Agile, Web Engineering and Capability Maturity ModelI ntegration : A systematic literature review

Context Agile approaches are an alternative for organizations developing software, particularly for those who develop Web applications. Besides, CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) models are well-established approaches focused on assessing the maturity of an organization that develops software. Web Engineering is the field of Software Engineering responsible for analyzing and studying the specific characteristics of the Web. The suitability of an Agile approach to help organizations reach a certain CMMI maturity level in Web environments will be very interesting, as they will be able to keep the ability to quickly react and adapt to changes as long as their development processes get mature. Objective This paper responds to whether it is feasible or not, for an organization developing Web systems, to achieve a certain maturity level of the CMMI-DEV model using Agile methods. Method The proposal is analyzed by means of a systematic literature review of the relevant approaches in the field, defining a characterization schema in order to compare them to introduce the current state-of-the-art. Results The results achieved after the systematic literature review are presented, analyzed and compared against the defined schema, extracting relevant conclusions for the different dimensions of the problem: compatibility, compliance, experience, maturity and Web. Conclusion It is concluded that although the definition of an Agile approach to meet the different CMMI maturity levels goals could be possible for an organization developing Web systems, there is still a lack of detailed studies and analysis on the field

Software Reuse in Agile Development Organizations - A Conceptual Management Tool

The reuse of knowledge is considered a major factor for increasing productivity and quality. In the software industry knowledge is embodied in software assets such as code components, functional designs and test cases. This kind of knowledge reuse is also referred to as software reuse. Although the benefits can be substantial, software reuse has never reached its full potential. Organizations are not aware of the different levels of reuse or do not know how to address reuse issues. This paper proposes a conceptual management tool for supporting software reuse. Furthermore the paper presents the findings of the application of the management tool in an agile development organization

Non-Technical Individual Skills are Weakly Connected to the Maturity of Agile Practices

Context: Existing knowledge in agile software development suggests that individual competency (e.g. skills) is a critical success factor for agile projects. While assuming that technical skills are important for every kind of software development project, many researchers suggest that non-technical individual skills are especially important in agile software development. Objective: In this paper, we investigate whether non-technical individual skills can predict the use of agile practices. Method: Through creating a set of multiple linear regression models using a total of 113 participants from agile teams in six software development organizations from The Netherlands and Brazil, we analyzed the predictive power of non-technical individual skills in relation to agile practices. Results: The results show that there is surprisingly low power in using non-technical individual skills to predict (i.e. explain variance in) the mature use of agile practices in software development. Conclusions: Therefore, we conclude that looking at non-technical individual skills is not the optimal level of analysis when trying to understand, and explain, the mature use of agile practices in the software development context. We argue that it is more important to focus on the non-technical skills as a team-level capacity instead of assuring that all individuals possess such skills when understanding the use of the agile practices.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figur

Maturity Models for Managing People in Software Development Teams: A Systematic Literature Review

Human factors are fundamental to software development, hence the need to understand people-oriented maturity models in development teams. This article aims to identify the maturity models for people management in software development teams cited in the literature, in order to identify evidence about their use, benefits and limitations, and the human aspects involved. A systematic literature review (SLR) was carried out, where automatic searches were done in four search engines, congresses in the area of ​​human factors within software engineering, in addition to a manual search. Evidence indicates that there are numerous models aimed at developing people in development teams, but few are applied. Models based on observation and informal discussion were found, as well as non-validated models, indicating the scarcity of models applicable to people in software engineering. However, complete but complex models were also found, indicating that a more transparent, dynamic and simple process is needed for people's development. In the observed human factors, emphasis is placed on communication, collaboration, knowledge, learning, self-management, motivation and skills in general. Keywords: Maturity models; Human Factors; Software Development Teams; Teams; People DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-14-02 Publication date:July 31st 202

A Contingency Theory Motivated Framework to Select Information System Development Methods

Several change-driven (agile) information systems development (ISD) methods have been launched during the recent years. In addition to agile ISD methods it is still possible to succeed also with plan-driven ISD methods. To facilitate ISD method selections that maximize the probability of ISD project success we crafted and evaluated an ISD method selection framework based on the idea of matching the properties of ISD methods and the characteristics of the business contexts where ISD methods are used. We conducted a systematic literature search to evaluate whether the proposed framework is also able to capture the findings of prior ISD method selection research and to guide future empirical research. From over 1000 potential articles we identified 42 articles that address ISD method selection. We discovered that the proposed framework was able to explain the findings of prior research

Enterprise agile transformation model: Barriers, enablers and best practices to implement Agile Methods

