Agile Approach to Hardware Design for Reliability

Agile methods were originally developed for software, but there has been growing interest in applying these principles to hardware, along with discussions about the associated methods and challenges in hardware-centric product development. This paper presents an approach to Agile hardware development with a focus on achieving high product reliability. The approach is grounded in the author’s experience developing electronic products for harsh environments, such as those found in the automotive, defense, aerospace, and oil and gas industries. Specifically, the paper explores the application of Agile principles to reliability engineering and the process commonly known as Design for Reliability (DfR). To illustrate the concepts without loss of generality, examples are drawn from electronic controllers designed for demanding operational conditions typical of the industries mentioned.