Using Scrum in Global Software Development: A Systematic Literature Review

doi:10.1109/ICGSE.2009.25

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Using Scrum in Global Software Development: A Systematic Literature Review

Proceedings Article•DOI•

Using Scrum in Global Software Development: A Systematic Literature Review

Emam Hossain¹, Muhammad Ali Babar², Hye-Young Paik¹•Institutions (2)

University of New South Wales¹, University of Limerick²

13 Jul 2009-pp 175-184

TL;DR: A systematic literature review of the primary studies that report using Scrum practices in GSD projects to identify various challenges and strategies available to deal with them is presented.

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Abstract: There is a growing interest in applying agile practices in Global Software Development (GSD) projects. The literature on using Scrum, one of the most popular agile approaches, in distributed development projects has steadily been growing. However, there has not been any effort to systematically select, review, and synthesize the literature on this topic. We have conducted a systematic literature review of the primary studies that report using Scrum practices in GSD projects. Our search strategy identified 366 papers, of which 20 were identified as primary papers relevant to our research. We extracted data from these papers to identify various challenges of using Scrum in GSD. Current strategies to deal with the identified challenges have also been extracted. This paper presents the review’s findings that are expected to help researchers and practitioners to understand the challenges involved in using Scrum for GSD projects and the strategies available to deal with them.

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Proceedings Article•DOI•

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Daniela S. Cruzes¹, Tore Dybå²•Institutions (2)

Norwegian University of Science and Technology¹, SINTEF²

22 Sep 2011

TL;DR: This paper conceptualizes the thematic synthesis approach in software engineering as a scientific inquiry involving five steps that parallel those of primary research.

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Abstract: Thematic analysis is an approach that is often used for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data in primary qualitative research. 'Thematic synthesis' draws on the principles of thematic analysis and identifies the recurring themes or issues from multiple studies, interprets and explains these themes, and draws conclusions in systematic reviews. This paper conceptualizes the thematic synthesis approach in software engineering as a scientific inquiry involving five steps that parallel those of primary research. The process and outcome associated with each step are described and illustrated with examples from systematic reviews in software engineering.

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634 citations

Cites background from "Using Scrum in Global Software Deve..."

...Higher-order themes are recurrent unifying concepts or statements about the subject of inquiry with the purpose of characterizing evidence of individual studies by general insights from the whole set of studies [7]....
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Journal Article•DOI•

A systematic literature review on agile requirements engineering practices and challenges

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Irum Inayat¹, Siti Salwah Salim¹, Sabrina Marczak², Maya Daneva³, Shahaboddin Shamshirband⁴ - Show less +1 more•Institutions (4)

Information Technology University¹, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul², University of Twente³, Islamic Azad University⁴

01 Oct 2015-Computers in Human Behavior

TL;DR: The findings suggest that agile requirements engineering as a research context needs additional attention and more empirical results are required to better understand the impact of agile requirements Engineering practices e.g. dealing with non-functional requirements and self-organising teams.

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426 citations

Cites methods from "Using Scrum in Global Software Deve..."

