By

Olivia Hildebrand

Date

21-11-2024

Tags

#General #Hardware #Agile

Introduction

Agile methodologies have long been synonymous with software development, thriving on iterative cycles, rapid customer feedback, and quick adaptations. Traditionally seen as rigid and sequential, hardware development has evolved as companies adopt new methods to address market demands for faster innovation. This article explores how agile principles are effectively adapted to hardware development, breaking down misconceptions and providing examples of hardware’s agile potential.

1. Understanding the Basics of Agile: Software vs. Hardware

• Agile in Software: Agile software development is known for its iterative sprints, where teams release new versions frequently, respond to customer feedback, and continuously improve. With code as the core asset, software teams can quickly adjust functionalities, fix bugs, and release updates.
• Challenges in Hardware: Hardware development traditionally follows a “waterfall” model, a step-by-step approach where each phase must be completed before the next begins. This is mainly because of the physical limitations and high costs of materials, tooling, and assembly processes. Changes can be time-consuming and expensive once a product design moves into the manufacturing phase, making rapid adjustments less feasible.
• How Hardware Became Agile: Recent advancements in rapid prototyping, digital simulation, and embedded software offer new ways to create a more agile approach to hardware. Agility means using the tools and methodologies to create modular designs, digital simulations, and closer collaboration between hardware and software teams.

💡Actionable Tip: Introduce modularity into your hardware designs. Start by identifying components that can be developed, tested, and replaced independently. Creating products based on a platform can also help you reduce costs as you’ll leverage a component across different product lines.

2. Key Differences and Challenges of Agile Hardware Development

• Iteration Constraints: Unlike code, physical components cannot be rewritten or redeployed. Hardware development must factor in the costs of retooling and re-manufacturing. However, tools like CAD software, digital twins, and 3D printing allow product managers, designers, and engineers to test multiple iterations virtually or in small-scale prototypes before committing to an entire production run.
• Longer Feedback Loops: Because hardware often requires field testing or compliance certification, feedback loops can be weeks or months long. Agile hardware development requires adapting these feedback loops to be more flexible and strategically placed at different stages, early in prototyping, mid-production, and after field testing. This allows teams to integrate improvements over time. In hardware, there are three key testing phases before starting mass production: engineering validation testing (EVT), design validation testing ( DVT), and production validation testing (PVT). Testing is not a final checkpoint before a product’s release; instead, it is a series of strategic phases that ensure a product’s functionality, reliability, and readiness for mass production.
• Resource Intensity: Hardware relies on physical resources that software doesn’t, such as materials, manufacturing tools, and supply chain logistics. Agility in hardware teams can mitigate these costs by adopting “design for assembly” practices and modular designs, as well as focusing on reusability for specific components or materials to lower iteration costs and lead times.

💡Actionable Tip: Shorten feedback loops by integrating early testing phases such as Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) with digital simulations or Design Validation Testing (DVT) with physical prototypes even dummy ones made of cardboard.

3. Emerging Solutions Example: Modified Agile for Hardware Development (MAHD)

• What is MAHD? The Modified Agile for Hardware Development (MAHD) framework tailors agile principles to hardware. Rather than focusing solely on coding iterations, MAHD incorporates key elements unique to hardware, such as concurrent engineering, digital simulations, and prototyping. The core idea is to speed up and integrate each stage, enabling feedback without full-scale production at each iteration.