Adapting agile approaches to complex industrial systemes: a contextual implementation

Defense sheduled for Thursday March 16 th 2023 at 2:00 pm, CNAM, 2 rue de Conté 75003 PARIS, Room 30. -1.21

Abstract:

Systematic design is used in most large industries within the Research & Development departments. This approach, institutionalized in the 20th century, has several limitations today in the face of the contemporary regime of intensive innovation. Indeed, the current strong competitiveness of markets requires industrial companies to renew their products and technologies more frequently. This imperative is accompanied by a desire to innovate in a more disruptive way, allowing these firms to distinguish themselves more clearly from their competitors. Thus, many firms are now looking for alternatives to the project management standard of systematic design. Recently, several companies have turned to agile development methods, which originated in the software sector, to explore their potential within their own context. In this work, we address the issue of adapting agile approaches to the design of complex systems in industry. Following an exploratory logic, based on case studies conducted within Safran Electronics & Defense, we develop an analytical framework allowing us to characterize the agile adaptation modes and the dependencies they have with the context of the studied projects. This first analysis allows us to propose a typology of agile adaptation modes and the limitations encountered by the projects when using agile approaches. For instance, we highlight the need to use a system architecture approach, although this is somewhat antinomic to the original agile principles. We also highlight the limitations of agile approaches in the design of disruptive innovation. Finally, we discuss the potential changes in agile adaptation mode during a design project.

Keywords: Agile development, project management, complex system design,system engineering, aerospace and defense

Composition of jury :