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An Intro to Modied Agile for Hardware Development
The MAHD Framework - An Introducon
The MAHD Framework uses the principles of Agile to develop physical products in less time, with
reduced risk and with higher customer satisfaction. Many companies have attempted applying
Agile for SW methods directly to physical products with mixed results. Teams often struggle
since current Agile steps, techniques and even language were not optimized for hardware
development. A modied Agile approach can leverage the power of Agile, while addressing the
unique needs of hardware development.
As shown in the framework on the following page, MAHD has many elements of Agile that may
be familiar to you. Developers start with user stories, a backlog is kept to prioritize tasks, and it
includes iterative development cycles. But there are also key dierences. A summary of these
include:
THE MAHD ON-RAMP
One of the basic principles of Agile is to develop very little formal documentation to keep
the team focused on the most valuable activities. This is true of Agile for hardware methods
also, but the nature of physical products requires additional upfront planning steps and often
more documentation.
ITERATIONS AND SPRINTS
Just as with Agile for SW methods, the MAHD Framework has at its core the concept of short
development and learning cycles. But as the model below shows, the MAHD Framework
includes two levels of cycles that must be considered to accommodate the needs of hardware
development.
TEAMS AND DECIDERS
Another foundation of Agile is the use of small autonomous teams led by product owners
and "Scrum masters" with as little governance as possible. Again, this is similar for hardware,
but the teams, project leaders and deciders often have dierent roles, titles and focus.
In the following sections, we describe the core of the MAHD Framework focusing on a single
project. As you extend MAHD to more products and larger systems, MAHD can also scale to any
level of complexity as summarized in the nal section. To explore an interactive model of the
Complete MAHD Framework, visit: www.mahdframework.com
For those familiar with Agile for SW methods, page 16 has a comparison of the MAHD Framework
versus Scrum, the most commonly used Agile for SW methodology.
INTRO TO MAHD
SIMILAR TO AGILE FOR SW METHODS, BUT WITH CRITICAL DIFFERENCES
