Agile practices have become norm, also in large scale organizations. Applying agile methods includes introducing continuous practices, including continuous architecture. For web scale applications microservices is a rising star. This thesis investigates if microservices could be an answer also for embedded systems to tackle the synchronizing problem of many parallel teams.

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Background There is a lack of knowledge about how mature Swedish authorities are in their agile work. At one of the Swedish Transport Administration's ICT units, proposals have been submitted to implement the scalable agile framework SAFe. The unit has four development teams that have a regular collaboration with the business side, where users and business-related managers are located. Today, it varies between different development teams how agile you work and the business side generally does not work agile at all. Aim The purpose of the study is to contribute with knowledge about how problems with working methods can be met by SAFe and provide an indication of the agile maturity of the relevant authority through the use of the Gartner model for agile maturity. The model has 6 levels on a scale of 0-5. The study also compiles challenges and recommendations for large-scale agile implementations and places them on a strategic, tactical and operational level. Method Interviews were conducted with three people on ICT and one person on the busi-ness side. A survey was conducted in which 16 of the 27 people at the Unit responded. The literature review found 9 studies with a total of 68 challenges and 67 recommendations from previous large-scale agile implementations. Criteria from the Gartner model were identified at each level and the findings from the data collection were compared against all criteria. Results At the ICT unit, the following areas were identified as challenges: training, auto-mation, collaboration with the business, commissioning, collaboration between teams, and workload. The literature study's findings of the most common challenges and recommendations at each level are: Strategic level - Challenge: inappropriate agile implementation method. Recommendation: develop an integrated, agile concept; Tactical level - Challenge: agile introduction from above creates resistance. Recommendation: ensure support from management; Operational level - Challenge: general resistance to change and Lack of education. Recommendation: offer training in agile methods. Conclusions SAFe could meet most of the unit's challenges, with the exception of "training" which is not met by any of SAFE's components. Based on the Gartner model foragile maturity, the unit was placed at level 2. In an agile introduction, the unit can take advantage of the literature study's challenges and recommendations. The result is interesting for organizations that are considering introducing a large-scale agile framework.

Submitted by Caroline Xavier (caroline.xavier@pucrs.br) on 2017-06-30T18:19:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DIS_GREICE_DE_CARLI_ROMAN_COMPLETO.pdf: 9835425 bytes, checksum: aa605361de91b916006af4710a54365b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-30T18:19:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DIS_GREICE_DE_CARLI_ROMAN_COMPLETO.pdf: 9835425 bytes, checksum: aa605361de91b916006af4710a54365b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-15 / Em fevereiro de 2001, o Manifesto ?gil foi proposto tendo como princ?pio equipes pequenas e co-localizadas. No entanto, ao longo destes 16 anos, a agilidade tamb?m foi posta em pr?tica em outros contextos, como por exemplo: equipes distribu?das e sistemas complexos, utilizando-se o termo "Desenvolvimento ?gil em Larga Escala". N?o h? uma defini??o clara e compreensiva de como a agilidade est? presente neste contexto. Assim, nosso trabalho preenche essa lacuna com o objetivo de caracterizar a agilidade no Desenvolvimento ?gil em Larga Escala. Neste trabalho, realizou-se um estudo organizado em duas fases. Na Fase 1, denominada Base Te?rica, realizamos um estudo do estado-da-arte da ?rea. Na Fase 2, denominado Estudo Emp?rico, n?s realizamos duas investiga??es: um estudo de campo em uma empresa ?gil em larga escala, para identificar o desenvolvimento durante o processo de transforma??o da empresa para esta nova abordagem e, um grupo focal, para identificar como as equipes ?geis em larga escala que v?m utilizando os m?todos ?geis o quanto se percebem em termos de aspectos de maturidade ?gil. Estes resultados contribuem para os pesquisadores e profissionais entenderem melhor como a agilidade e definida e percebida nestes grandes ambientes. O conhecimento e ?til para aqueles que querem entender como o desenvolvimento ?gil se adapta a tais ambientes e para pesquisadores com o objetivo de se aprofundar sobre o tema. / The Agile Manifesto was proposed in February 2001 having in mind small and collocated teams. However, agile has also been put in practice in other settings (e.g. large teams, distributed teams, complex systems) under the term ?Large-Scale Agile Development' (LSAD). There is no clear definition for and understanding of how agility is present in this setting. Thus, our work fills in this gap aiming to characterize agility in LSAD. We conducted a study organized in two phases. In Phase 1, named Theoretical Base, we conducted the state-of-the-art of the area. In Phase 2, named Empirical Study, we conducted two investigations: a field study in a large-scale agile company to identify how agility was developed during the transformation process of the company to this new approach, and a focus group to identify how large-scale agile teams that have been using agile for a certain while perceive themselves in terms of maturity in agile aspects. Findings contribute to researchers and professionals better understand how agility is defined and perceived in large settings. This knowledge is useful for those who want to enter the agile journey in such similar environments and for researchers aiming to further explore the topic.

