Agile approach to accelerate product development using an MVP framework

ABSTRACT

Customers are looking for suppliers to deliver complex systems at faster rates, targeting three year cycle. This timeframe is challenging for low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) developments, increasing requirements engineering effort, leaving engineers little time and scope for innovation. Test and Evaluation (T&E) activities are often performed in Australia near the end of the process diminishing their value , compensating for a lack of modelling and simulation in early stages. Waterfall Project Management dominates where capability is hardware focused, leading to overruns and deliver capability that falls short of customer expectations in some areas. The Agile approach has been successfully used in software-focused developments. Project managers have been slow to adopt Agile for developments in areas like Defence where the safety is hardware dominant claiming the Agile process lacks necessary governance , increasing risk in the development. This paper examines the extant developmental process in a Defence context and proposes a Minimal Viable Product (MVP)-based framework using Agile to accelerate the development and mitigate risk escalation.

KEYWORDS:

• Agile
• MVP
• T&E
• product development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Boris Kazakevich

Boris Kazakevich is a Principal Engineer with over 25 years of industry experience in design and development of motion control systems for industrial and defence applications. He is currently studying Masters of Systems Engineering at ADFA, UNSW, Canberra, and conducting a research project as part of the study.

Keith Joiner

Dr Keith Joiner was an Air Force aeronautical engineer, project manager and teacher for 30 years before joining UNSW to teach and research test and evaluation. As a Director-General of Test and Evaluation he was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross and for drawdown plans in Iraq a U.S. Meritorious Service Medal. He has completed post-graduate degrees including a Master of Science in Aerospace Systems Engineering with distinction through Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, a PhD in Calculus Education and a Master of Management. In previous roles, he has been a design engineer for aircraft and missiles, a project engineering manager, a chief engineer for aircraft types, a base commander for an airfield and domestic infrastructure. He is a Certified Practising Engineer with the Institute of Engineers Australia and a Certified Practising Project Director with the Australian Institute of Project Management. He teaches master programs for systems engineering, project management and cybersecurity, and to undergraduates for aircraft design. His research involves efficient test design and analysis, governance of capabilities through life, evaluation of new artificially intelligent (AI) and cyber-resilient systems and improving learning environments and outcomes.