Cloud-Native Applications and Their Role in Supporting Agile Hardware Development

Abstract

Agile product development focuses on collaboration, iterative development, and responsiveness to change as a mindset and methodology for project teams. Agile has been instrumental in software development and improving overall project outcomes for software teams. Agile has recently been introduced to hardware teams, given the benefits experienced with software teams. While Agile for hardware is still in its infancy, there are many aspects of cloud-based applications (e.g., Jira, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Miro, Google Docs, etc.) that are enabling the use of Agile in hardware development. In this research, we explore how cloud-based applications support Agile development for hardware teams. We reviewed existing frameworks and interviewed nine individuals from eight different organizations. We learned that hardware teams are complex and require a high level of coordination between its team members. Cloud-based applications support Agile project teams through collaboration, speed of iteration, flexibility, and alignment. When utilizing these applications, experienced practitioners consider their organizational structure, the team's physical location, and interdependencies with other groups. While cloud-based applications provide several benefits to project teams, we suggest they adapt these tools to fit their specific needs. Future development and integration of these tools may help reduce the number of total applications used to streamline the coordination process and reduce the overhead of tools.