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Exploring Aspects of Agile Software Development Risk – Results from a MLR

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Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement (EuroSPI 2022)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1646))

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Abstract

Agile software development methods are widely used by software organisations, focusing on short developmental life cycles and customer satisfaction through the iterative and incremental development of software products. Despite their popularity, these methods present risks that may be underappreciated. This paper examines certain risks attributed to agile software development, with a focus on the lack of documentation, scope creep, technical debt and job satisfaction. Through the application of a multivocal literature review, we find that agile software development can greatly benefit projects. However, when agile methods are implemented inappropriately or sub-optimally, projects risk over-spending, delayed or defective software, employee turnover, and overall decreased productivity. Understanding the risks associated with agile software development can help practitioners to achieve higher efficiency and success in their software development projects.

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Acknowledgements

This research is supported in part by SFI, Science Foundation Ireland (https://www.sfi.ie/) grant No. SFI 13/RC/2094 P2 to Lero - the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Aaron Nolan, Ben Strickland, Adam Quinn, Kyle Gallagher & Paul M. Clarke

  2. Department of Computer Engineering, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Murat Yilmaz

  3. Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Center for Software, Lero, Ireland

    Paul M. Clarke

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  1. Aaron Nolan
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  4. Kyle Gallagher
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul M. Clarke .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Murat Yilmaz

  2. Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul Clarke

  3. I.S.C.N. GesmbH, Graz, Austria

    Richard Messnarz

  4. Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

    Bruno Wöran

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Nolan, A., Strickland, B., Quinn, A., Gallagher, K., Yilmaz, M., Clarke, P.M. (2022). Exploring Aspects of Agile Software Development Risk – Results from a MLR. In: Yilmaz, M., Clarke, P., Messnarz, R., Wöran, B. (eds) Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement. EuroSPI 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1646. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_35

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_35

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