Coevolving Systems and the Organization of Agile Software Development.

Author List: Vidgen, Richard; Wang, Xiaofeng;
Information Systems Research, 2009, Volume 20, Issue 3, Page 355-376.
Despite the popularity of agile methods in software development and increasing adoption by organizations there is debate about what agility is and how it is achieved. The debate suffers from a lack of understanding of agile concepts and how agile software development is practiced. This paper develops a framework for the organization of agile software development that identifies enablers and inhibitors of agility and the emergent capabilities of agile teams. The work is grounded in complex adaptive systems (CAS) and draws on three principles of coevolving systems: match coevolutionary change rate, maximize self-organizing, and synchronize exploitation and exploration. These principles are used to study the processes of two software development teams, one a team using eXtreme Programming (XP) and the other a team using a more traditional, waterfall-based development cycle. From the cases a framework for the organization of agile software development is developed. Time pacing, self-management with discipline and routinization of exploration are among the agile enablers found in the cases studies while event pacing, centralized management, and lack of resources allocated to exploration are found to be inhibitors to agility. Emergent capabilities of agile teams that are identified from the research include coevolution of business value, sustainable working with rhythm, sharing and team learning, and collective mindfulness.
Keywords: agile software development; coevolving systems; complex adaptive systems; innovation; mindfulness; rhythm; time-pacing
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List of Topics

#152 0.258 software development process performance agile processes developers response tailoring activities specific requirements teams quality improvement outcomes productivity improve fit maturity
#197 0.110 agility capital substitution non-it enablers significant inhibitors link dynamism does agile labor executives enabling dual adaptive contrast substitute practices literature
#21 0.076 research information systems science field discipline researchers principles practice core methods area reference relevance conclude set focus propose perspective inquiry
#77 0.074 information systems paper use design case important used context provide presented authors concepts order number various underlying implementation framework nature
#87 0.061 team teams virtual members communication distributed performance global role task cognition develop technology involved time individual's affects project geographically individuals
#103 0.056 exploration climate technology empowerment explore features trying use employees intention examining work intentions exploring autonomy exploitation innovate feature understanding individual
#277 0.056 structure organization structures organizational centralized decentralized study organizations forms decentralization processing communication sharing cbis activities appropriate provide identify organizing communications