Agile has become commonplace in software development. But beyond software development, the commonsense approach that many agile methods advocate for addressing problems in traditional process has lead to them being adapted and applied to a number of areas that include manufacturing, project management and others.

One area that has been slow to pick up agile methods is semiconductor development. While the focus of semiconductor development teams has been primarily related to overcoming technical challenges, the team-oriented and organizational advantages that agile methods propose have been largely ignored. This approach cannot continue. This presentation discusses how agile practices might successfully be adapted for use in IC development and other technically complex disciplines. It is intended to assist people in applying agile methods in areas that are not traditionally associated with agile or people at companies that are reluctant to accept that agile methods may be adapted to suit their particular situation.

Assuming no related experience, the presentation starts with a brief discussion regarding the technical and organization challenges faced in IC development and how day-to-day activities compare with those of software development. It continues by identifying some high value agile principles that represent major deviations from IC development norm and how they may be used successfully. A summary includes some lessons learned in applying agile methods and a vision for full agile adoption.

Presentation Notes