Managing Inherent Conflicts in Agile Distributed Development: Evidence from Product Development

Increasingly, software is being developed following agile approaches in a distributed setup. An agile setting is typically characterized by flexibility, in order to meet customer demands for continuous delivery of business value. Distributed setting brings about multiple demands for stability, in terms of a push for clear specification of requirements and design, and a big picture product definition. Therefore, implementing agile projects in a distributed setting result in an inherent conflict that needs to be reconciled. We conducted two case studies of agile distributed product development projects to examine the nature of conflict as well as mitigating mechanisms followed by the software teams. Our findings reveal that the domain of agile engagement, as well as the specific distributed team configuration determines the flexibility and stability dimension of the conflict respectively. Furthermore, the software teams achieve a balance between them through the project context characterized by role specification and boundary spanning

Software Development Process Ambidexterity and Project Performance: A Coordination Cost-Effectiveness View

Software development process ambidexterity (SDPA) is the ability to demonstrate both process alignment and process adaptability simultaneously. Realizing process ambidexterity has recently been suggested as an effective approach to improving the performance of software development (SD) projects. To understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of ambidexterity, we focus in this study on the mediating effects of coordination, one of the most important activity in SD projects. Specifically, we hypothesize a mediating effect of coordination costs and coordination effectiveness on the relationship between SDPA and project performance. We conducted a quantitative study involving 104 SD projects across 10 firms to test the model. The results strongly suggest that the positive relationship between SDPA and project performance is negatively mediated by coordination costs and positively mediated by coordination effectiveness. We validate our research model with a case study in an organization employing several hundred IT professionals and derive several practical implications on this basis

The Field of Ambidexterity Research: Perspective from Information Systems Domain

The study of ambidexterity continues to attract attention from scholars across multiple business domains. This has contributed to several reviews of the ambidexterity field being conducted and reported in the recent past. This article builds on the existing reviews and takes stock of the ambidexterity research, with a focus on Information Systems (IS) domain. Furthermore, this systematic review takes a unified perspective of the field and addresses some of the ongoing debates about the conceptualisation of the ambidexterity construct, trade-offs being addressed as well as its relevance and applicability for IS research

Ambidexterity and Global IS Project Success: A theoretical Model

Abstract Increasingly more IS projects are globally dispersed. As a result, the success of IS projects can be affected by various global boundaries such as geographical distance, time separation, organizational boundaries and cultural differences. At the same time, system requirements dynamism significantly undermines global IS project performance because it is difficult for global teams to effectively sense and respond to changing system requirements. Therefore, to deliver quality systems on time and within budget in today's dynamic, global environments, process, people, and technology employed by IS projects need to simultaneously exhibit ambidexterity-i.e., both rigor and agility. Drawing upon prior literature and interview data from field studies, this research develops a theoretical model that explains and predicts global IS project success based on ambidextrous project capabilities. Specifically, the model identifies IS project rigor and IS project agility as two key IS project capabilities that moderate the negative effects of global boundary complexity and system requirements dynamism on global IS project success

From Dichotomy to Ambidexterity: Transcending Traditions in Software Management

Despite documented best practices and specialized tools, managers continue to face major challenges in software development. While managers are traditionally advised to choose between plan-driven and agile principles, software organizations increasingly face situations in which they need to take advantage of both. There is, however, limited actionable advice on how managers can shape the organizational context to develop such capability. We therefore combine theory on ambidexterity and contextualist inquiry to report from a two-year action research study at TelSoft. As a result, we propose a model for how software organizations can become ambidextrous through the processes of diagnosing, visioning, intervening, and practicing and discuss the implications for research and practice into software management

Digital Agility: Conceptualizing Agility for the Digital Era

It goes without saying that digital technologies have been forming an increasingly crucial component of companies’ value offerings in recent times. In many industries, this trend has led to converging markets, where traditional firms compete and collaborate with software firms and digital startups. One central competitive factor in these markets is the ability to capitalize on digital options faster than the competition. Prior research on agility in this context has advanced our knowledge on managerial and employee behaviors, as well as structures supporting such behaviors, to enable agility both in traditional and software firms. The challenge for firms in digitally converging markets is that agility now requires a combination of organizational and IS development agility—perceiving these concepts as separate entities is no longer appropriate or instructive. Building on prior work on agile behaviors and structures, and published cases on digital firms, we develop an integrative conception of digital agility in line with the realities of the digital era

Organizational ambidexterity: using project portfolio management to support project-level ambidexterity

The aim of this study is to assess the ability of project portfolio management practices to support the pursuit of ambidexterity at the project level through engagement with specific dimensions and mechanisms. The focus is on examining the operating/business model and challenges that are imposed on the firms, but deemed resolvable through the simultaneous pursuit of multiple projects emphasizing contradictory strategic goals. Data are obtained from multiple exploratory interviews of senior executives involved in project-level activities who were drawn from 12 case organizations in the Middle East. The study finds evidence of four forms of ambidexterity dimensions and mechanisms. Analysis undertaken against operating/business model and challenges of these dimensions and mechanisms of ambidexterity suggests that they are not only inter-related, but do so at various organizational levels

Organizational ambidexterity: a critical review and development of a project focused definition

The objective of this paper is to explore a project-focused understanding of contemporary organizational ambidexterity literature. As part of this process, a taxonomical analysis of the elements and components of the concept of organizational ambidexterity is undertaken. Findings suggest that a project-focused notion of organizational ambidexterity involves different levels, dimensions, and mechanisms. The predominant contribution of this study resides within the taxonomy study, which provides a platform for a more holistic understanding of organizational ambidexterity as a multifaceted concept applicable to the project management discipline

Investigating an ‘Agile-Rigid’ Approach in Globally Distributed Requirements Analysis

The global software development environment brings with itself abundant business opportunities as well as challenges in terms of coordination, communication and control. Recent years have also witnessed the growth of the agile movement. To address the global software development challenges there is a need to combine the flexibility offered by the growing agile development approaches with the rigidity offered by the traditional plan-based approaches. This paper reports an exploratory quasi-experimental study, which investigates the performance of requirements analysis projects in an ‘agile-rigid’ distributed environment. The study yields several interesting conclusions that can assist organizations in managing their global software projects more effectively. Our experiment indicates that project monitoring and control, project communication, and process facilitation between peer teams significantly influence the success of such projects. Creation of an agile-rigid environment can help organizations mitigate various risks inherent in globally distributed software development