Match delivery method to physical constraints without losing speed. Use hybrid patterns—sprints inside gates, digital twins, and HIL—to cut risk before tooling.
Why do many hardware teams use a hybrid of Agile inside Stage‑Gate rather than pure Agile?
physical constraints and long lead times require gates, while sprints de‑risk design between gates
pure Agile forbids any stakeholder reviews
gates are only for software security reviews
waterfall never uses reviews or sign‑offs
Digital twins and simulation help Agile hardware by ______.
guaranteeing zero field defects
replacing configuration management entirely
shifting testing left to validate behaviour before expensive prototypes
removing the need for any physical testing
Hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) test rigs enable ______.
performance marketing experiments
elimination of regression testing
only manual end‑user acceptance testing
continuous integration of firmware with electronics and mechanics in realistic loops
In a hybrid model, interface ‘freezes’ and envelope constraints exist to ______.
let teams iterate internals while preserving compatibility across modules
avoid documentation entirely
optimise for aesthetics over function
prevent any design changes after sprint 1
Over‑the‑air (OTA) capability affects development by ______.
removing the need for security reviews
eliminating supply‑chain constraints
making hardware regressions impossible
allowing safe post‑launch fixes and feature flags, which reduces the cost of some late changes
Compared with software, late design changes in hardware are costly mainly due to ______.
A/B test platform limits
scarcity of cloud compute credits
licensing fees for IDEs
tooling, lead times, and compliance testing that must be repeated
A hardware team’s Definition of Done should include ______.
DFM/DFA checks, traceability, and safety/compliance evidence for the current maturity level
only a demo video and stakeholder sign‑off
marketing launch date pencilled in
code coverage above 80% regardless of function
To maintain flow, backlogs for hardware should explicitly track ______ risks.
BOM, long‑lead components, and supplier lead‑time constraints
social‑media sentiment
SEO keywords for the launch
design team seating charts
A practical cadence alignment is to map sprints to ______.
finance quarter close dates only
press‑release milestones only
prototype build cycles (EVT/DVT/PVT) with gates at each transition
random week counts that ignore lab availability
Continuous integration for embedded systems most often relies on ______.
crowd‑testing through public betas before any lab work
emulators, simulators, and automated fixture tests tied to each commit
manual weekly bench testing only
marketing teams executing test scripts
Starter
Good start—review key concepts and try the quiz again.
Solid
On track—tighten judgement under edge cases and scenarios.
Expert!
Exceptional portfolio judgement—apply it to your toughest calls.
