Agile Hardware Development: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why

Presented by Dr. Kevin Thompson | Moderated by Krunal Patel

Agile methods have transformed software development, but applying them directly to hardware often leads to frustration. Physical products operate under different constraints: long procurement lead times, tooling investments, manufacturing considerations, expensive changes, and progressive design maturation. Yet many organizations attempt to apply Agile practices designed for software without adapting them to these realities.

Drawing on more than 100 Agile transformation engagements, including work with organizations developing complex hardware products, Dr. Kevin Thompson will explain how Agile principles can be successfully adapted for hardware development without abandoning the core values that make Agile effective. The session examines where traditional Scrum practices need to evolve, why many hardware teams struggle with frameworks designed for software, and practical techniques for managing uncertainty, integrating multiple engineering disciplines, and improving delivery predictability.

Whether you manage hardware products, embedded systems, or combined hardware and software development, you'll come away with a clearer understanding of how Agile can become an advantage rather than a source of confusion.

The session will be moderated by Krunal Patel, a Technical Program Manager in the hardware industry and one of the early practitioners and researchers in Agile hardware development.

Key Takeaways

• Why hardware is fundamentally different from software from an Agile perspective, and why "software Scrum with longer lead times" is not an effective model.
• Which Agile principles transfer directly to hardware and which practices require adaptation.
• How to structure Sprint work around engineering deliverables and uncertainty reduction rather than forcing feature increments designed for software.
• How release planning, technical stories, and progressive elaboration improve predictability while preserving Agile flexibility.
• Practical techniques for reducing late surprises, integration risk, and costly redesigns in complex engineering programs.
• How Agile can improve collaboration across mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, and quality engineering teams.

Who should attend: This session is for program managers, project managers, product owners, Scrum Masters, engineering leaders, and engineers across mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, and quality disciplines who build physical products. It applies across semiconductors, consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace and defense, medical devices, robotics, industrial equipment, telecom hardware, energy, and IoT, as well as any team developing embedded systems or combined hardware and software products.

What participants will take away: Participants will gain a capability most hardware teams do not yet have: a practical, proven way to apply Agile to physical products that improves predictability and prevents costly late surprises.

About the speaker: Dr. Kevin Thompson is Principal Consultant at Kevin Thompson Ph.D. Consulting, specializing in Agile hardware development, Scrum at scale, and Agile transformation. He has led more than 100 Agile transformation engagements, including work with organizations developing complex hardware, embedded systems, and mixed hardware and software products. Website: https://kevinthompsonphd.com/about-kevin-thompson

Kevin began his career in science. He earned a B.S. in Physics from Santa Clara University and a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University, and conducted research in astrophysics and computational fluid dynamics at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and NASA Ames Research Center. He later transitioned into software engineering and project management. As PMO Manager at StarCite, he pioneered the company's adoption of Scrum and served as Scrum Master for three concurrent engineering teams, delivering a level of visibility and predictability that helped the company ship a product that had eluded it for years.

He holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute, along with the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) certifications from the Scrum Alliance.

About the moderator: Krunal Patel is a Senior Technical Program Manager in the semiconductor industry, Director of Programs at the PMI San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, and one of the early practitioners and researchers in Agile hardware development with published work on adapting Agile methods to physical product programs.