Human Related Challenges in Agile Software Development of Government Outsourcing Project

In 2019, a government organization in Indonesia has developed several systems that will run in parallel using Agile by utilizing vendor services. Based on internal project reports, there are indications of human-related issues or challenges during the development process of these systems. The case study is one of the critical systems of failed projects in this government organization. In this study, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was used to identify human-related challenges or issues that could lead to failure in an ASD project. These issues or challenges were qualitatively validated based on expert judgment from external and internal organizations by interview and questionnaire. The final results of this study were 20 human-related challenges grouped into 5 categories, which were identified as human-related challenges that led to the failure of the ASD project in this case study. Proposed solutions based on best practices are also provided for each challenge or issue by conducting business research methods with open and axial coding. Besides, the comparison of views between vendors and organizations on human-related challenges as well as the implications of this study are also presented at the end, so that readers can get insight into these challenges

A systematic decision-making framework for tackling quantum software engineering challenges

Quantum computing systems harness the power of quantum mechanics to execute computationally demanding tasks more effectively than their classical counterparts. This has led to the emergence of Quantum Software Engineering (QSE), which focuses on unlocking the full potential of quantum computing systems. As QSE gains prominence, it seeks to address the evolving challenges of quantum software development by offering comprehensive concepts, principles, and guidelines. This paper aims to identify, prioritize, and develop a systematic decision-making framework of the challenging factors associated with QSE process execution. We conducted a literature survey to identify the challenging factors associated with QSE process and mapped them into 7 core categories. Additionally, we used a questionnaire survey to collect insights from practitioners regarding these challenges. To examine the relationships between core categories of challenging factors, we applied Interpretive Structure Modeling (ISM). Lastly, we applied fuzzy TOPSIS to rank the identified challenging factors concerning to their criticality for QSE process. We have identified 22 challenging factors of QSE process and mapped them to 7 core categories. The ISM results indicate that the ‘resources’ category has the most decisive influence on the other six core categories of the identified challenging factors. Moreover, the fuzzy TOPSIS indicates that ‘complex programming’, ‘limited software libraries’, ‘maintenance complexity’, ‘lack of training and workshops’, and ‘data encoding issues’ are the highest priority challenging factor for QSE process execution. Organizations using QSE could consider the identified challenging factors and their prioritization to improve their QSE process

When agility meets a project portfolio: A study of success factors in large organisations

The iterative nature of agile methods combined with high levels of team and customer interactions and continuously changing IT and software development project requirements make the management of agile project portfolios very complex. To date, the mechanisms under which project portfolio management adapts to these complexities and achieves portfolio success have not been thoroughly investigated. This study explores the notion of success and its impacting factors in large organisations\u27 portfolios of agile IT and software development projects. Using a multiple case study design, we analysed the agile project portfolios of seven large organisations. We identified four success criteria and 15 success factors and categorised them into a unique agile portfolio success framework. Some of these criteria and factors are unique to agile project portfolios. The framework contributes to agile and project management literature by conceptualising the notion of success in portfolios of agile projects while revealing a set of factors that affect the relationship between an agile portfolio with its subcomponents and the surrounding environment. The framework supports managers and practitioners in large organisations in reflecting on their agility efforts to achieve higher success rates in their agile portfolios

Agile Software Development Practices in Remote Working Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review

Information Scienc

Relacionamento entre compartilhamento do conhecimento, capacidade absortiva e performance em times ágeis

