Scrum Embedded Systems

Scrum Embedded Systems
- An experience report from

Orlando Scrum Gathering, March 16, 2009

Agile Coaching
- team empowerment…
Bent Myllerup
Scrum Coach, Agile Trainer and Software Development Manager

Myllerup Consult, Hasseltoften 11, 8361 Hasselager, DENMARK  +45 2834 9084,  info@myllerup.dk

Presentation outline

• The background for implementing Scrum at
TC Electronic (TCE)

• The challenges in combining embedded
software development and Scrum

• How we responded to the challenges

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• Challenges we see today and our next steps


Myllerup Consult
My background

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• Established in 1976 by John and Kim Rishøj, making
quality guitar effects pedals
• Market leader in professional signal processing
– approximately 80% of all broadcasted music has at some
point been processed by TC equipment
• Customers include performers/musicians, broadcast,
studios, live and installations
• Key technologies include in particular digital effects and
other signal processing

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• Part of the TC Group with total of 420 people having a
turnover of approx USD 100 mill

– Each company within the Group focus on a specific market
segment

World Locations

Lab.gruppen
TC Applied
Technologies
TC Helicon Tannoy TC Electronic
TCG Americas
TCG Americas TC Japan
TC China
Tannoy Dubai
Tannoy India

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How TC Group discovered Scrum

• We had a burning platform in non-performing device
drivers for our product line of audio interfaces
– Engineers were distributed across the world (India, Canada and
Denmark) with lack of prioritization, direction and communication
• Temporary collocation and Scrum made the difference and
showed by example that Scrum actually works
• Executives now see Scrum as a major key to success and
“surviving” the financial crisis
• Engineers are still distributed across the world, but the

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use of scrum makes the difference

– We have actually added an additional location: California

The organizational environment at TCE
• The product development department in TCE is divided
into three business areas, who are responsible for their
own product portfolio
• The monthly Steering Group Meeting the whole team meet
with management to discuss “state of the nation” and
decide on approaches and actions

Steering Group = Management

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HD Guitar Fx Instrument
Recording Amp


Looking at the team in a Business Area

SW eng

HW eng
Tester

PO SM

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Beta Test BM

ICT eng Sourcing Marketing Writer
Mechanics Procurement

Why did we split the PO role?

• The coordinating with procurement calls for traditional
project management skills for the PO

• The market calls for musician like attitude of the PO

• We have found it hard find persons who possesses both
skills

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PO
BM

The Product Lifecycle at TC Electronic

Scrum

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Vision Backlog Sprints


Hardware development cycles

Additional print spin

Schematic, Build prototypes,
Mechanical drawings, Layout and verification,
Mockup tests and 100% BOM EMC and safety
95% BOM tests

Sourcing PCB,
Sourcing critical
production and Beta test
components
transport

Legend

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Team
In-circuit test
equipment

External

Possible corrective
Pre-production Verification of Mass production
actions after beta Launch
and transport pre-production and transport
test

Benefits of having the hardware developers
on the team as well
• Mutual commitment towards a common goal
– Delivery of the embedded product

• Synergy between hardware and software in design and
problem solving
– Making the right solution at the right place and at the right price

• Improved quality

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– No “them and us” mentality
– Quality assurance and test on the whole product

• Scalability
– Hardware and software engineers help each other (e.g. building
prototypes and do diverse tests)

Challenges in applying Scrum in embedded
projects at TC Electronic
• When the cross functional team includes hardware
engineers, the whole team experiences constraints to
external resources:
– Producers of prototypes (printed circuit boards and
mechanical prototypes)
– The production plant (in circuit test equipment, sourcing of
components, preproduction)
– Safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) certified test
centers

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• You can use nightly builds and tests, but have to test on
the target in order to be certain that things actually work!

• Automatically verification of digital processed audio is a
science in itself

How we responded to the challenges

• Intensive coaching and teambuilding
• The idle time when awaiting prototypes to be produced
makes especially the hardware developers players in
several projects in parallel
– Instead of having team members defocused on several projects, we
made the team responsible for the portfolio plan – one prioritized
sprint backlog for several projects
• Product backlog
– We love user stories, but found a need for adding technical,

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production and approval related backlog items as well
– For each backlog item we specifies an accept or DONE criteria

• We implemented a setup of several build servers
connected to our code repository
– Mac Based
– Windows Based
– Embedded (AVR)

Handling requirements and monitoring
progress in a multi-product BA

Common Sprint Backlog
Product A
Increment
Product A Backlog

Product B Backlog

Product C Backlog

Product B
Increment

Product C
Increment

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Business Manager • Is responsible for initiating the product development
and the project/product profitability

