In recent years, product development organizations have started adopting agile methods beyond its intended application on software development as part of organizational aspirations to increase market responsiveness and decrease lead times. Such extended adoption of agile is now commonly known as large-scale agile transformation, yet case studies and research-based guidance on implementing agile at scale is scarce. Available literature lists several general challenges and success factors surfacing during the full course of transformation. This thesis aims to complement existing research through investigating critical factors of a large-scale transformation specifically at early stages of agile adoption. This is performed by applying Laanti's agile maturity model and Roger's innovation adoption theory to a case study of a large fintech company who recently initiated their transformation. Although many of the general challenges discovered were proven to appear even at early stages of adoption, we found four factors particularly important for early-stage adoption of large-scale agile, namely 1) having agile support tailored to team maturity, 2) involving project managers in agile coaching, 3) breaking down silo barriers and 4) developing agile customer contracts. In addition to the critical factors found, we propose an extension to Roger's adoption model in cases when external stakeholders are believed to be affected by the adoption of an innovation. Further studies on early-stage adoption of large-scale agile are required to confirm our conclusions. / Som ett led i att öka marknadsresponsivitet och minska ledtider, har det idag blivit alltmer vanligt för organisationer som utvecklar produkter att applicera agila arbetssätt utanför mjukvaruutveckling. En sådan utökad adoption av agile kallas för storskalig agile transformation. Fallstudier och forskningsbaserade råd för implementering av agile i stor skala är fortfarande få. Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till och komplettera existerande forskning genom att utforska kritiska faktorer för storskaliga agila transformationer i ett tidigt adoptionsstadie. Detta görs genom att applicera och kombinera Laanti's agila mognadsmodell och Roger's teori om innovationsadoption i en fallstudie på ett stort fintech-företag som nyligen initierade sin agila transformation. Fyra kritiska faktorer specifika för tidigaadoptionsstadier identifierades, närmare bestämt vikten av att 1) anpassa agila stödfunktioner till varje teams agila mognad, 2) involvera projektledare i agile coachning, 3) bryta ner silobarriärer mellan funktioner och 4) utveckla agila kundkontrakt. Dessutom föreslår vi en utökning av Roger's innovationsegenskaper för värdering av potentiell adoptionsframgång av innovationer som påverkar externa intressenter. Ytterligare studier på stor-skalig agil transformation i tidiga stadier krävs för att bekräfta våra slutsatser.

Allt fler aktörer uppkommer på den redan konkurrenskraftiga marknaden vilket ställer höga krav på utveckling av nya innovativa produkter för företag inom mjukvarubranschen. Detta leder till att företag måste förändra sin struktur och sitt arbetssätt för att kunna anpassa sin produktutveckling efter kunderna och marknaden. Ett sätt för företag att kunna fortsätta vara konkurrenskraftiga och bemöta marknadens behov är att implementera agila arbetssätt. Syftet med detta arbete är att bidra till ökad kunskap kring hur produktutvecklingsprocessen för en agil transformation från beslut till implementation kan ske i mjukvarubranschen. Arbetet har undersökt tre frågeställningar relaterade till agil transformation i mjukvarubranschen. Inledningsvis genomfördes en litteraturstudie för att erhålla en ökad förståelse för produktutveckling i mjukvarubranschen och för det agila arbetssättet. Vidare utfördes en kvalitativ semistrukturerad intervjuundersökning med fyra respondenter från tre företag där samtliga arbetar med agila arbetssätt och produktutveckling inom mjukvarubranschen. Den kvalitativa studien undersökte vilka utmaningar och potentiella fördelar en agil transformation kan generera samt vad som kännetecknar en lyckad agil transformation. Utifrån resultatet av denna studie utformades ett antal kategorier som kan användas som riktlinjer för hur en organisation kan gå tillväga vid en agil transformation i mjukvarubranschen. Studien visar att en agil transformation är en komplex och tidskrävande process. Utmaningar med agil transformation innefattar att ett agilt arbetssätt ofta blir beroende av en nyckelperson, det kräver en hög samverkan och ökad förståelse för varandras arbetsuppgifter samt ett anpassningsbart tankesätt som är mottagligt för förändring. Däremot genererar den agila transformationen fördelar så som en ökad produktivitet och användarnöjdhet, minskat antal defekter och en kortare ledtid hos samtliga företag. För att lyckas med en agil transformation visar studien på att ett företags medarbetare bör vara mottagliga för förändring och att motivet till transformationen borde komma inifrån organisationen. Sammanfattningsvis resulterade den agila transformationen i en förbättrad mjukvaruutveckling. / A large number of businesses are emerging on the already competitive market which