There are many difficulties in agile transformations, and a majority of the transformation efforts fail. However, companies continue to pursue the agile path, pushed by forces, both in their environments and internally. The purpose of this study is to explore what facilitators and inhibitors are present in an agile transformation. This is to try and understand agile transformations better, and a lens of change management and culture will be utilized to focus on some essential aspects. To succeed in this, two research questions are to be answered: How does culture facilitate or inhibit change in agile transformations in a software organization in the automotive industry? And, how does change management facilitate or inhibit change in agile transformations in a software organization in the automotive industry? This thesis is a case study on a software organization in the automotive industry, and provides a retrospect on the transformation. The firm originates from the automotive industry, resulting in the industry-related culture to continue affecting the firm today, both internally and externally. To understand the organizational context, the history of the organization, and the culture, the case study try to go in depth by exploring solely a single case. The thesis results are that multiple facilitators and inhibitors are identified for each of the aspects. However, most facilitators and inhibitors relates to both change management and culture, touching upon the interplay between these aspects. Further, the transformation effort is identified to be dependent on both the organizational culture and the organizational context, implicating that transformations efforts are rather unique.

In today's competitive market, established organizations need to adapt in order to survive. One way to do this is by transforming to agile. Since its origin in the IT industry, the agile approach has been embraced by several different industries. One industry where several major players have undergone an agile transformation is the banking industry, an industry which is characterized by strict regulatory requirements, complex organizational structure, and extensive use of technology. By conducting a case study exploring the agile transformation inside three large banks in Sweden, the motivating factors behind transforming to large-scale agile as well as the key aspects to consider when pursuing an agile transformation have been investigated. The study aims to contribute academically to existing research within the implementation of large-scale agile in the banking industry as well as practically by outlining driving factors and critical considerations when pursuing an agile transformation. An understanding of that the traditional ways of working did not suit today's dynamic market in combination with a need to increase market speed and faster respond to changes in customer needs were found to be the main motivating factors behind why the banks decided to transform to an agile approach. The theoretical and empirical findings led to the identification of five aspects to consider when transforming to large-scale agile. The five aspects are: The role of management, adjusting the method or framework to the organization, the people side of change, knowledge and education as well as the role of HR. Out of these five aspects, our findings indicate that the people side of change is the most challenging one but also the most crucial one to manage in order to accomplish a successful implementation. An active management support throughout the entire transformation journey, change-positive people in positions of leadership, adjustment of chosen methods or frameworks, and adequate funding for knowledge and education were discovered to be critical for a successful transformation. Furthermore, it was discovered that by integrating the HR function early in the transformation, many of the challenges associated with change management and leadership could be mitigated. / Etablerade organisationer som verkar på dagens föränderliga marknad behöver bli mer snabbrörliga för att bibehålla sin konkurrenskraft. Ett sätt för organisationer att bli mer snabbrörliga är att implementera agila arbetssätt. Sedan sitt ursprung i IT-branschen har agila arbetssätt implementerats av flera olika branscher. En industri där flera stora aktörer har genomgått en agil transformation är bankindustrin, en teknikintensiv industri med strikta lagkrav och komplexa organisationsstrukturer. Genom att genomföra en fallstudie om den agila transformationen som tre stora banker i Sverige har genomgått kunde de underliggande faktorerna bakom transformationerna till storskaligt agilt arbetssätt samt de viktigaste aspekterna att tänka på vid genomförandet undersökas. Studien syftar till att bidra akademiskt till befintlig forskning inom implementeringen av agila arbetssätt i bankindustrin samt praktiskt genom att beskriva underliggande faktorer samt viktiga aspekter att tänka på vid en agil transformation. En förståelse för att de traditionella arbetssätten inte passar dagens dynamiska marknad i kombination med ett behov av att möta förändrade kundbehov visade sig vara de mest framträdande underliggande faktorerna bakom varför företagen i studien beslutade sig för att implementera agila arbetssätt. Studien resulterade i fem identifierade aspekter att beakta vid implementering av agila arbetssätt: Ledningens roll, anpassning av ramverk till organisation, människans roll i förändringsresan, kunskap och utbildning samt integrering av HR-funktionen. Av dessa fem aspekter visar våra resultat att människans roll i förändringsprocessen är den mest utmanande att hantera men också den mest avgörande för att lyckas uppnå en framgångsrik transformation. Ett aktivt ledningsstöd under hela transformationsresan, förändringspositiva personer i ledande positioner, anpassning av valt ramverk samt tillräcklig finansiering för kunskap och utbildning visade sig vara av central betydelse. Dessutom konstaterades att genom att integrera HR-funktionen i ett tidigt skede av omvandlingen, kunde många av utmaningarna relaterade till förändringsledning och ledarskap mildras.

