The line between software and hardware is blurring. Here is how we approach integrated development to deliver devices that are smarter from day one.
The most dangerous silos in product development are the ones between firmware and hardware teams.
The product that ships is not a hardware product with software running on it, nor a software product deployed on hardware. It is one thing.
Shared Ownership From Day One
We structure integrated projects so that hardware and firmware engineers are in the same design reviews from the first week.
- Hardware engineers own the schematic; firmware engineers have veto rights on any interface that affects their code.
- Bring-up scripts are written before the first PCB is fabricated.
- Test coverage is defined jointly.
The Tools That Make It Work
A shared repository for hardware and firmware, design decisions tracked in the same issue tracker.
