Antecedents to Managerial Preference for Agile Software Development Methods – A Research Plan

Agile development methods are widely used and continue to grow in their adoption. A theoretical understanding of agile is needed. This research plan uses a Grounded Theory approach to develop antecedents to managerial preference for agile development methods. First, we provide the motivation for the research. Next, we provide a brief literature review to orient the research to the domain. Finally, we discuss the research methodology and research plan

WHAT MOTIVATES TEAM MEMBERS AND USERS OF AGILE PROJECTS?

Users and teams members of agile projects have consistently shown higher motivation and satisfaction compared with projects that use plan-driven methods. User satisfaction is a key measure of IS success if not synonymous with it (Delone and McLean, 1992; Seddon, 1997) and higher team member motivation is known to foster productivity, company loyalty and higher levels of engagement (Locke and Latham, 1990; Meyer and Allen, 1997; Pinder, 1998). Various explanations have been offered for this salutary phenomenon and have as their basis the specific characteristics of Agile methodologies such as people focus, higher levels of user involvement and collaborative development approach (Boehm and Turner, 2005; Dybå and Dingsøyr, 2009; Mann and Maurer, 2005). In this study we apply the approach-avoidance theory to suggest “closure effect” as another explanation for the phenomena

THE ROLE OF THE CUSTOMER IN THE ADOPTION OF AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES

This study focuses on the role the customer plays in the adoption and consolidation of Agile practices in software development firms. We considered two main aspects: 1) the degree of collaboration between customers and suppliers; 2) the degree of active participation of the customer in software development processes. We argue that both these factors affect the level of Agility of an organization. To investigate this topic we conducted a survey among firms that use agile software development methodologies. The sample of respondents was obtained from the social network Linkedin. We received one hundred and five valid questionnaires before subjecting the data to hierarchical linear regression analysis. Our findings suggest that a collaborative and active role of the customer increases Agility. This study provides original empirical data on the frequency of use of Agile practices in software development processes. From a theoretical point of view it clarifies the role of two different customer-related factors: customer collaboration and customer participation

The adoption of agile software development methods in Jamaica

Research has demonstrated that most information systems projects fail due to people problems. Agile software development methods were introduced in an effort to resolve this problem. It relies on people and their creativity during system development rather than processes and the maturity of firms. Research has found that the adoption of agile methods in software development is becoming very popular. However, there is an appeal in the literature for more empirical studies on agile software development. This study examined the adoption and benefits of agile methods in Jamaican software development firms. The results showed that 53% of the firms surveyed are using agile methods, with SCRUM being the main method, and the top benefits being improved customer satisfaction, improved productivity of teams and speeding up the developmental process. The average uptake of agile methods in Jamaican firms would support the claim for a longitudinal study to track the adoption trend

A Theory of Agile Software Development

The Agile Software Development Method (ASDM), in its present form, is guided by the Agile manifesto which consists of an Agile philosophy and a set of 12 principles. Despite the apparent effect of Agile philosophy and principles on the practice of software development around the world, neither its theoretical contribution nor its theoretical base has yet been articulated. In response to calls in literature, in this study we propose and articulate a theory of ASDM to describe and explain its effects. The theory is based on a synthesis of the key concepts underlying Agile principles and is expressed as a model of relationships. The article describes the theory formulation process and elaborates its key propositions. The limitations of the proposed theory and areas of future research are discussed

Critical Success Conditions for Enterprise Systems Change Projects

Enterprise systems are configurable and customized computer-based information systems, claiming to provide a total, integrated solution to firms’ information-processing needs. ‘Management support’, ‘User Involvement’, and ‘Project Management Experience’ are considered as three of the most important critical success conditions for Enterprise systems change projects. The main purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss new preconditions for established critical success conditions in Enterprise systems change projects. Traditional Enterprise systems technology and traditional plan-driven project management methods are not in an effective way supporting the established critical success conditions for Enterprise systems change projects. Supported by the findings from one case study, we propose that new preconditions, such as modern Enterprise systems technology, more narrowly defined projects and agile methods are matching each other. We also propose that this combination of new preconditions is more appropriate for supporting the realization of critical success conditions for Enterprise systems change projects

Práticas em gerenciamento ágil de projetos

Com o ambiente de projetos atual cada vez mais competitivo, dinâmico e turbulento, abordagens tradicionais de gestão que sejam plan-driven estão se tornando menos eficazes e eficientes. Neste contexto, com clientes e consumidores cada vez mais exigentes, surge uma corrente de gestão ágil de projetos. Um dos objetivos deste trabalho é identificar quais são as práticas associadas à gestão ágil de projetos e agrupá-las em grandes categorias. Procurou-se também entender se existem diferenças na adoção de práticas ágeis em projetos executados em empresas de grande porte, e de pequeno/médio porte. Para tanto, foram estudadas três empresas, por meio da aplicação de um questionário, baseado nas práticas de gestão ágil identificadas na literatura. Observou -se que práticas e valores pregados pela corrente são generalizáveis para outras áreas (boa comunicação, foco no cliente, desenvolvimento de competências soft e hard, planejamento e controle), e por isso, mesmo empresas que não possuem o conceito implantado adota posturas consideradas “ágeis”. Dentre as práticas listadas, as três empresas analisadas são mais deficitárias na comunicação, e são mais “ágeis” na relação com o cliente. Embora o trabalho não tenha identificado diferenças significativas, em função de algumas de suas limitações, ele fornece alguns insights e sugestões de áreas dentro da gestão ágil de projetos que ainda podem ser explorado

Sensing High Performance Enablers in the Collective Action of Successful IS Project Teams

A disconcerting truth about IS projects persists – project failure and challenged rates remain high. Research has revealed that project failures are attributed more to the social factors than the technical factors. Yet, while there are teams who struggle with poor teamwork and coordination, there are project teams who produce exceptional results and ensure successful project implementations. Employing a phenomenological research inquiry, this study explores the concept of high performance within the collective action of IS project teams. We analyzed data from experiences of project managers whose teams have successfully delivered IS projects across a variety of development methodologies. Our results parallel expectations from collective action theory, a multi-disciplinary theory that informs about interactions in groups. Collective action theory offers insights that explain how patterns of interactions within IS project teams transpire into enablers of high performance activities towards delivering IS projects successfully

AN INDICATORS-BASED APPROACH TO MEASURING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE EFFECTIVENESS: A STUDY WITH BRAZILIAN PROFESSIONALS

Organisations have adopted information technology governance (ITG) practices to improve decision-making and accountability about decisions related to IT. Considering the resources and effort required for the adoption of these practices, it is important to measure ITG effectiveness, in particular by contributing to the increased transparency and IT accountability desired by stakeholders. The goal of this study is to identify a set of indicators to measure ITG effectiveness. Interviews and focus groups are the main techniqus of data collection, which involved professionals linked to 45 companies: 11 Chief Information Officers (CIOs), 4 IT managers, 13 IT coordinators, 15 governance analysts and 2 IT researchers. Nine criteria for ITG effectiveness were obtained from semi-structured interviews, and 213 measurement indicators were identified using structured interviews. Content analysis was used to create a set of 48 indicators, based on similarities among the descriptions. This set of indicators was discussed in a focus group, and 27 of these indicators were considered to be especially important for measuring ITG effectiveness and the most applicable in different organisations. The main result of this study was the set of indicators to measure ITG effectiveness, which can be used independently within organisations´ ITG frameworks