Classification of uncertainties in agile development of mechatronic systems

Abstract

Agile methods are increasingly important for developing mechatronic systems in dynamic and volatile environments. These methods help development teams to deal with uncertainties in the development process and utilize them as opportunities. One feature of agile methods is the active involvement of developers in the flow of communication and information, which has a positive effect on the quality of decision making in terms of the development process. It is essential that the developer understands, accepts, and respects the uncertainty in the development task/process to realistically evaluate development scenarios and make well-founded decisions. Tailor-made approaches are required to deal with uncertainties in the development process, as the causes of these are manifold. This paper is based on extensive literature research, analyses of agile development processes at industrial partners and a series of studies on the agile development of physical products that have been carried out regularly for six years. The aim is to differentiate uncertainties to be able to utilize and adapt the artefacts and activities employed in agile development to deal with uncertainties more effectively.The aim is to evaluate the artefacts (e.g. increment, backlog, prototype...) and activities used in agile development in terms of their potential to illustrate and deal with existing uncertainties. It will be of particular importance here which views the individual roles in the development process (product owner, agile master, developer) have on existing uncertainties and how these are interpreted as a consequence. Conversely, it is important to derive recommendations for designing artefacts and activities in agile methods in order to support communication and information flows in the best possible way.

Keywords: Uncertainties, Agile Product Development, VUCA

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005504