An empirical study on implications of agile methods in software industry

Abstract

Agile software methods have been part of the software industry lexicon for the last two decades. The creation of the agile manifesto in 2001 provided a platform for individuals and organizations to define and undertake specific measures to embrace agility. Subsequently lean development concepts inspired by Toyota's lean production system also began to be used together with agile principles. The number of organizations and individuals embracing agile has been on a steady rise. There has also been an equal increase in activity in the amount of published work and number of firms offering agile consultancy services. Research has shown that companies that have been able to adopt agile practices have benefitted from the transformation. However organizations still face challenges in the transformation. An extensive literature survey has been carried out, based on which six aspects of change which agile entails are identified. These aspects are - self organized teams, minimum competency levels, management collaboration and leadership, iterative development, empirical development process and customer centric development. These changes are along the three dimensions of people, business and organization and management. Aspects of change management which are relevant in agile transformation are also identified. An empirical study is carried out then to identify the influencers which either hamper or enhance the adoption of the six changes as well as the overall transformation. This study is supplemented by critical incident interviews and survey of online forums. The results indicate that organizations need to invest in preparing for agile transformation. This needs to be followed up with a planned and measured agile transformation. The results provided five influencers, which can impact the adoption of the six change aspects such as change in management philosophy/management commitment, effective support structure, creating a learning system, creating self-disciplined and competitive teams and shaping interactions with the environment.