Context: There has been a substantial growth of organizations adoptingAgile software development methodologies for various reasons. The requirementof improving the software processes with respect to traditional softwaredevelopment was clear and evident for different reasons. But the need forSoftware Process Improvements (SPI) in Agile context is unclear and thechallenges faced during the implementation of SPI in Agile software developmentare quite ambiguous. These two issues lie as a motivation for theobjectives of our study. Agile being a flexible way of software development,having a non-flexible framework is almost incompatible for implementingSPI in Agile software development. This acts as an inducement for buildingup our final objective. Objectives: The objectives of this research is to identify the need of Agile-SPI in software industry, challenges faced in implementing Agile-SPI atorganizational level and at team level and finally propose an approach forimplementing Agile-SPI based on improving practices. Methods: In order to achieve the objectives of our research, we initiallycarried out a survey, later cross verified and validated the data obtained inthe surveys through interviews. Literature review was performed to gainknowledge over the background and related work. Results: A total of 34 responses were obtained through survey. Theseresponses obtained through survey are further cross verified and validatedthrough 9 interviews. The data obtained through survey has been analyzedthrough descriptive statistics and the data obtained through interviews wasanalyzed using thematic coding. Conclusions: The need of Agile-SPI and the challenges faced by the organizationsand teams while implementing SPI in Agile software developmentwere identified. A total of 16 needs of Agile-SPI, 30 challenges faced byorganization and 37 challenges faced by team were drawn from survey andinterviews conducted. Finally, a conceptual framework has been proposedto implement SPI in Agile environment based on improving practices.

abstract: The traditional analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (ADDIE) model is inadequate for dealing with the instructional design requirements of today’s constantly evolving world. This reality is especially true at the National Simulation Center where medicine and technology are constantly changing. To provide the best care for the nation’s veterans, the educational products must too reflect the current state of medicine. The Agile ADDIE Framework was developed to overcome challenges such as a constantly changing domain, external threats to the development process, and the need for expedited timelines while still creating quality products. Using agile theory, including the agile manifesto, as a theoretical framework, the Agile ADDIE Framework was created. The Agile ADDIE Framework implements agile elements into the traditional ADDIE model, such as an iterate, assess, and align (IAA) cycle in an effort to increases in flexibility, quality, and efficiency. A mixed method action research project reviewed the impact that agile elements had on the ADDIE model at the National Simulation Center. The working group participants underwent biweekly meetings using scrum methodology. Data collection included pre- and post-intervention interviews, weekly structured reflections, focus groups that occurred throughout the development process, and a burndown log to track performance. Additionally, the course that was created using the Agile ADDIE Framework was compared to a product that was completed using the traditional ADDIE model by a panel of instructional designers. Participants identified that the Agile ADDIE Framework was able to create a higher-quality product in a shorter amount of time when compared to a training support package developed using the traditional ADDIE model. Several themes emerged from the data, including the Agile ADDIE Framework was perceived to be more flexible and engaging to subject matter experts. There was also a discussion involving lesson learned, limitations, and implications for both practice and the domains. Future research considerations include the implementation of the Agile ADDIE Framework in a more generalized study. This study presents a framework that enables traditional ADDIE model instructional design operations into an agile era. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2020

Agile software development methods have seen great success in software teams. Research on the topic of adopting agile methods in development teams is extensive. In the literature key enabling factors are identified and numerous benefits of agile ways of working are named. Less attention has been payed to the non-software functions in software development organizations, though. Moreover, little is known about how well the enabling factors and benefits for software teams translate to other teams in the organization. The goal of this study is to evaluate what benefits agile methods provide to non-software teams, whether the enabling factors are similar and what the challenges and drawbacks for adopting agile methods in commercial teams are. Using the case of the Swedish Software-as-a-Service company Funnel, which introduced agile practices into their commercial teams, these questions are tackled. The study finds that knowledge transfer and governance are core areas that need to be engaged in during the adoption process. With decisions being made more autonomously ensuring the exchange of relevant information is crucial. The autonomy creates new demands for the governance structure, making a guiding vision and clear strategic direction crucial for individuals to remain capable of acting. An additional focus is laid on the interplay of organizational values and agile methods. The study concludes that the introduction of agile methods to commercial teams is beneficial for the organization and helps teams solve more complex problems. It further argues that the distinction drawn between agile practices and agile enablers is misleading because of the reciprocal dependence. Finally, it is argued, that the distinction of benefits and drawbacks arising from agile methods favors agile adoption as an end in itself. The actual benefit of adopting agile practices may lie with how it makes an organization practice change, engage proactively with organizational challenges and, as a consequence, develop a greater exaptive potential.