places high demands on the development of new innovative products for companies in the software industry. As a result, companies must change the structure of the organization and their methods. Due to this, they have to customize their product development in order to meet the requirements of the customers and the markets demand and maintain their competitiveness. One way for companies to stay competitive is by implementing agile working methodologies. This study aims to contribute with knowledge and investigate the processes of an agile transformation from decision-making to implementation in the software industry. The study has examined three problem statements related to the agile transformation in the software industry. Initially a literature review was performed to gain an insight into product development in the software industry and the agile working methodologies. Furthermore, a semi structured qualitative interview was conducted which involved four respondents from three companies that work with agile working methodologies and product development in the software industry. This qualitative study examined the challenges and possible opportunities that an agile transformation generates as well as the characteristics of a successful transformation. Based on the result of this study, several categories were chosen and treated as guidelines for how an organization in the software industry can approach the agile transformation and proceed with it successfully. The results of the study demonstrate that an agile transformation is a complex and time-consuming process. The many challenges involving the agile transformation includes that the agile working methodology often becomes dependent of a single key person, it also requires collaboration, an increased understanding of each other’s work as well as an adaptable mindset that is receptive towards change. However, the agile transformation enables advantages amongst all the companies such as an increased productivity and user satisfaction, decreased number of defects as well as a reduced leadtime. To succeed with an agile transformation, it is of importance that a company’s employees are receptive towards change and that the motive behind the transformation comes internally within the organization. In conclusion, the agile transformation improved and strengthened the companies’ software development.

In today’s volatile market, retail companies struggle for survival as they have to become more flexible and dynamic. Thus, they change the organization, implementing agile methods. However agile is more than a set of practices and therefore the implementation process needs to be accompanied by organizational development to accomplish successful organizational change. This has been shown to be difficult for retail companies due to their size, defined silos, comfortable long-established ways of doing things and strong bureaucratic hierarchical culture. This thesis studies the implementation of agile in a large-scale retail organization and uses organizational development as a tool for deeper understanding and analysis. The study has been conducted at one of Sweden's leading retail organizations, where the research design contains two phases: one pre-study phase where a deeper understanding of the company and the transformation is achieved resulting in a problem formulation and the second phase where the main study is directed by the problem formulation and leads to an analysis and conclusion. The analysis is based on empirics gathered from three separate teams and is divided into three interconnected change phases, “Preparation”, “Implementation” and “Desired state”. From the analysis in the preparation and implementation phases; strengths and challenges within the organization were identified. Together with a maturity model to evaluate the implemented agile practices and an organizational culture assessment instrument to evaluate people and culture, the strengths and challenges were then used to estimate their current state and compare it to their future desired state. In conclusion, the strengths of the case company were that, when implemented, the observed teams incorporated the agile ceremonies and ways of work successfully. However, there were challenges identified in relation to resistance within management, there was a general lack of support from the sponsors and confusion about the managerial roles. There was also a lack of communication, cooperation and synchronizations between teams. / I dagens flyktiga marknader kämpar företag inom dagligvaruhandeln för att överleva då de måste bli mer flexibla och dynamiska i deras strategi. För att bemöta detta ändrar företagen sin strategi genom implementering av agila metoder. Emellertid handlar att vara agil inte bara om att använda sig av olika verktyg och övningar för att ändra hur man arbetar, utan för att implementeringen av agila metoder ska vara lyckad, måste den följas med av en lyckad organisationsförändring. En sådan agil implementering och organisationsförändring har visats vara komplicerad i just dagligvaruhandeln på grund av organisationernas ofta stora storlek, definierade silos, komfortabla gamla traditioner och starka hierarkiska organisationskultur. Denna