Engineering the Future: Agile for Hardware with MAHD

Developing physical products—those that integrate hardware, software, and firmware—is uniquely challenging. Unlike software, physical products can’t be easily “updated” in the field. Teams must navigate long procurement lead times, high production costs, and multi-disciplinary collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, software, and procurement. Traditional Waterfall methods dominate because many Agile approaches, designed for software, fail to address these realities, leaving hardware teams stuck with inefficient, often chaotic processes.

The Modified Agile for Hardware Development (MAHD) Framework bridges this gap. MAHD adapts Agile principles to the constraints of physical product development, enabling organizations to achieve superior results by focusing on hardware-first strategies. Since 2017, MAHD has been successfully implemented in over 100 hardware organizations, leading to transformational outcomes, including:

* Faster time-to-market without sacrificing quality.
* Seamless cross-functional collaboration across engineering, software, manufacturing, and procurement.
* Accelerated learning cycles to align teams, adapt quickly, and reduce risk.
* Effective customer feedback loops for early concept validation and precise feature prioritization.

In this session, MAHD Evangelists Dorian and Vishal will share three critical elements of the MAHD Framework that help hardware organizations achieve competitive, technical, and organizational success. Attendees will gain insights to:

* Improve collaboration across disciplines.
* Incorporate Agile principles into physical product development.
* Deliver hardware products faster, smarter, and more profitably.

Join us to learn how MAHD can transform your hardware development process—and give your team a lasting competitive edge. Get a head start and peruse what MAHD is all about at http://mahdframework.com.

Speakers:
* Dorian Simpson is an accomplished product development expert and founder of the Modified Agile for Hardware Development (MAHD) Framework. With over 25 years of expertise in engineering and business leadership, including senior roles at Motorola, AT&T, and other technology firms, Simpson has played a pivotal role in integrating agile methodologies into hardware development, focusing on aligning agile practices with strategic business goals.

Through his work with the MAHD Framework, Simpson has provided organizations with a structured yet flexible approach to product development, enabling them to deliver more valuable solutions more rapidly.

In addition to his leadership in MAHD, Simpson is the author of The Savvy Corporate Innovator, a book that explores the application of agile principles to idea development within organizations. His expertise extends to consulting, where he has guided numerous organizations in adopting agile and other NPD practices to enhance innovation, product development and leadership.

Simpson holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of San Diego, providing him with a strong technical foundation and strategic business acumen.

* Vishal Sheth is a seasoned business transformation and Agile efficiency expert, with a proven track record in driving organizational peak performance. He ran PMO organizations at VISA and Thermo Fisher Scientific, enabling large, global teams to deliver a portfolio of industry-leading solutions driven by streamlined processes adapted to those organizations.

As an Evangelist/Coach, Vishal’s expertise in MAHD, Agile, Lean, and data-driven strategies have helped organizations of all sizes successfully transform into high-performing market leaders. Vishal is passionate about aligning strategy and technology to maximize value and efficiency, and committed to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Vishal loves to invest in the stock market and real estate and catch a good game of cricket when possible.