CycleUp Method Accelerates Development and Reduces Costs

medizin & technik 02.2024

Faster Progress to Sophisticated Embedded Systems | With the CycleUp method in embedded system development, the process does not start with the specifications document but by questioning the product idea. A prototype demonstrates the system’s suitability and performance, followed by optimization – and only then does the development of the mass-produced product begin. This approach allows the experts at S.I.E to achieve their goals more quickly.

Embedded systems for the industrial and medical technology sectors, such as image processing applications, edge computing systems, or cybersecurity, benefit from a product development process that minimizes risks and shortens time-to-market. Such an approach is offered by the CycleUp method developed by System Industrie Electronic GmbH (S.I.E) from Lustenau, Austria. In this process, electronics experts contribute their knowledge early on during the ideation and concept phase. This ultimately leads to the client achieving a market-ready embedded system more quickly and directly.
The CycleUp method not only starts the development process earlier than usual but also adopts a different approach. It entails an agile conception, more commonly found in software development. S.I.E now applies this agility to the product development of embedded systems. The idea is based on experiences from various projects, which showed that early collaboration in the design phase helps to:

• Clearly define specific requirements and
• keep feasibility and economic efficiency in view.

Incorporating partners, such as module suppliers, speeds up the process more than a conventional, sequential approach. Moreover, it ensures greater transparency since fewer communication problems occur when clients, product designers, programmers, and producers sit down together from the start of the project.
S.I.E has now standardized this proven approach into a flexible method, preceding the traditional prototyping and mass production development. The CycleUp method is aimed at clients who have a product idea but lack a precise concept for its technical implementation. It is also suitable for those who are advanced in conception but have not yet created a specifications document. Importantly, this approach is relevant not just for new product developments but also for subsequent products.

Everything Begins with the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

In both scenarios, the client’s team, the specialists from S.I.E, and their partners start with a needs analysis. The knowledge of all participants is incorporated. Once the expectations for the future product are articulated, the agile conception begins.
The first key goal is to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This deliberately entails a version of the device far from mass production. The MVP showcases the product features in a prototype that is flexible and can be assembled much quicker using standardized components. This prototype undergoes tests for functionality, usability, and performance.
The prototype’s design is based on hypotheses to be verified, ranging from a breadboard setup to an almost finished prototype with a customized case and specific parts.
Feedback from the tests and measurements indicate how mature the concept is. If optimization potential is identified or conceptual mistakes are discovered, S.I.E starts over with the MVP. This leads to a new round of testing and feedback. This cycle continues until the prototype’s functionality and performance meet the expectations. Afterwards, the precise requirements for the mass-produced product can be defined, and a specifications document can be created.
The described “Build-Measure-Learn” cycle allows for the timely recognition and correction of incorrect assumptions. The number of feedback and optimization cycles required depends, among other factors, on the project’s complexity. Typically, fewer cycles are needed for the further development of a product than for a completely new embedded system. An MVP can be reused for many iterations, and S.I.E gladly accepts it back later. This reduces the disposal effort for the client and allows for the reuse of hardware components.

Who Benefits from the CycleUp Approach

The CycleUp method benefits many departments of the client: development teams appreciate the project acceleration resulting from S.I.E’s expertise and its partners, the agile approach to conception, and the clear specifications at the end of the concept phase. Product management also values the flexibility and efficiency of the concept phase and the platform- and manufacturer-independent approach. For purchasing, the CycleUp method minimizes risks as design flaws in the mass-produced product are avoided, and its feasibility is a focus from the beginning. All participants benefit from the early, shared learning phase, preceding the definition of a specifications document and the development of the mass-produced product.

Erwin Erkinger, Selina Schmid
System Industrie Electronic,
Lustenau/Austria

More Information
S.I.E System Industrie Electronic GmbH, based in Lustenau, Austria, is a development and manufacturing specialist for embedded systems and cyber-physical systems. The focus is on industries with regulatory challenges such as medicine, industry, and cybersecurity.
Exhibiting at the Embedded World fair: Hall 3, Booth 3-238
www.sie.at

Further information: www.sie.at/en/ideation-innovation/