Implementing SCRUM to develop a connected robot

TL;DR

This paper explores implementing SCRUM, an agile management method, in developing a connected mobile robot within an educational setting, highlighting its benefits and challenges compared to traditional management.

Contribution

It demonstrates how SCRUM can be adapted for systems engineering projects like robotics and evaluates its effectiveness in accelerating development.

Findings

SCRUM enables faster prototype development.

Agile approach improves system integration.

Challenges include adapting SCRUM to hardware projects.

Abstract

Agile methods are receiving a growing interest from industry and these approaches are nowadays well accepted and deployed in software engineering. However, some issues remain to introduce agility in systems engineering. The objective of this paper is to show an agile management implementation in an educational project consisting in developing a connected mobile robot, and to evaluate the issues and benefits of adopting an agile approach. Among the most famous agile management methods, SCRUM has been chosen to lead this experiment. This paper first presents the project and how students traditionally manage it, then it describes how Scrum could be used instead. It evaluates the difficulties and interests to introduce agility in this project, and concludes on the ability of Scrum to design, test and progressively integrate the system, thus providing an operational prototype more quickly.