Agile Coaching – human-centered process technology for future automobile production (Global Automobile Manufacturer, 2018)
Coaching of a team in agile development of solutions which enable workers through intuitively operable technology to configure flexible and mobile production lines for a variety of products within a few days
The challenge
Visionary target: enable workers to configure the fabrication of new products in automotive within a few days instead of several months
Team developing and protoyping integrated hardware and software solutions in an agile approach between March and December 2018
Involving as many industry and research partners as feasible from ARENA2036 (Active Research Environment for the Next Generation of Automobiles)
The approach
Vision review and definition of success criteria for the target solution with the product sponsor
Introduction of a scrum-based agile working mode comprising four-week sprints and deploying functioning, prototypic production line increments every eight weeks
Coaching the team in adopting agile methods along the values and principles of scrum, and in agile planning of viable increments
Coaching individual team members and involved role owners (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Product Sponsor) in collaboration and performing their roles
Continuously improving the way of working based on daily scrums, sprint reviews, sprint planning and retrospectives
Changing the players fulfilling the product owner and product sponsor roles
Advising and coaching the team in adopting a user experience approach focusing on the future worker in automobile production (user journeys, design sprints)
The result
Successful completion of a total of 9 sprints and deployment of 5 functioning production line increments
Co-creation of a target solution involving 5 partners
Mobile, configurable production line comprising 5 different workplaces demonstrated as a functioning result (among others use of lightweight robots extended by production tools which are software configurable and changeable, automated guided vehicles, positioning solution, control system)
Self-directed optimization of the team’s velocity based on the agile method employed
Shifting from technology centric to user centric approach as basis for further development in 2019
Identification of required skills for further developing the solution plus spheres of competence to be staffed in the future