2,298 research outputs found
Coordinating Knowledge Work in Multi-Team Programs: Findings from a Large-Scale Agile Development Program
Software development projects have undergone remarkable changes with the
arrival of agile development methods. While intended for small, self-managing
teams, these methods are increasingly used also for large development programs.
A major challenge in programs is to coordinate the work of many teams, due to
high uncertainty in tasks, a high degree of interdependence between tasks and
because of the large number of people involved. This revelatory case study
focuses on how knowledge work is coordinated in large-scale agile development
programs by providing a rich description of the coordination practices used and
how these practices change over time in a four year development program with 12
development teams. The main findings highlight the role of coordination modes
based on feedback, the use of a number of mechanisms far beyond what is
described in practitioner advice, and finally how coordination practices change
over time. The findings are important to improve the outcome of large
knowledge-based development programs by tailoring coordination practices to
needs and ensuring adjustment over time.Comment: To appear in Project Management Journa
Roles and responsibilities in agile ICT for development
This paper examines the different roles in designing interactive software in a ICT for development context.
Using experiences from a participatory action research project, in which we used agile methods to design and
deploy an system to support ‘agricultural information flow’ for a co-operative of small farmers in rural India, we
identify points of difference between the roles in standard descriptions of agile software methods and the roles as
they emerged in our project. A key finding is the critical role played by a ‘Development Project Manager’ in
facilitating dialogue, orchestrating the activities of other actors and in building the capabilities and confidence of
all the participants in joint action
Use of an agile bridge in the development of assistive technology
Engaging with end users in the development of assistive technologies remains one of the major challenges for researchers and developers in the field of accessibility and HCI. Developing usable software systems for people with complex disabilities is problematic, software developers are wary of using user-centred design, one of the main methods by which usability can be improved, due to concerns about how best to work with adults with complex disabilities, in particular Severe Speech and Physical Impairments (SSPI) and how to involve them in research. This paper reports on how the adoption of an adapted agile approach involving the incorporation of a user advocate on the research team helped in meeting this challenge in one software project and offers suggestions for how this could be used by other development teams
Enterprise Experience into the Integration of Human-Centered Design and Kanban
he integration of Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Agile Software Development (ASD) promises the
development of competitive products comprising a good User Experience (UX). This study has investigated
the integration of HCD and Kanban with the aim to gain industrial experiences in a real world context. A
case study showed that requirements flow into the development process in a structured manner by adding a
design board. To this end, the transparency concerning recurring requirements increased. We contribute to
the body of knowledge of software development by providing practical insights into Human-Centered Agile
Development (HCAD). On one hand, it is shown that the integration of HCD and Kanban leads to a product
with a good UX and makes the development process more human-centered. On the other hand, we conclude
that a cross-functional collaboration speeds up product development.Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de EconomÃa y Competitividad TIN2015-71938-RED
Beyond Surveys: Analyzing Software Development Artifacts to Assess Teaching Efforts
This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents an approach of using software
development artifacts to gauge student behavior and the effectiveness of
changes to curriculum design. There is an ongoing need to adapt university
courses to changing requirements and shifts in industry. As an educator it is
therefore vital to have access to methods, with which to ascertain the effects
of curriculum design changes. In this paper, we present our approach of
analyzing software repositories in order to gauge student behavior during
project work. We evaluate this approach in a case study of a university
undergraduate software development course teaching agile development
methodologies. Surveys revealed positive attitudes towards the course and the
change of employed development methodology from Scrum to Kanban. However,
surveys were not usable to ascertain the degree to which students had adapted
their workflows and whether they had done so in accordance with course goals.
Therefore, we analyzed students' software repository data, which represents
information that can be collected by educators to reveal insights into learning
successes and detailed student behavior. We analyze the software repositories
created during the last five courses, and evaluate differences in workflows
between Kanban and Scrum usage
Exploring the Customer Perspective of Agile Development: Acceptance Factors and On-Site Customer Perceptions in Scrum Projects
In recent years, agile development methodologies have attracted great attention. Although the success of agile development projects depends considerably on the willingness of customers to actively participate, little research has examined which factors of such methodologies customers perceive as benefits or drawbacks. Employing an exploratory, primarily qualitative study design and the Diffusion of Innovations Theory as theoretical lens, we identify several acceptance factors of Scrum as a specific methodology and describe how customers perceive them. As basis for our examination, we use empirical data that was collected at a world-wide leading insurance company and a mixed-method approach that combines qualitative with quantitative data analyses. The results suggest that customers found Scrum to deliver relative advantages. Furthermore, they indicate that Scrum is perceived as more compatible to the way customers prefer to work in development projects. Factors that characterize the perceived complexity of Scrum were viewed as potential acceptance barriers, however
Evaluation of team dynamic in Norwegian projects for IT students
The need for teaching realistic software development in project courses has
increased in a global scale. It has always been challenges in cooperating
fast-changing software technologies, development methodologies and teamwork.
Moreover, such project courses need to be designed in the connection to
existing theoretical courses. We performed a large-scale research on student
performance in Software Engineering projects in Norwegian universities. This
paper investigates four aspects of team dynamics, which are team reflection,
leadership, decision making and task assignment in order to improve student
learning. Data was collected from student projects in 4 years at two
universities. We found that some leader's characteristics are perceived
differently for female and male leaders, including the perception of leaders as
skilful workers or visionaries. Leadership is still a challenging aspect to
teach, and assigned leadership is probably not the best way to learn. Students
is are performing well in task review, however, needs support while performing
task assignment. The result also suggests that task management to be done in
more fine-grained levels. It is also important to maintain an open and active
discussion to facilitate effective group decision makings
Exploring Which Agile Principles Students Internalize When Using a Kanban Process Methodology
This paper reports on a case study of the Agile Kanban project methodology, which while growing in popularity, has had far less analysis on its usefulness in the classroom as compared to other frameworks such as Agile Scrum. Our study provides insight into why the Kanban methodology is useful by mapping student comments about the methodology to the twelve principles laid down in the Agile Manifesto. Our analysis identified two key agile principles that help to explain the value of Kanban. Specifically, we found that the students focused on self-organizing teams and reflection at regular intervals, and that these two principles led to improved team communication and coordination. Our findings are useful for those looking to use or define a process management methodology for student teams as well as others exploring the more general challenge of incorporating agile into the classroom
- …