L09 A: Agile and Design

Question 1

Emergent approaches

Answer 1

Agile
Design thinking
Lean startup
Iterative prototype testing

Question 2

Experimentation in:
Customer centeredness in:
Iterations in:

Answer 2

Experimentation in:
- Iterative prototyping: A/B testing –> Scientific approach to test ‘what is’
- Design thinking –> Discover ‘what could be’

Customer centeredness in:
- Agile –> Generate requirements based on customer experience and customer data
- Design thinking –> Holistic understanding of users, advocating for the user

Iterations in:
- Lean startup –> Progress and improve / pivot from a previous version of the ‘minimum viable product’

• Design thinking–> Generating various alternatives and
  selecting alternatives (in early phases)

Question 3

LOGIC OF THE AGILE–STAGE GATE HYBRID

Answer 3

For radical new product innovation projects rather than incremental
− More uncertainty
− Need for quick, iterative learning

▪ Finish sprints with ‘protocepts’ (something to test with customers)

▪ Dedicated teams
− Implications for the number of specialists involved!

▪ Warning:
− Different nature of software versus hardware development projects
− Software: highly divisible (you can build ‘parts’ that work within
short sprints; hardware: not divisible)

Question 4

Potential benefits agile stage gate:

Answer 4

Potential benefits

− More responsive to changes (requirements, customer needs)
− Better team communication
− Integrates customer perspective effectively
− Addresses resourcing (e.g., staffing) directly
− Daily routines create a flow
− Reduces cycle times

Question 5

SCRUM PRINCIPLES

Answer 5

▪ Agile-scrum:
− Time-boxed sprints: Short sprints (2-4 weeks that result in potentially releasable/ working software
− Daily scrum meetings (15 min: past 24h, next 24h, problems)
− Retrospective review meetings (evaluate result per spring, goals for next)

▪ Tools:
− Sprint backlogs (list of product features to be developed in the time frame) based on Product backlog (constantly updated, prioritized list of features for the final product)
− Scrum board (visual display of the status of activities)
− Burndown charts (compares expected progress against actual progress)

▪ Roles (sometimes called differently):
− Product owner (manages stakeholders, responsible for project)
− Scrum master (responsible for project team’s daily activities)
− Development team