En dynamisk och komplex omvärld ställer allt större krav på förnyelse och organisatorisk anpassning. I många organisationer har agila arbetssätt blivit populära. Storskaliga agila transformationer kan dock i praktiken vara svåra att genomföra. Dessutom kan agilitet och en hierarkisk organisationsstruktur vara svåra att kombinera. Studiens syfte är att söka kunskap om förutsättningar som påverkar en storskalig agil transformation inom en statlig myndighet. För studiens analysmodell identifierades initialt, med grund i tidigare forskning inom organisatorisk förändring, tre utmaningar och fem framgångsfaktorer. Studiens empiriska material bygger på sju intervjuer med anställda på Skatteverket. Baserat på studiens resultat kompletterades analysmodellen med två utmaningar och två framgångsfaktorer specifika för Skatteverkets transformation. Studiens resultat visade att utmaningarna decentraliserad utveckling, arbete med värdeströmmar och synkronisering av styrning har varit framträdande. Motstånd till förändring och uppföljningsmetodik ansågs inte ha varit reella. Framgångsfaktorerna pilotstudie, stöd från ledningen, utbildning och coachning, kulturanpassning, eldsjälar och införandestrategi ansågs ha varit viktiga för Skatteverket. Vision och kommunikation ansågs inte ha varit av större betydelse. / In our dynamic and complex world organizations are facing an increased demand for renewal and flexibility. Many organizations now shift to becoming agile. Large scale agile transformations are however difficult to practically implement. Moreover, combining hierarchical organizational structures and agile ways of working might be challenging. The aim of this study is to seek knowledge about which conditions that are affecting large scale agile transformations within a state agency. Three challenges and five success factors were identified for the model of analysis based on previous research within the field organizational transformation. Data was gathered through seven interviews with employees at Skatteverket. Based on the result of the study two new challenges and two new success factors were added to the model of analysis. The results show that decentralized development, value streams and synchronization of management have been prominent challenges for Skatteverket. Resistance to change and follow-up methodology were not as evident. The success factors pilot study, support from management, education and coaching, adaptation of culture, agile enthusiasts and implement strategy have been important for Skatteverket. Vision and communication were not as important.

I en mer komplex och föränderlig värld har organisationer svårt att hänga med och tillräckligt snabbt ta vara på möjligheter, hantera utmaningar samt leva upp till förändringar i kundernas krav. De behöver därför öka sin förmåga att snabbare anpassa sig till förändring, något som benämns som business agility. För att bättre kunna hantera snabba förändringar har organisationer börjat arbeta enligt agila metoder, men dessa togs fram med enstaka team som förebild och är inte tänkta att hantera de utmaningar som uppstår när många team ska samarbeta i större organisationer. För att stora organisationer ska uppnå business agility behöver de skala upp de agila metoderna, denna organisationsförändring brukar benämnas som agil transformation. Till sin hjälp har de storskaliga agila ramverk. Det finns få fallstudier av agil transformation och tillämpningen av storskaliga agila ramverk i olika miljöer, i synnerhet i stora organisationer som är hårt reglerade och inom offentlig sektor. I de undersökningar och rapporter som finns är många utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer direkt eller indirekt koppling till ledarskapsfrågor men det finns begränsat med forskning om erfarenheter hos ledare, vilka är de personer som förväntas leda organisationsförändringen. Några av de största utmaningarna som har rapporterats är förändringsmotstånd hos medarbetare och en organisationskultur i strid med agila värderingar. Några av framgångsfaktorerna är stöd från ledning, kommunikation, transparens och att ökat kunnande i agil praxis. Syfte med denna studie är att från ett ledarskapsperspektiv undersöka en agil transformation med stöd av ett storskaligt agilt ramverk hos en myndighet. Den teoretiska referensramen innefattar teorier som har betydelse för förståelsen av business agility, agil transformation och lean-agilt ledarskap. En fallstudie som går på djupet och som ger möjlighet till en ingående beskrivning av verkligheten har valts och studien har en kvalitativ ansats. Fallet som studeras är utvecklingsverksamheten på Skatteverket som har använt det storskaliga agila ramverket SAFe som stöd i sin agila transformation. Data har samlats in genom intervjuer av personer med ledarroller och analysen av empirin är tematisk. Studiens slutsatser beskriver mötet mellan, dels den befintliga organisationsstrukturen och det storskaliga agila ramverket, dels mellan det konventionella ledarskapet och det agila. Studien ger svar på forskningsfrågan vilka lärdomar som kan ges till andra som planerar en storskalig agil transformation. Lärdomarna är kopplade till upplevelser av ett storskaliga agila ramverk, myndighetskontextens påverkan, beroenden, dubbla roller och ledarskap. / In a more complex and rapidly changing world, organizations find it difficult to keep up and take advantage of opportunities quickly enough, handle challenges and changes in customer requirements and therefore they need to increase their ability to adapt more quickly to change, something that is referred to as business agility. To better handle rapid change, organizations has adopted agile methods, but these were developed with individual teams as a model and are not intended to handle the challenges that arise when many teams work together in enterprises. For larger organizations, to achieve business agility, they need to scale up the agile methods and this change in organization is called an agile transformation. To their aid, they have large-scale agile frameworks. There are only a few case studies on agile transformation and the adaption of large-scale agile frameworks in various contexts, especially in large organizations that are strictly regulated and within the public sector. Many of the challenges and success factors that emerge from the studies and reports that do exist, are directly or indirectly linked to leadership issues, but there is limited research on the experiences of leaders, who are expected to lead the agile transformation. Some of the most reported challenges are resistance to change among employees and an organizational culture contrary to agile values. Support from leaders, communication, transparency, and increased knowledge in agile practices, are among the most reported success factors. The research objective is to examine an agile transformation, from a leadership perspective, with the support of a large-scale agile framework at government agency. The theoretical framework includes theories of importance for the understanding of business agility, agile transformation, and lean-agile leadership. A case study that goes in depth and which provides an opportunity for a detailed description of reality has been chosen and the study has a qualitative approach. The case being studied is the development department at Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), which has used the large-scale agile framework SAFe in its agile transformation. Data have been collected through interviews with people with leadership roles and the analysis of the empirical data is thematic. The conclusions of this study describe the meeting between the existing organizational structure and the large-scale agile framework, and between the traditional leadership and the agile. The study provides answers to the research question of what lessons can be given to others who are planning a large-scale agile transformation. The lessons are connected to experiences of a large-scale agile framework, the influence of the government agency context, dependencies, dual roles and leadership.