Agile Methods currently represent one of the most discussed topics in organisations and teams working with technological products. However, there are still few scientific studies that clearly explain how an organisation can adopt these methods. This thesis has three main objectives, where was developed a study for each: (i) identify in the literature the best practices to implement and manage an agile project portfolio, (ii) identify the barriers and enablers of an Agile Transformation and (iii) expand a theoretical model that allows organisations to carry out an Agile Transformation. The first study used a qualitative approach to carry out a systematic literature review. The second study used a quantitative approach to identify the barriers and enablers. The third study used a qualitative approach to develop the Enterprise Agile Transformation Model. This thesis concluded that, for the implementation and management of an agile portfolio of projects, there are four relevant dimensions to consider. The key four barriers and five enablers for the success of an Agile Transformation were also identified. The Enterprise Agile Transformation Model considers actions to mitigate barriers and enhance the enablers of an Agile Transformation and provides recommendations to increase the agile maturity of organisations. The academic contribution focuses on filling the gap in the scientific literature on Agile Transformations and Agile Project Portfolio Management. For practice, the contribution involves providing a theoretical model with tools, strategies, and recommendations for the implementation of Agile Methods in organisations.Os Métodos Agile representam atualmente um dos temas mais discutidos nas organizações e equipas que trabalham com produtos tecnológicos. No entanto, ainda existe um conjunto reduzido de estudos científicos que expliquem, de uma forma clara, como uma organização pode adotar estes métodos. Esta tese apresenta três objetivos principais, onde foi desenvolvido um estudo para cada um: (i) identificar na literatura as melhores práticas para implementar e gerir um portefólio de projetos agile, (ii) identificar as barreiras e facilitadores de uma Transformação Agile e (iii) expandir um modelo teórico que permita conduzir as organizações a realizar uma Transformação Agile. O primeiro estudo recorreu à abordagem qualitativa para realizar a revisão sistemática da literatura. O segundo estudo utilizou uma abordagem quantitativa para identificar as barreiras e facilitadores. O terceiro estudo utilizou uma abordagem qualitativa para desenvolver o modelo teórico Enterprise Agile Transformation Model. Esta tese concluiu que, para a implementação e gestão de um portefólio de projetos agile, existem quatro dimensões relevantes a considerar. Foram também identificadas quatro barreiras e cinco facilitadores determinantes para o sucesso de uma Transformação Agile. Já o Enterprise Agile Transformation Model, considera ações para mitigar as barreiras e potenciar os facilitadores de uma Transformação Agile e apresenta recomendações para aumentar a maturidade ágil das organizações. A contribuição académica consiste em colmatar a lacuna existente na literatura científica sobre Transformações Agile e gestão de portefólio de projetos agile. Para a prática, a contribuição passa por dar ferramentas, estratégias e recomendações para a implementação de Métodos Agile nas organizações

Organizational Change Perspectives on Software Process Improvement

Many software organizations have engaged in Software Process Improvement (SPI) and experienced the challenges related to managing such complex organizational change efforts. As a result, there is an increasing body of research investigating change management in SPI. To provide an overview of what we know and don’t know about SPI as organizational change, this paper addresses the following question: What are the dominant perspectives on SPI as organizational change in the literature and how is this knowledge presented and published? All journals on the AIS ranking list were screened to identify relevant articles and Gareth Morgan’s organizational metaphors (1996) were used to analyze this literature considering the following dimensions of each article: organizational perspective (metaphor), knowledge orientation (normative versus descriptive), theoretical emphasis (high versus low), main audience (practitioner versus academic), geographical origin (Scandinavia, the Americas, Europe, or the Asia-Pacific), and publication level (high versus low ranked journal). The review demonstrates that the literature on SPI as organizational change is firmly grounded in both theory and practice, and Scandinavia and the Americas are the main contributors to this research. The distribution of articles across Morgan’s metaphors is uneven and reveals knowledge gaps that present new avenues for research. The current literature offers important insights into organizational change in SPI from machine, organism, and brain perspectives. Practitioners may use these articles as a guide to SPI insights relevant to their improvement initiatives. In contrast, the impact of culture, dominance, psychic prison, flux and transformation, and politics in SPI have only received scant attention. We argue that these perspectives offer important insights into the challenges involved in managing change in SPI. Researchers are therefore advised to engage in new SPI research based on one or more of these perspectives. Overall, the paper provides a roadmap to help identify insights and specific articles related to SPI as organizational change.Software Process Improvement; Organizational Change; Organizational Metaphors; Images of Organization; Literature Review

Cooperation between university and industry in the research of the suitability of agile methodologies in software development

Choosing a proper approach to manage a software development project is critical to increasing the chances to succeed in the venture. One of the great dilemmas nowadays concerns the option for an Agile or a traditional approach. There are several characteristics of software projects and the business environment in which they are carried out that must be considered while choosing the most appropriate development process. Although Agile development methodologies have been increasingly expanding and consolidating worldwide as an effective way of building software in the last two decades, they are not a one-size-fits-all approach. Knowing when to use Agile and which methodology is most suitable are the great questions that we aimed to answer in this study. In this paper, through a comprehensive revision of the Agile literature and an exploratory study, with the realization of focus group sessions with Agile practitioners and an interview with an Agile expert actively engaged in the software industry, we explored the characteristics of software development projects and organisational environments, identifying those that favour the use of an Agile approach. We also studied the main aspects that lead Agile teams to opt for one of the common Agile frameworks: Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, or Lean Software Development (LSD). The major goal of our study, clarifying the main aspects to be considered in the choice of an Agile methodology, is to support the decision-maker in the process of selecting an appropriate development approach.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Digital transformation maturity: A systematic review of literature

The goal of this paper is to present contemporary developments in the field of digital maturity models. By conducting a systematic literature review finally 24 relevant studies including 22 different models were identified and various characteristics of different digital maturity models were extracted. Focus was placed on the dimensions used to measure digital maturity in different model approaches. Special light was shed on organizational culture and to what extent it is represented in the models. Among other things, the findings indicate, that dimensions applied in various models can be very different and that just a few models incorporate transformational in addition to digital capabilities. In particular, organizational culture as a dedicated dimension of digital maturity is represented already in a few models, which indicates the growing importance of culture as an enabler of digital transformation efforts. Beside a comprehensive overview of the most widely used dimensions measuring digital maturity, a synthesis of the most frequently addressed cultural attributes is presented in this paper as well. This review finally reveals that most of the existing models give an incomplete picture of digital maturity, that cultural attributes reflecting a digital culture are not integrated systematically, and that digital maturity models specific to the domain of services are clearly under-represented. It also clearly demonstrates that research about digital transformation maturity as a holistic concept is scarce and needs more attention by research in the future