development

Agile Hardware Community

The useage of the Agile mindset within software development has proven to be succesfull for quite some time already. The iterative character provides a big benefit in delivering the value in the shortest possible time. Though when we start developing physical products we often find ourselves struggeling with this iterative character. Long leadtimes and high costs of delivering new versions of parts or modules can be a bottleneck in delivering fast and incremental value. This adds more challenge to, what we often already experience as, ‘a challenging Agile transformation’.

Because we see this challenge arizing at our customers that are creating /

designing physical products we decided to start our Agile Hardware Community. In this community we focus on all the challenges that these, often big and complex organizations, find when creating a physical product.

The goal of this community is to share knowledge and experience to promote learning together. We do so via events like roundtables, learning sessions and safari’s. The community consists out of people acting at strategic level within their organizations. An important quality of the members joining this community is that they are willing to openly share learnings and challenges with the rest of the Agile Hardware Community.