Many organizations from and outside of the IT industry are trying to implement Agile in their ways of working via large scale transformations. The organizations feels the need to become Agile in order to increase their client satisfaction, deliver their product faster, and compete in the rapidly changing market. This Master's thesis was conducted at one of the largest energy utilities in the north of Europe, Company C, in order to analyze their R\&D organization after implementing their large scale Agile transformation. The thesis main research question focused on studying how did the large scale Agile transformation effect the organization ambidexterity, knowledge transfer capabilities, and ability to innovate. The question was analyzed qualitatively via an ethnographic design and a set of semi-structured interviews. The results have shown various challenges within the organization that were introduced after the large scale Agile transformation, such as focusing only on customer satisfaction as a measure of success, and the reduction of knowledge transfer capabilities with the department. The analysisand discussions evaluated the connection between those challenges and the large scale Agile transformation. The main takeaways from the Thesis suggested that the Agile transformation provided the necessary tool for the organization to become more exploitative, however, there was no clear connection between the transformation and the diminishing exploratory practices. Moreover, the large scale Agile transformation supported incremental innovations, but did not negatively impact other types of innovation. Finally, the knowledge transfer capabilities were reduced due to the minimal documentation approach that the organization has implemented. / Många organisationer från och utanför IT-branschen försöker implementera Agile i sina arbetssätt genom storskaliga transformationer. Organisationerna känner behov av att bli Agila för att öka sin kundnöjdhet, leverera sina produkter snabbare och konkurrera på den snabbt föränderliga marknaden. Detta masterarbete genomfördes på ett av de största energiföretagen i norra Europa, Company C, för att analysera deras FoU-organisation efter att ha implementerat sin storskaliga agila-transformation. Arbetets huvudsakliga forskningsfråga fokuserade på att studera hur den storskaliga agila-transformationen påverkade organisationens förmåga till ambidextri, kunskapsöverföring och innovationsförmåga. Frågan analyserades kvalitativt genom en etnografisk design och en uppsättning semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultaten har visat olika utmaningar inom organisationen som introducerades efter den storskaliga Agile-transformationen, såsom att fokusera endast på kundnöjdhet som en måttstock för framgång och minskningen av kunskapsöverföringsförmågan inom avdelningen. Analysen och diskussionerna utvärderade sambandet mellan dessa utmaningar och den storskaliga Agile-transformationen. Huvudpunkterna från arbetet föreslog att Agile-transformationen gav organisationen de nödvändiga verktygen för att bli mer exploaterande, men det fanns ingen tydlig koppling mellan transformationen och minskningen av utforskande praktiker. Dessutom stödde den storskaliga Agile-transformationen inkrementella innovationer men påverkade inte negativt andra typer av innovation. Slutligen minskade kunskapsöverföringsförmågan på grund av den minimala dokumentationsansatsen som organisationen genomfört.

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.