Obtenção do grau de Doutora em GestãoO compartilhamento do conhecimento é um processo onde unidades influenciam umas às outras através de suas experiências. Ele é relacionado com a capacidade absortiva, uma habilidade que permite à empresa identificar conhecimentos externos, assimilá-los e aplicá-los para fins comerciais. Vários fatores influenciam o compartilhamento do conhecimento e a capacidade absortiva, dentre eles a orientações para objetivos, um conceito que propõe dois objetivos em situações de conquistas relativas a tarefas: aprendizado ou desempenho. Um contexto organizacional ligado ao compartilhamento do conhecimento, que possibilita o desenvolvimento da capacidade absortiva e incentiva aprendizado e desempenho é o desenvolvimento de software. O desenvolvimento de software é globalizado e, portanto, é importante estudar a cultura nacional na qual ele está ocorrendo. Desta forma, este trabalho investiga a relação entre o compartilhamento do conhecimento inter-times, a capacidade absortiva dos times e a orientação para objetivos no contexto de times de desenvolvimento de software do Brasil e de Portugal. Para isso, foi desenvolvida uma revisão sistemática da literatura, uma etapa quantitativa, utilizando um survey para verificar o modelo proposto, e uma etapa qualitativa, para explicar os resultados obtidos na etapa quantitativa. Resultados da etapa quantitativa (1) confirmam a influência das orientações para objetivos no compartilhamento do conhecimento e na capacidade absortiva e a influência da capacidade absortiva no compartilhamento do conhecimento de forma intercalada e (2) mostram que há diferenças em algumas relações nos grupos dos diferentes países e metodologias. Os resultados da etapa qualitativa mostram que (1) a não confirmação das hipóteses no modelo completo ocorre por problemas no fluxo de conhecimento, pelo foco no conhecimento tácito e pela importância da capacidade absortiva potencial e realizada como um todo e (2) as diferenças de resultados entre os grupos dependem da maturidade da indústria e da metodologia no país, além das dimensões culturais do país. Como implicações acadêmicas, o trabalho ajuda a esclarecer a relação entre capacidade absortiva e compartilhamento do conhecimento, reforça a robustez da capacidade absortiva potencial e realizada e mostra a importância das dimensões culturais nos times de desenvolvimento de software. Para gerentes, o trabalho ajuda a compreender o comportamento dos times e serve como referência para alavancar a capacidade absortiva e compartilhamento do conhecimento, guiando-se pelas dimensões culturais e como elas explicam as relações.Knowledge sharing is a process where units influence each other through their experiences. It is related to the absorptive capacity, a skill that allows the company to identify external knowledge, to assimilate and to apply it for commercial purposes. Several factors influence both knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity, including goal orientations, a concept that proposes two objectives in situations of achievements related to tasks: learning or performance. An organizational context that is linked to knowledge sharing, enables the absorptive capacity and encourages learning and performance is software development. Software development is a globalized phenomenon and therefore is important to study the national culture in which the development is taking place. Based on that, this work investigates the relationship between the inter-team knowledge sharing, the absorptive capacity of the teams and the goal orientations in the context of software development teams in Brazil and Portugal. To reach this objective, the research was developed with a systematic literature review and with two phases of empirical research: a quantitative phase, using a survey to verify the research model, and a qualitative phase, in order to explain the results obtained in the quantitative phase. Results from the quantitative phase (1) confirm the influence of the goal orientations in knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity and the influence of absorptive capacity in the knowledge sharing in an intercalated manner, considering the concepts as more than one construct; and (2) show there are differences in some model relationships in different countries and methodologies. Qualitative phase results show that (1) the non-confirmation of hypotheses in the complete model occurs due to problems in the knowledge flow, due to the over-focus on tacit knowledge and the importance of the potential absorptive capacity; and (2) the differences in outcomes between groups depend on the maturity of industry and methodology in the country, and also on the cultural dimensions of masculinity x femininity, uncertainty avoindance, power distance, restriction x indulgence, and short-term x long-term. As academic implications, the work clarifies the relationship between absorptive capacity and knowledge sharing, reinforces the robustness of potential and realized absorptive capacity, and shows the importance of cultural dimensions in software development teams. For managers, this work helps to understand team behavior and serves as a guidebook for leveraging the absorptive capacity and knowledge sharing, guided by cultural dimensions and how they explain relationships.N/