Elicitation and analysis of current approaches to adopt Agile Development methodologies for mechanical and mechatronic engineering

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conclude if it would be possible to use Agile Development methodologies with mechanical and mechatronic engineering. Agile values and practices have revolutionized the software development industry in the last decade, and therefore it was of interest to figure out if other engineering disciplines could also take profit of Agile. The research has been mainly focused on finding literature and also finding some case studies about how to adapt agile approaches to mechanic and mechatronic products. The objective was to conclude if it was possible, and in that case, which adaptations were needed to in order to fit mechanical and mechatronic engineering. The literature that has been found about the concerned issue is all based on experiences, commentaries and interviews of users, due to the lack of other available or existing sources. Specifically, most of the founded experiences are referred to hardware or mechanical development using Scrum. The results of the research indicate that it is possible for mechanical development team to use agile approaches, but they require some adaptations. Moreover, during the research some advices have been found, which might be useful for starting applying Agile with mechanical or mechatronic engineering.