A Case Study on Implementing Agile Techniques and Practices: Rationale, Benefits, Barriers and Business Implications for Hardware Development

Agile methodologies, along with the corresponding tools and practices, are claimed to facilitate teams in managing their work more effectively and conducting their work more efficiently while fostering the highest quality product within the constraints of the budget. Therefore, the rate of awareness and adoption of Agile frameworks both within and outside the software industry has increased significantly. Yet, the latest studies show that the adoption of Agile techniques and practices are not one-size-fits-all, and highlight the challenges, risks, and limitations regarding numerous domains. In this regard, the state-of-the-art literature provides comprehensive reading. However, in the case of hardware manufacturing, it seems to be sparse and fragmented. To fill this gap, the goal of this study is to analyze and present an in-depth account of the implementation of mix agile-oriented tools and practices. To tackle this goal, a single industry case study was undertaken, based on the primary data obtained through the interview protocol and the secondary data extracted from the project’s documentation. The findings concern three areas. First, the rationale behind the implementation of agile for hardware development is explained. Second, the implemented agile techniques and practices are identified, as well as the supporting tools through which their adoption was successfully undertaken. Third, the areas positively impacted by their application are highlighted with the corresponding evaluation measures deployed; moreover, the barriers to adopting Agile practices encountered, and the benefits gained from particular techniques, are further discussed. The presented findings might be of great importance for both researchers and practitioners who are searching for empirical evidence regarding Agile-oriented implementations. Finally, in terms of both benefits and barriers, business implications for hardware development are formulated. Alongside this, numerous open issues and questions present interesting research avenues that concern, in particular, the effectiveness of collaboration and areas of communication through the lens of agile techniques and practices.