Factors that Significantly Impact the Implementation of an Agile Software Development Methodology

The Internet economy has altered the current rules of software engineering. Traditional development methodologies have proven too cumbersome to meet the rapidly changing requirements and short product cycles demanded by business today. To meet these rapidly changing requirements, software developers have developed agile software development methodologies (SDMs) utilizing iterative development, prototyping, templates, and minimal documentation requirements. This research project investigated agile SDM implementation using an online survey sent to software development practitioners worldwide. This survey data was used to identify factors related to agile SDM implementation. The factors that significantly impacted agile methodology implementations included training, management involvement, access to external resources, and corporation size. Other factors such as using models, having an implementation plan, collocating the development team, and developing software for Internet or intranet use did not significantly impact the implementation of an agile software development methodology. A number of the factors that impact the implementation of an agile development methodology are completely under the control of management. Organizations that are considering implement ting an agile methodology are able to manipulate some of these factors to increase the opportunities for success of their methodology.