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Why agile development is crucial for industrial software
Modern industrial software systems need to be adapted to new requirements at an ever-faster pace. At the same time, the complexity, interconnectedness and quality requirements of machinery and plant are increasing. Agile development processes lay the foundations for developing software iteratively, transparently and in close alignment with the actual requirements of the product, the machine and the user.
ITQ supports companies in effectively applying agile methods in industrial software projects. This is not about agility as an end in itself, but rather a structured approach that systematically links planning, development, testing, integration and feedback. This results in executable software builds being delivered sooner, risks becoming apparent more quickly and decisions being made on the basis of reliable interim results.
The key here is combining an agile approach with technical engineering expertise. In mechanical and plant engineering in particular, software, control technology, HMIs, embedded systems and mechatronic frameworks must be considered as a whole. Agile development processes must therefore be compatible with the system architecture, the toolchain and the existing development structures.
By combining clearly defined roles, iterative planning, automated testing and continuous integration, development processes can be made more transparent and software quality can be improved in the long term. Even existing teams and projects can be gradually developed towards more agile, efficient and better-managed development processes.
Your benefits at a glance:
- Faster response to changing requirements
- Early transparency regarding progress and risks
- Better collaboration between departments and the development team
- Shorter feedback cycles and software releases available at an early stage
- Higher software quality through continuous testing
- Structured integration of CI/CD, DevOps and test automation
- Step-by-step improvement of existing development processes
Finding the right solution together
Your personal contact for software engineering will be happy to advise you on your specific enquiry.
Get in touch now for a no-obligation consultation.
Tobias Herkert
ITQ Branch Manager, North Rhine-Westphalia
„Agile development only becomes effective in an industrial setting when methodology, architecture, testing and integration work together seamlessly and are integrated into the organisation.“
Agile development requires structure, technology and clear processes
In many organisations, agile methods are being introduced into software development without giving sufficient consideration to the technical framework and the integration with supporting business processes. Meetings, boards and roles are in place, but the architecture, testability, toolchain and integration often do not align with the desired development cadence.
This leads to unclear priorities, lengthy integration phases and project statuses that are difficult to assess. Requirements change faster than the software architecture can keep up. At the same time, there is often a lack of reliable feedback on the quality, maturity and impact of new functions on the system as a whole.
This is precisely where we come in: requirements are prioritised in a structured manner, broken down into actionable work packages and regularly validated. In addition, automated tests, code reviews, CI/CD mechanisms and transparent release processes ensure that development outcomes can be continuously validated.
Agile processes hampered by a lack of technical interoperability
Typical challenges within a company:
- Agile methods are being introduced at an organisational level, but are not supported from a technical perspective
- Problems with integration with other business areas and processes
- Lack of transparency regarding progress, quality and risks
- Long integration and testing phases at the end of the development process
- Inadequate integration of requirements, development, testing and release
- Agile development at the highest level
Services relating to agile development
An overview of our services
- Analysis of existing development processes and project structures
- Introducing agile methods to software and engineering teams
- Structuring requirements, backlogs and development cycles
- Integrating tests, code reviews and CI/CD into the development process
- Supporting teams in the step-by-step improvement of processes
Technological expertise
- Agile methods such as Scrum, Kanban and hybrid process models
- Requirements management, user stories and acceptance criteria
- Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery and automated builds
- Test automation, reporting and software-assisted quality assurance
- Agile software development for machinery, plant and networked systems
- From analysis to recommendation
Approaches to agile software development projects
Project phases
Analysis of the initial situation
Definition of the agile vision
Structuring requirements and backlogs
Integration of quality assurance and tooling
Continuous improvement of development processes
Regular assessment of collaboration, quality and speed, as well as step-by-step optimisation of the process.
Agile Development in Practice
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Further ITQ solutions
The services described form part of ITQ’s comprehensive service portfolio. ITQ combines technological expertise, a methodical approach and a deep understanding of processes to deliver sustainable solutions throughout the entire life cycle.
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