Agile Hardware Development with Gregor Gross

The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 3 Dec 2025 · 50m

What this episode covers

Gregor Gross, founder of Alpha-board, a Berlin-based PCB design and agile hardware development service, explains how his company applies agile principles to hardware projects where fixed-price contracts are the norm. He details practical strategies such as breaking complex PCBs into testable modules and shields, using Zephyr OS sample boards for early software validation, and implementing automated documentation with KiCad to facilitate mixed hardware-software teams. Gross also discusses the cultural resistance to pair programming despite its proven quality benefits, the importance of Git integration for version control, and the contractual challenges of moving from fixed-price to hourly service agreements.

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