Scrum for engineering teams: Product Owner and Sprint Review in R&D

Definition of Hardware Agility

Hardware Agility refers to the adaptation of agile methods to physical product development projects: medical devices, embedded electronics, mechanical engineering, robotics, aerospace, automotive, IoT.

Unlike Scrum applied to software, hardware agility takes into account the specific characteristics of industry:

• Physical deliverables: proofs of concept, mock-ups, pre-series, tooling
• Cross-functional teams: mechanical, electronics, embedded software, biology, chemistry
• Regulatory constraints: ISO 9001, ISO 13485, GMP standards, DO-178, mandatory technical documentation
• Multi-site development: design offices, workshops, subcontractors, suppliers
• Iteration costs: machining, 3D printing, component orders, procurement lead times

The objective of Hardware Agility is to reduce time-to-market, improve collaboration between technical functions, and deliver products that meet customer needs whilst respecting quality and regulatory requirements.

Differences between IT Scrum and Hardware Agility

Scrum is not mandatory to be Agile in industry. Certain principles (short cycles, roles, rituals) can be useful, but their direct transposition from IT is often counter-productive. Here are the main differences:

Caution: it is a mistake to think that each hardware cycle must end with a physical object. The goal is real project progress, not mere indicators (“literature review done”, “material ordered”). Valid deliverables in non-IT agile and R&D project management include: test reports, risk assessments, technical validations, maturity levels achieved.

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SolidScrum: Scrum adapted to industry

SolidScrum is the method developed by SolidCreativity for applying Scrum to R&D and industrialisation projects. It integrates hardware-specific requirements and addresses the challenges of uncertain projects in early stages:

Adapted roles

• Industrial Scrum Master: facilitates sprints, removes obstacles related to procurement, workshops, subcontractors
• R&D Product Owner: defines product features, prioritises the backlog considering technical and regulatory constraints
• Cross-functional development team: mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, embedded software developers, quality engineers

Industrial backlog

The industrial backlog incorporates measurable objectives (not IT user stories), with physical acceptance criteria (mechanical resistance, power consumption, operating temperature, regulatory compliance). It accounts for manufacturing constraints: component ordering lead times, workshop availability, validation cycles.

Sprint Planning with physical deliverables

Sprint Planning includes a realistic assessment of the time needed to design, build and test a proof of concept. The team plans component orders, books workshops, anticipates procurement lead times. Sprints can be paced around demonstration cycles (2-4 weeks depending on product complexity).

Field-oriented retrospectives

Retrospectives identify concrete problems encountered: procurement delays, machining difficulties, failed tests, communication issues between design offices and workshops. The team implements corrective actions to improve the process.

SolidScrum training

SolidCreativity offers certified training to master SolidScrum: R&D Product Owner, Industrial Scrum Master, hardware development team. These courses include practical cases from real projects (medical devices, electronics, robotics).

Discover our SolidScrum training R&D Product Owner and Industrial Scrum Master certifications

Agile tools for complex product development

Systems engineering teams building complex systems (medical devices, aerospace, automotive, embedded electronics) need agile tools that align iterative work with engineering artefacts: specifications, traceability matrices, validation plans, regulatory files.

What we mean by “agile tools” in industry

In a hardware context, “tools” are not just software. They are a system of combined practices:

• Technical backlog: prioritisation by technical value and risk (not just business value). The R&D technical backlog integrates regulatory requirements, manufacturing constraints and subsystem dependencies, enabling sprint planning that accounts for industrial realities.
• Physical Sprint Review: prototype demonstrations, test reports, maturity assessments (TRL). During a prototype sprint review, the team presents a tangible deliverable (functional mock-up, test result, proof of concept) to stakeholders, anchoring progress in reality.
• Agile traceability: linking measurable objectives, regulatory requirements and validation deliverables. This iterative traceability ensures the certification file is built sprint by sprint, without a massive documentation phase at the end of the project.
• Visual management: Kanban adapted to procurement lead times and workshop constraints. The industrial Kanban board makes visible the blockages related to suppliers, order lead times and test equipment availability.
• Hardware continuous integration: incremental validation of subsystems (mechanical + electronics + embedded software). Hardware continuous integration means verifying subsystem compatibility at each iteration, instead of discovering interface problems at final integration.

Agile platforms for regulated product development

Products subject to strict standards (ISO 13485, DO-178, EN 9100, GMP) require an agile approach compatible with regulatory traceability. SolidScrum integrates this constraint from the start:

• Each sprint produces documentary deliverables usable for the certification file. Test reports, risk analyses and compliance evidence are generated throughout iterations, eliminating the marathon documentation phase at the end of the project.
• The backlog links features, normative requirements and compliance criteria. Each measurable objective carries its associated regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance is integrated into daily work rather than treated as a separate step.
• Sprint reviews serve as validation milestones recognised by notified bodies. By structuring reviews as quality control points, the team demonstrates regulatory progress in a continuous and auditable manner.

Result: the team works in agile mode without sacrificing compliance, and the regulatory file is built sprint by sprint instead of being assembled at the end of the project.

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Selection matrix: agile framework and traceability by sector

Field case study: agile tools on a multi-system project

On a multi-system aerospace programme (mechanical, power electronics, embedded software), integration delays were the main cost overrun factor. Teams worked in silos, each discipline delivering its subsystems independently, and interface incompatibilities were only discovered during final integration. Deploying SolidScrum relied on four levers: a shared technical backlog across disciplines with explicit dependencies, physical sprint reviews bringing systems engineers and specialists together around integrated demonstrations, agile traceability linking measurable objectives and normative requirements (EN 9100), and planned integration points at the end of each sprint. At Airbus, a similar approach reduced development costs by 10%. At ArcelorMittal, 4 pilot teams validated the model before a wider rollout. The measurable result: shorter integration cycles, early detection of interface incompatibilities, and a certification file built incrementally instead of being assembled under pressure.

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