Viability of Scrum Elements in Mechatronic System Testing : An Exploratory Case Study at Husqvarna AB

Sammanfattning: Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary field of engineering involving components from software engineering, as well as physical components from mechanics and electronics. Development of a mechatronic system requires special interdisciplinary knowledge from multiple fields of engineering. This becomes especially relevant when a mechatronic system is integrated for full system testing, where all the components are combined, and the client-specified use-case requirements are tested. Agile project methods, originally only intended for software engineering, are spreading in the field of mechatronics with positive effect, though there are concerns that such methods cannot be broadly applied to all sub-disciplines of the field or stages of development. A major Swedish mechatronic development firm has begun experimenting with Scrum elements for the system testing department of their products. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the viability of Scrum elements for system testing of mechatronic products, through an exploratory, qualitative case study. Specifically, we wanted to understand how the use of Scrum elements can benefit mechatronic system testing, and what challenges can emerge. Data collection for our study consisted of semi-structured interviews with members of the chosen system test department, as well as with system test representatives from other mechatronic development firms. The data was transcribed and then analysed using inductive thematic content analysis. The results consisted of four distinct themes, describing the benefits and challenges of using Scrum elements in mechatronic system testing: 1: The Importance and Challenges of Planning, 2: How to Handle Task Prioritisation and Estimation, 3: The Benefits and Challenges of Inter-Departmental Collaboration, and 4: Adjustment of the Scrum Framework. The most significant benefits were found with adopting the incremental Sprint cycle structure, with corresponding Sprint Planning meetings, as well as Sprint Retrospectives. The Daily Scrum meeting was also identified as a useful impediment bulldozer, letting the team refocus efforts on the tasks requiring the most attention. An important challenge identified was learning how to effectively collaborate with other departments in the company who may not be using an Agile framework. A comparison was made between different approaches to adapting the Scrum framework to best fit the needs of your team, concluding that simply picking individual Scrum elements to include in your work structure may yield underwhelming results compared to the combined effect of a complete Scrum framework.