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  • 1.  Agile in non-software environments

    Posted 06-11-2019 15:50
    I was having coffee with a friend and ex-colleague recently. He said they were trying out Agile in his organisation, in a mostly non-software arena of telecoms, where traditional waterfall models involving looooong-duration development intervals have reigned supreme for decades. And I understand that albeit The Agile Manifesto was originally about software, the theory and concept is now there that Agile is not specific to software and can be used to achieve pretty much any project. (Not that I have anything against software. Some of my best friends are software engineers. In fact I used to be one myself!)

    I'd love to hear examples from contributors who have implemented Agile Development successfully in this way that was not mostly about software? And what were the key challenges and success factors?

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    Brian Martin
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  • 2.  RE: Agile in non-software environments

    Posted 06-13-2019 09:32
    Really interesting question. I think it helps to break down any agile framework on the software side (ex: scrum) into its core elements. At the risk of over-simplification, the elements of the scrum process can be broken into (1) capacity planning, (2) rapid feedback from stakeholders, (3) emphasis on tangible working outcome/shippable product increment, (4) 'live' feature backlog influenced by stakeholder priorities and business value, (4) frequent prioritization & team buy-in, (5) post-implementation reviews, to name a few.   

    Any agile development on the hardware side should speak to these elements but take its own form. Rapid prototyping, for instance, is made possible through 3D printing technologies these days and is one of the ways in which hardware companies can get feedback on the minimum viable product from their core customer segment. 

    Additionally, the agile hardware development movement is picking up steam really fast. Check out the growing resources, communities around eXtreme Manufacturing, Agile Manufacturing.

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    Bryan Elanko
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  • 3.  RE: Agile in non-software environments

    Posted 09-10-2019 00:15
    I am researching on Agile PM for non-software products as part of my academic research. I think it is a very interesting way to deliver innovation in manufacturing and services. I am looking for professionals with experience using Agile in this environment. Your ex-colleague would be a valuable source of information for my work. Would you mind to put us in touch? You can find me in LinkedIn: Marcos Maciel Sgorla. Thanks for helping me.

    Regards,

    Marcos

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    Marcos Sgorla
    Student
    Bond University
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  • 4.  RE: Agile in non-software environments

    Posted 09-10-2019 09:02
    Hi Marcos.

    I have asked him for the connection.

    Your research sounds very interesting. Do you have any insights on it based on your research so far that you can share already?

    Regards,
    Brian