The Stakes Are High
The agile development process began 20-years ago as a set of values and practices for creating software. Some of the core agile principles include creating numerous product iterations, continual communication between developers and customers, constant evaluation of progress and an embrace of changing requirements.
In the same way that the agile approach contributed to creating efficiencies in software development and the many other industries that borrowed its philosophy, it will assist automakers in improving testing and design. This will hasten access to the components that automakers need and enable them to bring cars with advanced technologies to market more quickly.
As agile practices drive complexity and inefficiency out of the manufacturing process, development time accelerates, and leads to cost savings.
Perhaps most importantly, agile workflows — like the name suggests —enable manufacturers to navigate sharp market fluctuations like a sleek Formula 1 race car instead of a bulky 18-wheeler.
The companies that acquire the most skill with agile processes and do it before the competition are sure to acquire competitive advantages, writes Tom Coughlin, a respected data storage analyst, in a recently published white paper. According to Coughlin, some of the reasons for that include:
- Agile-adopting manufacturers will use parts more in tune with mainstream semiconductor products.
- Because more processes occur simultaneously, the work of carmakers becomes more efficient.
- When the pace of production increases, costs fall, and profits rise.