Leadership in Software Development: Comparing Perceptions of Agile and Traditional Project Managers

Information systems development has always been a focal point of IS research. The most widely understood traditional methods for developing information systems are based on the “waterfall” life cycle model. Recently, agile methods have drawn increasing attention from IS practitioners and researchers worldwide, as a response to the shortcomings of the traditional methods. However, the impact of agile methods on project management is still not fully understood as empirical studies are scarce. This study uses a full range leadership model as a theoretical lens to analyze project managers’ perceptions of appropriate leadership styles when leading agile vs. traditional software development projects. The findings show that project managers perceive a need for more transformational leadership to achieve success in agile projects as compared to traditional projects.