# Kevin Thompson > Kevin Thompson Ph.D. provides expert agile consulting, training, and research for hardware development teams. Specializing in Scrum, Kanban, and Lean methodologies applied to complex hardware and software engineering environments. ## Pages - [Home](https://kevinthompsonphd.com): Agile hardware development consulting and training by Dr. Kevin Thompson - [About Kevin Thompson](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/about-kevin-thompson): Biography, credentials, and expertise of Dr. Kevin Thompson Ph.D. - [Agile Consulting Services](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-consulting-services): Hands-on agile coaching and consulting for hardware teams - [Agile Training Classes](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes): Certified agile training courses for hardware engineers - [Resource Library](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations): White papers, case studies, conference presentations, and books on agile hardware development — each resource has its own page with a summary and a link to the full document - [Blog](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog): Articles and insights on agile methodologies for hardware - [Podcasts & Webinars](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/podcasts-webinars): Recorded podcast appearances and webinar sessions - [FAQ](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/faq): Direct answers to common questions — can Scrum be used for hardware development, how hardware teams estimate work and manage dependencies, what Agile Release Planning is, and how hardware Product Owners work - [Contact](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/contact-us): Get in touch with Kevin Thompson ## Training Classes - [Agile Overview for Executives and Managers](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/agile-overview-for-executives-and-managers): Understand new roles and responsibilities in an Agile world. - [Agile Software Development with Scrum](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/agile-software-development-with-scrum-training): Practical details of the Scrum process framework, as applied to the development of software products. - [Agile Hardware Development with Scrum](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/agile-hardware-development-with-scrum): Practical details of the Scrum process framework, as applied to the development of hardware products. - [Agile Work Management with Kanban](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/agile-work-management-with-kanban): Ideal for groups dealing with rapidly-changing priorities and repeatable workflows. - [Agile Program Management](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/agile-program-management): Organize a large-scale Agile development process for multiple Scrum Teams. - [Agile Portfolio Management](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/agile-portfolio-management): Practical techniques for the effective management of Portfolios of business initiatives. - [Advanced Product Owner](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-training-classes/advanced-product-owner): In-depth training in the complete set of skills Product Owners require to refine a high-level product concept. ## Resource Library - [Executive Briefing: Modernizing Hardware Product Development](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/executive-briefing-modernizing-hardware-product-development) [Presentations · Hardware-Oriented Presentations]: Hardware development is not “software development with longer lead times.” This executive briefing explores Agile approaches adapted specifically for complex hardware-development environments. - [Common Pathologies in Hardware Product Development: And What to Do About Them](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/common-pathologies-in-hardware-product-development-and-what-to-do-about-them) [White Papers · Hardware Product Development]: Hardware product development is subject to recurring problems that increase cost, schedule risk, and difficulty adapting as development progresses. This paper examines these pathologies and shows how an appropriately adapted Agile development system can help address them. - [Eleven Lessons Learned about Agile Hardware Development](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/eleven-lessons-learned-about-agile-hardware-development) [Case Studies · Hardware-Oriented Engagements]: Thermo Fisher Scientific makes biotechnology equipment and supplies. This case study of an Agile transformation for the company shows lessons learned from my first Agile hardware engagement. The lessons aligned surprisingly well with the predictions of my white paper, Agile Processes for Hardware Development. - [AgileVox Scrum for Hardware](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/agilevox-scrum-for-hardware) [Case Studies · Hardware-Oriented Engagements]: This case study of the Thermo Fisher transformation was written up by and appeared in AgileVox magazine, a Scrum Alliance publication. It overlaps with the above case study but provides more perspectives from the participants in the transformation. - [Plantronics Case Study](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/plantronics-case-study) [Case Studies · Hardware-Oriented Engagements]: Plantronics has a lengthy pedigree in making audio headsets of all kinds. The Plantronics case study highlights the issues and successes of an Agile hardware process applied to a Research and Development organization. - [Bird Technologies Case Study](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/bird-technologies-case-study) [Case Studies · Hardware-Oriented Engagements]: Bird Technologies makes radio-frequency communications products and test equipment. I developed this case study because the Agile Alliance wanted me to deliver a presentation about the transformation work I did for Bird at an Agile Alliance conference. It highlights the challenges and successes of Bird’s Agile hardware transformation. - [A Real Release-Planning Experience](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/a-real-release-planning-experience) [Case Studies · Software-Oriented Engagements]: This case study of Accela shows the fine details of their first Release Planning experience. It makes a good reference for any team or company that is about to have their first such experience. - [Agilent Case Study](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/agilent-case-study) [Case Studies · Software-Oriented Engagements]: This was a large Agile transformation, involving 14 teams spread across three continents. The case study documents the before and after states and describes basic elements of the transformation. - [Agile Processes for Hardware Development](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/agile-processes-for-hardware-development) [White Papers · Methodology]: This is the foundational publication on how to develop hardware products using an Agile process. It reflects 18 months of my original research into the relevant issues and has been the basis for my subsequent work in the field. - [Agile Development for Medical Products](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/agile-development-for-medical-products) [White Papers · Regulation]: The development of medical products is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, whose regulations permeate all aspects of development. In spite of some beliefs to the contrary, FDA rules and Agile development can coexist without any difficulty. This paper addresses common issues with FDA regulation, especially around requirements management and traceability of test cases. - [Agile, Scrum, and “Hitting the Date”](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/agile-scrum-and-hitting-the-date) [White Papers · Methodology]: This paper examines some misconceptions around the inability to hit dates in product development with Scrum and clarifies that Scrum is actually a very date-oriented process. - [The Price of Uncertainty](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/the-price-of-uncertainty) [White Papers · Analysis]: This paper conducts an analysis of two projects, both intended to produce the same Business Intelligence and Reporting system. One uses the classic Waterfall method, while the other uses an Agile process. The two projects are stress-tested with unforeseen challenges and delays, and the results are analyzed to show the differences in outcomes for the two projects. The Agile project emerges as the clear winner when uncertainty is high. - [The Agile PMO](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/the-agile-pmo) [White Papers · Management]: Project, Program, and Project-Portfolio Management Organizations need to evolve from their classic roots in order to accommodate Agile processes. This paper analyzes the impacts of Agile processes on PMOs, PgMOs, and PPMOs. It reveals a surprising discovery, namely that the impact decreases as one moves from the PMO, through the PgMO, to the PPMO, because the PPMO is found to have a substantial “Agile flavor” from the beginning. - [Recipes for Agile Governance in the Enterprise (RAGE)](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/recipes-for-agile-governance-in-the-enterprise-rage) [White Papers · Governance]: The purpose of this lengthy white paper was to develop scaling concepts for the Agile world. It pioneered Agile versions of Program and Portfolio management. The basis for the entire paper is a definition for governance that I devised for it, namely, “Governance is the formalization and exercise of repeatable decision-making practices.” Much of the content for this paper was folded into the Sage book. - [The Agile Hardware Research Project](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/the-agile-hardware-research-project) [Presentations · Hardware-Oriented Presentations]: This presentation lays out the findings from my original research into the nature of Agile hardware development. It provided the foundation for all subsequent work I have done in this area. - [Agile for Hardware: A Briefing to Gartner, Inc.](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/agile-for-hardware-a-briefing-to-gartner-inc) [Presentations · Hardware-Oriented Presentations]: Gartner is a highly respected research and advisory company focusing on business and technology topics. This briefing that I delivered to Gartner expresses the basic drivers and challenges of implementing hardware products with Agile processes. - [Scrum for Hardware Conference Keynote](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-hardware-papers-and-presentations/scrum-for-hardware-conference-keynote) [Presentations · Hardware-Oriented Presentations]: The Scrum4HW conference was held under the auspices of the Scrum Alliance, to explore the possibility of using Scrum for hardware development. I was contacted and asked to deliver a keynote presentation due to the article in AgileVox magazine about my introduction of Scrum for hardware development at Thermo Fisher Scientific. This presentation is the one that I delivered to the conference. ## Blog Posts - [Thermo Fisher Scientific: Conclusion - Did Scrum Work?](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-conclusion-did-scrum-work): The most important lesson from Thermo Fisher Scientific was not that hardware development differs from software development. We already knew that. The important lesson was that Scrum can work remarkably well in a hardware environment once those differences are acknowledged and accommodated. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 12](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-12): Lesson #12: In hardware development, cross-functional teams and swarming are often competing objectives. When forced to choose, organizations should favor cross-functional product teams over discipline-based teams designed to maximize swarming. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 11](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-11): Lesson #11: Hardware Sprint Planning must account for both team capacity and individual capacity. A Sprint is feasible only if neither the team nor any individual specialist is overloaded. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 10](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-10): Lesson #10: When work is estimated in Person-Days, Velocity should also be measured and forecast in Person-Days. The most effective forecasting technique is a resource model that accounts for the actual availability of team members during the Sprint. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 9](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-9): Lesson #9: Story Points depend on a shared understanding of the work being estimated. Because hardware teams are often composed of highly specialized experts, effort-based estimates such as Person-Days frequently provide a more practical alternative. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 8](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-8): Lesson #8: Hardware organizations generally do not have a direct equivalent to the software Quality Assurance specialist who independently tests most Story deliverables. In many cases, the engineer who creates the deliverable is also the person best qualified to test it. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 7](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-7): Lesson #7: In hardware development, Product Owners often write only a minority of the Stories. Story-writing responsibility is distributed much more evenly across the Product - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 6](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-6): Lesson #6: Hardware teams may initially struggle with Story writing because they tend to express non-functional requirements where Scrum expects Stories to describe deliverables. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 5](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-5): Lesson #5: User Stories play a much smaller role in hardware development than they do in software development. Technical Stories become the dominant mechanism for describing Sprint-level work. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 4](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-4): Lesson #4: Hardware products accrete components, not functionality. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 3](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-lesson-3): Lesson #3: Scope decomposition for hardware products is typically driven by components and subsystems. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 2](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-2): Lesson #2: In hardware development, Release planning is essential. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific Lesson 1](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-lesson-1): Lesson #1: In hardware development, the Product Owner is often a team member. - [Thermo Fisher Scientific: Introduction](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/thermo-fisher-scientific-introduction): Introduction to the Thermo Fisher Scientific engagement. - [Scrum Teams, Swarming, and Hardware](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/scrum-teams-swarming-and-hardware): Swarming and Cross-Functional Teams are two of the most important concepts in the adoption of Scrum for software-development work. They play out very differently in the worlds of software and hardware development. - [How Hardware and Software Engineers Differ](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/how-hardware-and-software-engineers-differ): Hardware and software engineers are similar in that they both make things. It is obvious that they employ different skills in their work. What is not so obvious is the implications of the differences in their skills when it comes to collaboration within teams. - [Embedded Software](https://kevinthompsonphd.com/agile-insights-blog/embedded-software): From an Agile perspective, the development of embedded software is not difficult, provided proper team definitions exist. This post addresses collaboration and cross-team dynamics to identify the optimum strategy for embedded software development.