Measuring Agility - A Quantitative Survey among IT Professionals
Authors
Mortensen, Rasmus ; Boje-Nielsen, Thomas ; Jasemian, Taregh
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2007
Abstract
Flere studier peger på øget brug af agile metoder i softwarebranchen og på, at de skaber værdi. Men mange kvantitative målinger bygger på, om praktikere bruger bestemte praksisser og metoder, hvilket kan forveksle reelt brug med hype. Dette speciale omsætter Agile Manifestet og dets principper til et spørgeskema-baseret måleinstrument, der måler agilitet som holdninger og præferencer hos it‑professionelle frem for blot at afkrydse konkrete praksisser. Instrumentet anvendes i en kvantitativ undersøgelse blandt it‑professionelle. Med en iterativ survey-tilgang omfatter projektet design, gennemførelse og analyse af et spørgeskema for at besvare fire forskningsspørgsmål. De handler om agilitet hos it‑professionelle, teams, organisationer og kunder samt om softwareprojekters egnethed til agil softwareudvikling (Agile Software Development). Projektet konkluderer, at mange it‑professionelle og deres teams har en agil indstilling, og at de fleste softwareprojekter vurderes egnede til agile. Til gengæld opfattes organisationer og kunder som mindre agile.
Many studies suggest that agile methods are increasingly used in the software industry and add value. However, many quantitative measures rely on whether practitioners report using specific practices and methods, which can blur the line between genuine adoption and hype. This thesis addresses that issue by translating the Agile Manifesto and its principles into a survey instrument that measures agility as attitudes and preferences rather than as a checklist of practices. The instrument is applied in a quantitative survey of IT professionals. Using an iterative survey research approach, the project designs, executes, and analyzes a questionnaire to answer four research questions about agility at different levels: IT professionals, teams, organizations, and customers, and whether software projects are suitable for Agile Software Development. The findings indicate that many IT professionals and their teams have an agile mindset and that most software projects are seen as suitable for agile. In contrast, organizations and customers are not perceived to be equally agile.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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