Agile Methods Adoption onSoftware Development

A Pilot Review

@caiocestari@alfredogoldman

IPT & IME-USP

The Organizational Agile Adoption Problem

what we want

We’re strugglin

g! what we get

Deliver Value EarlyReplan FrequentlyImprove QualityEngage PeopleStimulate Innovation

Daily MeetingsPlannings and ReviewsProduct BacklogsDysfunctional Roles

The Organizational Agile Adoption Problem

what we want

We’re strugglin

g! what we get

Why all those failures?

8th Annual State of Agile Survey - VersionOne

Some Benefits Need Organizational Shifts

James Shore and Diana Larsen’s Agile Fluency Model

Organizational Agile Adoption is a Complex

Problem

David Snowden’s Cynefin Framework

Research Question

Is it possible to relate characteristics of organizations to the steps they

take to adopt agile methods?

(size, year of adoption, software as an end or non-end activity,

country…)

Evidence on Agile Adoption

Empirical Adoption Generic Adoption

Secondary Research Questions

• What are the main steps taken by organizations that adopted agile methods empirically?

• What are the existing generic ways to guide an organizational agile adoption?

• Is it possible to relate steps from empiric agile adoptions in organizations to any of the existing generic ways?

Systematic Review Protocol (Kitchenham et al.)

Electronic and Manual

Search (4062)

Duplicated(732)

Accepted(3330)

Title Filter(3127)

Accepted(203)

Abstract and Conclusion Filter (108)

Accepted(95)

1) Define Research Question

2) DefineSearch Strategy

3) DefineAcceptance Criteria 4) Extract Data

5) Analyze Data

Electronic and Manual Search

Rejected Studies

Rejection Category # of Studies

Not related to Agile Adoption

3126

Teams or Projects Adoption 38Other Perspectives of Adoption (PO, TDD, DSD)

24

Pre-Adoption or Post-Adoption

19

Other Reasons 27

Accepted Studies

Acceptance Category # of Studies

Experience Report 63Framework 17Study Case 3Survey 3Generic Analysis 6Uncertain 5

Brief Qualitative Analysis

(To check contribution to the research questions)

+ Agile Adoption Framework (AAF)+ Agile Adoption Motivation Framework (AAMF)

Organizational Similarities

• Motivated by scientific management and waterfall

• Pilot-project or pilot-team

• Scrum

Existing Generic Ways

Acceptance Category # of Studies

Experience Report 63Framework 17Study Case 3Survey 3Generic Analysis 6Uncertain 5

Empirical/Generic Relation

• AAF and AAMF consider organizational factors as a restriction to Agile adoption at the team/project level

• AAF proposes an organizational go/no-go phase when are evaluated:• the real need of the Agile transition• available budget• executive support

Primary Conclusions and Next Steps

• There is a solid contribution to the secondary research questions (with less than 10%)

• There’s great potential to answer the main research question positively

Next planned steps are: studies full assessment, data extraction and qualitative/quantitative analysis

Thank you! @caiocestari

@alfredogoldman

your feedbackis totally welcome!