Agile hardware and software system engineering for innovation

Agile system engineering practices have matured for software projects while hardware system engineering continues to embrace classical development techniques. High technology projects require innovative solutions to meet the restrictions of cost and schedule and still deliver high performance critical systems. This paper addresses the application of the flexible style of agile systems engineering for dynamic, complex hardware and software projects. These projects can benefit from applying the principles of agile systems engineering as has been demonstrated in the software realm. Fundamental to the rapid development is understanding the role of innovation and momentum in agile project management and systems engineering. For post industrial age projects that require non proven concepts, large degrees of uncertainty and ambiguity and extensive non-recurring engineering, agile systems engineering allows for project development with continuous change while addressing risk. Agile systems engineering exploits the role of momentum to allow innovation in the development process while allowing risk interactions to be managed in a disciplined manner. Examples of how these concepts were used on the design and development of two small satellites at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) in the Multi-Mission Bus Demonstrator (MMBD) project. This challenging satellite build did not use existing key technology (heritage hardware) and created a large paradigm shift from traditional satellite development. Rapid design and development, a “momentum play”, was used to continuously allow change and assessment in a hardware adaptation of the SCRUM technique seen in Extreme Programming. The MMBD project demonstrates the adaptation of these agile concepts. By freezing late in the design cycle, the MMBD project was able to insert innovations throughout the program cycle. The ability to be innovative related to the speed with which the development progressed, including working quickly through all technology choices. This paper discusses agile systems engineering as applied to both software and hardware. Short of papers on embedded systems using agile systems engineering, there are too few projects demonstrating these adaptations of techniques to complex, innovative hardware projects. The Multi-Mission Bus Demonstrator is an excellent benchmark example of program management of rapid technology maturity in a high technology application. This paper demonstrates how agile systems engineering techniques can be adapted to a high technology development program and shows how project momentum was critical to separate the constant non-recurring technology challenges to be worked rapidly from the engineering risk liens requiring longer time frames to retire.