The Scrum Process
• Defines user related features and their business value

Product Owner
in the Product Backlog
• Can change user related features and their business
values at every sprint planning meeting
• Accepts or rejects work results with respect to user

at TC Electronic
related features
Program Manager • Is responsible for portfolio and project planning
• Is responsible for the project budget (expenses,
deliveries and time schedule)
• Initiates and maintains Product Backlog, and prioritizes
features according to business values
• Facilitates making an absolute prioritization between
features from various projects

ScrumMaster • Ensures that the team is fully functional and productive
• Enables close cooperation across all roles and functions
and removes barriers
• Shields the team from external interferences
Daily Scrum: • Ensures that the process is followed.
• What have you done since last meeting? • Invites to daily scrum, sprint review and sprint planning
• What do you intend to do until next
Team • Cross-functional, seven plus/minus two members
meeting?
24 hours
• What is in your way? • Selects the iteration goal and specifies work results
• Has the right to do everything within the boundaries of
Prior to the meeting: the project guidelines to reach the iteration goal
• Estimate remaining work
• Organizes itself and its work
• Demos work results to the Business Manager and
After the meeting:
Program Manager
• Re-planning if off schedule

Sprint Review:
• Demonstration of DONE functionality
• Acceptance
• Figuring out what is best to do next
Sprint Backlog:
• Desired functionality selected by Business
2 to 4 weeks
Manager and Program Manager
Sprint Plan:
• Remember the bucket of water approach:
∑Size and complexity <= Team velocity • Defined by the Team
Product delivery
• Task size <= 2 days
• Potentially ready for use

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Sprint Planning:
• Business Manager, Program Manager and Team discuss desired functionality
Sprint Retrospective:
• Team defines necessary tasks in order to develop functionality
• Team defines sprint goals and commit to deliver • Team takes pride in what it has
• User Stories are discussed (first half) and broken into tasks (second half) accomplished
• What went well?
• What can be improved?
Product Backlog: • Define concrete actions for next sprint
• Assess team velocity
• Described in User Stories with acceptance criteria’s. Story size <= half a sprint
• Prioritized by the Program Manager and Business Manager
• Maintained by the Program Manager
• Estimated by the team (Planning Poker)
• Anyone can contribute

Testing…

• Unit test
– Hard to implement on legacy code
– We start new projects with a TDD approach
• System test
– We are incorporating SeqZap from Sequanto in order to perform
automated test on target
• Beta test
– We have a corps of beta testers who test products in action before
product launch.

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• Most of TCE employees are musicians and users them

selves
– enforcing high responsibility and awareness of quality

Automated test on embedded platforms

• We are using SeqZap from Sequanto
for script based automated test on
target

• We are planning to incorporate it into MIDI
our nightly build and test
Control/Logic verification

ASIO
environment Digital audio verification

• SeqZap is easy to use and expand

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with customized modules and

interfaces

Verdict Report

Changing the mindset

From: “This simply isn’t possible in a hardware environment”

To: “We couldn’t have made this great product with out it”

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Breaking down boundaries with coaching
and teambuilding
• Scrum is more than just roles and rituals
– So in order to be successful, you must foster high performance
teams
• We did (and are still doing) a lot of intensive coaching and
teambuilding. Some examples are:
– Team awareness exercises
– Ability spotting
– Team coaching after principles taken from Appreciative Inquiry
– Conflict resolution

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– Individual coaching of key players
• The above is based on my experience as a Systemic

Coach

The theory behind it
Tuckman combined with Katzenbach and Smith:
Forming Storming Norming Performing

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Another theory behind it

Direction

”Manager” ”Coach”
Scope Latitude
Top down
At eye level

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Relations

Ability spotting

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Appreciative team coaching

Phase 1: Definition
Define what needs to
Phase 5: Deliver
be explored and
Plan how to
developed on
implement and
maintain the
changes

Phase 2: Discover
Focus on best practice.
How and when does it
Phase 4: Design
work in the team.
Define concrete

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goals

Phase 3: Dreaming
Create a shared image
of how it should be in
the future – what
would we like to
achieve?

What we have gained through coaching and
teambuilding
• A shorter path to performing teams

• Hardware developers have bought into using Scrum as the
development process
– And they actually like it

• Individual minded team members have broken down the
mental walls they have been hiding behind

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• Improved communication in the team

– It’s okay to ask for and offer help
– It’s okay to say “NO!”
– There is a positive and appreciative attitude

Also: Use the Scrum rituals to foster team
identity
• Planning

• Daily Scrum

• Sprint Review

• Sprint retrospective

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Sprint reviews

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Next steps

• Implement Test Driven Development

• Enlarge the team with Procurement and ICT Engineer

• Think Lean in the whole organization

• ...

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Thank you for your attention

www.agilecoaching.dk

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