uppsats studerar implementationen av agilt i ett storskaligt företag inom dagligvaruhandeln och använder sig av organisationsutveckling som ett verktyg för att nå en djupare förståelse och analys. Analysen är uppdelad i tre olika sammanhängande faser “Förberedelse”, “Implementering”, och “Önskat Tillstånd”. Empirin analysen är baserad på kommer från tre olika separata team, vilka är i olika faser av den agila transformationen. I förberedelse- och implementeringsfaserna identifieras styrkor och utmaningar hos företaget. Dessa används sedan tillsammans med en mognadhetsmodell, för att evaluera de agila tillvägagångssätten samt ett bedömningsinstrument för organisationskultur, för att evaluera personer och kultur, i syfte att sedan utvärdera det nuvarande tillståndet i jämförelse med det önskade. Sammanfattningsvis lyckades de observerade teamen att framgångsrikt implementera de agila metoderna och arbetssätten. Däremot identifierades flera utmaningar i relation till motstånd inom management. Det fanns en generell förvirring kring chefs rollernas betydelse och det saknades stöd från ledningsgruppen. Slutligen identifierades även förbättringsområden inom kommunikation, samarbete och synkronisering mellan olika team.

Background: The Swedish Royal School of Technology (KTH) was hired to conduct a pilot study project on stress prevention, "Stress Prevention Project" in a Swedish high-tech global manufacturing company with headquarters in Sweden. The aim was to identify the root causes of stress among employees at the organizational level and to offer a way to prevent the root causes. The initiative to implement the project came from the HR department in the company. The occupational health department had not been able to lower the costs of sickness and rehabilitation. One of nine divisions was included in this evaluation study. The project was carried out during the years of 2012-2014, and three quantitative stress measurements were carried out using the modern working environment form “Modern Work Life” based of knowledge from KTH and designed by Metodicum. The present study has evaluated the root causes of the division's stress. In the division, it was stated that the risk areas that the division had to work with were: resources, demands, control, support but also leadership and reorganization with implementing the Agile methods (autonomous work) in the form of. The aim was to improve the psychosocial occupational health and to make the production work more efficient. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the effect of stress preventive measures in one of the nine divisions (that were included in the overall project) and the effect of implementing the Agile methods (autonomous work) in the organization. Limitations: The evaluation is restricted to one of the nine divisions. Method: The method is a quantitative and qualitative case study, with a narrative approach. The study includes a division with 200 employees of which data was collected from 18 of these employees in two focus groups interviews. Materials have also been collected from interviews with the division's HR director, section leader, head of unit and head of the organization's business health. The evaluation is based on qualitative data, which were obtained through 3 single interviews and 4 focus group interviews and participant observation. Quantitative data were obtained through three different measurements (between 2012-14). The quantitative data were compared and analyzed with the qualitative data in order to understand the results up to the final measurement 3 (2014). Results: The evaluation of the stress prevention – where the focus was to prevent risk areas including demands, develop resources, control, support and also leadership – showed that introducing and using the Agile working principles had had a significant positive effect on all the risk areas. Additionally, this change in the organization contributed to positive results regarding the efficiency of the production process; a reduction of working hours from 12 months to 2 weeks of action at the same result. The absence due to illness and rehabilitation has been decreasing from 4 % to 0,5-1% right after introducing the Agile methods in the division. However, the results also showed no improvement regarding some other working environment; as conflicts and bullying persisted. This may be due to how the reorganization of the groups was done. It should be clarified that the outcomes may be influenced by the extensive reorganization that took place in connection with the stress prevention project and the introduction of the agile approach. Conclusions - The stress prevention could not have been done efficiently due to other on-going reorganizations in the company and the staff has not been able to follow the recommendation for efficient stress-prevention due to lack of support from the headquarter. That created a crisis in the stress prevention-project group. The agile methods seem to have had a significant good result in all risk areas as resources, demands, control, support and also leadership and the absence has decreased from 4 to 0,5 %. Due to the agile methods have the productions process been shorter from 12 months to 2 weeks.