In this „Agile for Hardware Development – how to tackle“ post, Ken will discuss how hardware developers can apply agile methodologies (e.g. Scrum) and principles to their work. Agile is a great way for hardware developers to manage product development, because it allows them to track progress at any given time while also giving them visibility into what has changed since the last time they saw something similar done before (which may not always be possible in hardware development). Ken also wants to know how to adapt agile budgeting methods to better apply them to hardware development.
What to consider, if you use Agile for Hardware Development?
Ken, developer at ReG Inc. invited Joe Justice, founder of Wikispeed. Ken want to understand if and how Agile for hardware development could go together. The first key learning here is that hardware is easier to change 👩🏻🔧 👨🏻🔧 than you might think. Companies like Tesla 🚗 change or update their hardware several times a day. What is also important is to have a proper CI/CD chain ⛓ to ensure that hardware is tested in every sprint.
Budgeting in an agile environment
Ken also asked Joe how hardware development and Scrum could fit together. Joe’s answers were quite surprising. Besides the fact that you need a good CI/CD chain ⛓, you should also think about your budgeting 💰 cycles. If you want to adapt quickly, you need to shift your budgets faster and more frequently.
Testing and Test Management
Testing and test management are very important in hardware development. Ken wasn’t sure if and how to go about it. He had a good conversation with Joe Justice, who explained that you do indeed need to test. It is very necessary to have a proper CI/CD chain to cover everything with test automation. This may sound obvious, but testing all the hardware is crucial. Without testing the hardware, the customer may not be able to provide feedback on the product because they will not be able to use the hardware properly.
