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Scrum for Hardware

Scrum inventor Jeff Sutherland and WikiSpeed founder Joe Justice discuss eXtreme Manufacturing and how you can implement test-driven hardware development using the Scrum framework. Learn how WIKISPEED invented a new manufacturing process that can shorten time-to-market, reduce labor costs and spur innovation.

Estimated time for this course: 90 minutes
Audience: Beginner
Suggested Prerequisites: Scrum Framework, Lean, eXtreme Programming

Upon completion you will:

  • Be able to define Scrum for Hardware
  • Understand the 3 underpinnings of Scrum for Hardware
  • Understand Component parts of a Scrum Organization
  • Understand the basic principles of XP Engineering that are used in Scrum for Hardware
  • How object-oriented architecture (OOA) is leveraged in Scrum for Hardware
  • Be able to articulate the benefits of XM
  • Have a basic understanding of how to improve your development process
  • Qualify for PMI PDUs. See FAQ for details
eXtreme Manufacturing Overview:

The term eXtreme Manufacturing (XM) was coined by Team WIKISPEED, a non-profit car manufacturer, to describe how it manufactures automobiles combining the Scrum framework, Object-Oriented architecture and eXtreme Programming (XP). Blending these three practices, WIKISPEED invented a new manufacturing process that can shorten time-to-market, reduce labor costs and spur innovation. eXtreme Manufacturing borrows the basic Agile principles from Scrum. First and foremost, it leverages small, cross-functional Teams, which have a Product Owner and Scrum Master. XM is structured around Sprints to help develop functionality in vertical slices that build overtime. Like Scrum, XM makes development transparent through tools like a Scrum board and a product backlog. It also borrows the concept of tracking process improvements by using Velocity. And, most importantly, it relies on the Lean concept of continuous improvement by employing Sprint Retrospectives and the Happiness Metric. Scrum provides the basic structure for XM.

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Read more on XP
eXtreme Programming (XP) Scrum has adopted many best practices from XP and so does XM. Writing Product Backlog Items in User Story form helps develop products from an end-user perspective.

XM also borrows pairing from XP: two people work together on every job. This allows a small team to swarm on a particular task, while cross-training employees and building quality control into the manufacturing process. Pairing also reduces dependency on different skill sets.

XM uses Test Driven Development, or TDD, to dramatically speed up time-to-market and lower development costs. Team WIKISPEED for example used real-time crash test data to build a computer program that simulates an actual crash test. They were able to save millions of dollars in crash tests by simulating them each Sprint. After a number of Sprints accumulating data, WIKISPEED pays for another physical test. The new information is then used to up-date the computer simulation. This lowers material costs since WIKISPEED doesn’t have to destroy a car each time they want to test it and it reduces production costs because crash tests are expensive.

Read more on OOA
Object Oriented Architecture: Modularity allows for innovative design while building on iterative development. For example, Team WIKISPEED uses modularity for all its components. That allows the team to re-design the suspension system, speedometer or car body at any point and not have to tweak the chassis or dashboard to make the improved components fit. Modularity prevents engineering challenges from rippling through the entire design process. It also allows the team to swarm on the most important improvement without affecting the rest of the car.
Contract First Design: by architecting the materials and their interfaces first, Scrum for Hardware allows the Team to build toward acceptance tests, keeping design simple while allowing rapid iterations without affecting other modules.  Scrum for Hardware leverages Design Patterns in two ways: 1) by re-using mature designs with a proven track record and 2) by reducing complexity. By keeping the same interfaces between all the modules, the team can increase or reduce complexity in any given module without affecting another.
Inheritance is the idea of benefiting from established techniques and technology. WIKISPEED, in its quest to achieve 100mpg didn’t invent a new highbred engine; they used a very established, efficient engine (40mpg) and then reduced weight and aerodynamic drag to cut fuel consumption in half (80mpg.) Just by using less weight, a sleeker design and piggybacking on an established engine they achieved 80% of their goal. To get the remaining 20% they re-tooled some of the engine’s software to get the car to pulse-and-glide. Pulse-and-glide is a hyper-efficient driving technique that increases fuel efficiency. WIKISPEED just automated what is essentially a manual process. No fancy new engine, just good old fashion engineering.

Patterns
Happiness Metric
Scrumming the Scrum

Patterns are available on the Scrum PLop Google Site: The Scrum Pattern Language of Programing : The PLoP movement codifies well know Agile practices that have been successfully implemented many times.

Why Scrum is the Best Way to Create AI
Scrum operates best in complex environments where small changes to the system can create surprising and unknown behaviors. Just such environments are at the heart of any machine learning project. Watch this video featuring Scrum Inc.'s Joe Justice and Alex Sutherland as they discuss the benefits of Scrum and AI.

Build Party
Scrum Inc. offers XM Build Parties for corporations and events. Participants build a car from the ground up in 60-minute Sprints. Guided by professional coaches, it’s an inspirational experience that leaves participants confident about conquering their work using Scrum. Because attendees apply the Scrum framework and eXteme Manufacturing to solve complex problems, build parties are a terrific way to win buy-in about agile practices.

 

 

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