In recent years an increase of agile methodologies and their implementation in mainstream software engineering projects have been seen, but this implementation has reportedly changed agility in practice into a hybrid form of agility and more classic methodologies. With a lack of research regarding these hybrid methodologies this multiple case study empirically analyses the practice of methodologies from two different conglomerates and places the results in the Information Technology Management framework (ITMF) to answer the research question; How are hybrid agile methodologies enacted in practice in mature agile teams and why are they enacted in such a way? The result show that the organizations work agile within a waterfall framework, a hybrid form of requirement handling into agile development followed by waterfall testing. The hybrid methodologies are imposed by external factors such as the sales department and traditional economic reporting. This study acknowledges a need for a greater understanding of the engagement between external actors and software development.

Cinnober is an organization that develops advanced software solutions for financial institutions. As a part of the technology toolkit used at Cinnober there is a web framework with which GUI development can be driven from the data available on the server, through configuration rather than development. Rather than having the user interface emerge as a result of technology and available data, they would like to explore a software development model driven by user centered design. Cinnober practices scrum, an agile software development framework, which has proven difficult to integrate with user centered design. This thesis strives to identify suitable methods for performing user centered design in the environment of agile software development. A development process based on scrum, lean UX, staggered sprints and the effect map was then utilized and evaluated in a short development project at Cinnober. Utilizing and evaluating those methods yielded valuable input which can be of use in future development efforts. While there was plenty of positive feedback from the development team there was also some room for improvement. Additionally, there are quite a few pieces missing in order for the utilized development process to cover all aspects considered important in one of the most commonly cited definitions of user centered design.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Software development is a relatively young science and involves certain tools, techniques, documentation aids and processes that are applied to deliver a software project. As hardware, software and business needs advanced, so did the processes used in managing software development. It is a dynamic and complex process and each development environment or project has its own unique characteristics. For this reason the methodologies followed during the development process is very often debated. Software development teams have a wide array of methodologies to choose from. The development team usually decides what the key success factors are to deliver a software product, and then examines each one within the framework of a list of potential methodologies. This way the team can compare which methodology would best suit their needs. Factors used to evaluate which methodology to follow, includes the size of the project team, rate of expected changes, the primary goal of the project, how requirements will be managed, communication structures that will be followed, the nature of the relationship with the customer, and the organisational culture in the customer organisation. This research report takes a comparative look at Waterfall methods versus Agile methods.

Background: Exploring the ambidexterity literature in the context of agile software development organizations from the perspective of how the organizational characteristics that result from the application of agile methods affect the achievement of ambidexterity Aim: To gain insight into how agile software development organizations achieve ambidexterity. Methodology: How agile software development organizations achieve ambidexterity was studied through a multiple case study where the total of four case projects in two different organizations were examined. Findings: This study indicated how the characteristics of agile software development organizations have an essential role in how ambidexterity is achieved in these organizations.

This paper examines the use of Agile Software Development in the technology industry and how it came to be one of the leading models used in project management. By investigating the software development methods used in the late 1900s, it becomes clear where the system needed improvement in order to improve the efficiency in developing products. In investigating the Agile Manifesto, new and essential components are introduced that become vital in successfully producing a product. From this, it is easier to understand why Agile is so commonly used in the software development industry and how it became so effective.

Teams consisting of only software developers will occasionally need to develop products that has to be easy to use. User Centered Design (UCD) is one approach to help increase the ease of use of a product and that can be incorporated into the teams’ traditional workflow when needed. The software developer team followed in this thesis had not tried to incorporate UCD into their current workflow when developing such products. So, this thesis looks at how a product designed with an agile/UCD approach differs from a product developed by the software development team’s traditional approach. The two products were designed to solve the same problem. The results show that the product developed with an agile/UCD-approach gave better usability rankings and better external appeal than the one created with the team’s traditional approach. On the other hand, traditional methods constitute a better choice for quick development of products for more technical user groups within the company for example.

Partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master in Commerce (Information Systems) (Course work) At the School of Economic and Business Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, 2017 / Due to the trite nature of the software development environment, traditional software methodologies are no longer relied on to deliver software products in a timeous manner. As a response to this limitation, the agile manifesto was launched. The manifesto consists of values and principles centred around the self-organising team’s ability to achieve higher productivity, that is, to deliver software products quickly and with a high quality. With the self-organising team at the centre of this phenomenon, this interpretive case study seeks to gain greater insight into the processes and reasons behind this outcome. The site selected for this study is the IT divisions of a South African bank that have adopted Agile as a methodology to deliver software products. The data was collected through semi structured interviews, focused groups and documentation. The data was analysed qualitatively using thematic and content analysis. The framework for enhanced performance in agile software development teams was conceptualised. The conceptualisation was informed by the empirical evidence and the interpretation of findings and literature / XL2018