...Hossain et al. (2009) conducted a systematic literature review to focus on the practices used in the GSD projects using Scrum methods, the challenges that restrict the use of Scrum methodology and the solution to prevent them. The findings help researchers and practitioners to understand the challenges involved in using Scrum for GSD projects and the strategies available to deal with them. Hasnain (2010) conducted a systematic literature review to identify the agile practices as well as the human and technical factors pointed out in agile studies, published within 2003–2007. The review revealed that agile RE practices had only been discussed in the literature from the overall perspective of agile methods and not in the context of any particular methods such as Scrum, test-driven development, etc. Hasnain’s findings suggest that more empirical results are required on agile methods, in particular XP (Extreme Programming) (Beck, 1999) and Scrum (Schwaber & Beedle, 2001), in order to discuss the details from the practitioner’s point of view. Silva da Silva et al. (2011) conducted a systematic literature review on the topic of the integration of agile methods and usercentred design approaches. The review focused on usability issues in agile methods with respect to design. The findings show that usability issues in agile methods can be addressed by incorporating a user centred design specialist (UCDS) role in agile teams. The authors also defined practices to resolve usability issues in agile methods such as Little Design Up Front, Big Design Up Front, low fidelity prototypes, user testing, interaction models, and close collaboration. Barlow et al. (2011) examined the effect of the usage of agile development practices in large organisations....
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...Hossain et al. (2009) conducted a systematic literature review to focus on the practices used in the GSD projects using Scrum methods, the challenges that restrict the use of Scrum methodology and the solution to prevent them. The findings help researchers and practitioners to understand the challenges involved in using Scrum for GSD projects and the strategies available to deal with them. Hasnain (2010) conducted a systematic literature review to identify the agile practices as well as the human and technical factors pointed out in agile studies, published within 2003–2007. The review revealed that agile RE practices had only been discussed in the literature from the overall perspective of agile methods and not in the context of any particular methods such as Scrum, test-driven development, etc. Hasnain’s findings suggest that more empirical results are required on agile methods, in particular XP (Extreme Programming) (Beck, 1999) and Scrum (Schwaber & Beedle, 2001), in order to discuss the details from the practitioner’s point of view. Silva da Silva et al. (2011) conducted a systematic literature review on the topic of the integration of agile methods and usercentred design approaches....
[...]
...Hossain et al. (2009) conducted a systematic literature review to focus on the practices used in the GSD projects using Scrum methods, the challenges that restrict the use of Scrum methodology and the solution to prevent them....
[...]
...Hossain et al. (2009) conducted a systematic literature review to focus on the practices used in the GSD projects using Scrum methods, the challenges that restrict the use of Scrum methodology and the solution to prevent them. The findings help researchers and practitioners to understand the challenges involved in using Scrum for GSD projects and the strategies available to deal with them. Hasnain (2010) conducted a systematic literature review to identify the agile practices as well as the human and technical factors pointed out in agile studies, published within 2003–2007....
[...]
...Hossain et al. (2009) conducted a systematic literature review to focus on the practices used in the GSD projects using Scrum methods, the challenges that restrict the use of Scrum methodology and the solution to prevent them. The findings help researchers and practitioners to understand the challenges involved in using Scrum for GSD projects and the strategies available to deal with them. Hasnain (2010) conducted a systematic literature review to identify the agile practices as well as the human and technical factors pointed out in agile studies, published within 2003–2007. The review revealed that agile RE practices had only been discussed in the literature from the overall perspective of agile methods and not in the context of any particular methods such as Scrum, test-driven development, etc. Hasnain’s findings suggest that more empirical results are required on agile methods, in particular XP (Extreme Programming) (Beck, 1999) and Scrum (Schwaber & Beedle, 2001), in order to discuss the details from the practitioner’s point of view. Silva da Silva et al. (2011) conducted a systematic literature review on the topic of the integration of agile methods and usercentred design approaches. The review focused on usability issues in agile methods with respect to design. The findings show that usability issues in agile methods can be addressed by incorporating a user centred design specialist (UCDS) role in agile teams. The authors also defined practices to resolve usability issues in agile methods such as Little Design Up Front, Big Design Up Front, low fidelity prototypes, user testing, interaction models, and close collaboration. Barlow et al. (2011) examined the effect of the usage of agile development practices in large organisations. The literature review contributed towards the formulation of a framework that provides guidelines to large organisations adopting agile methods. The findings of this review assist the practitioners to adopt software development methods in their organisations. Jalali and Wohlin (2011) conducted a systematic literature review on studies comprising the combination of agile methods with global software engineering from 1999 to 2009....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Research synthesis in software engineering

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Daniela Cruzes¹, Tore Dybå²•Institutions (2)

Norwegian University of Science and Technology¹, SINTEF²

01 May 2011-Information & Software Technology

TL;DR: It is concluded that, despite the focus on systematic reviews, there is limited attention paid to research synthesis in software engineering and a repertoire of synthesis methods needs to be an integral part of systematic reviews to increase their significance and utility for research and practice.

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Abstract: ContextComparing and contrasting evidence from multiple studies is necessary to build knowledge and reach conclusions about the empirical support for a phenomenon. Therefore, research synthesis is at the center of the scientific enterprise in the software engineering discipline. ObjectiveThe objective of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges in synthesizing software engineering research and their implications for the progress of research and practice. MethodA tertiary study of journal articles and full proceedings papers from the inception of evidence-based software engineering was performed to assess the types and methods of research synthesis in systematic reviews in software engineering. ResultsAs many as half of the 49 reviews included in the study did not contain any synthesis. Of the studies that did contain synthesis, two thirds performed a narrative or a thematic synthesis. Only a few studies adequately demonstrated a robust, academic approach to research synthesis. ConclusionWe concluded that, despite the focus on systematic reviews, there is limited attention paid to research synthesis in software engineering. This trend needs to change and a repertoire of synthesis methods needs to be an integral part of systematic reviews to increase their significance and utility for research and practice.

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307 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Can Agile Project Management be Adopted by Industries Other than Software Development

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Edivandro Carlos Conforto¹, Fabian Ariel Salum², Daniel Capaldo Amaral³, Sérgio Luis da Silva⁴, Luís Fernando Magnanini de Almeida⁴ - Show less +1 more•Institutions (4)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology¹, Fundação Dom Cabral², University of São Paulo³, Federal University of São Carlos⁴

01 Jun 2014-Project Management Journal

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present evidence from an exploratory survey on the use of agile project management (APM) practices and the presence of APM enablers in 19 medium and large-sized companies.

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Abstract: This research paper presents evidence from an exploratory survey on the use of agile project management (APM) practices and the presence of APM enablers in 19 medium-and large-sized companies from ...

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279 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The relationship between organizational culture and the deployment of agile methods

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Juhani Iivari¹, Netta Iivari¹•Institutions (1)

University of Oulu¹

01 May 2011-Information & Software Technology

TL;DR: A number of hypotheses about the relationship between organizational culture and the post-adoption deployment of agile methods are proposed and identified, which have interesting implications when contrasted with ad hoc development and with traditional systems development methods.

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Abstract: ContextSystems development normally takes place in a specific organizational context, including organizational culture. Previous research has identified organizational culture as a factor that potentially affects the deployment systems development methods. ObjectiveThe purpose is to analyze the relationship between organizational culture and the post-adoption deployment of agile methods. MethodThis study is a theory development exercise. Based on the Competing Values Model of organizational culture, the paper proposes a number of hypotheses about the relationship between organizational culture and the deployment of agile methods. ResultsInspired by the agile methods thirteen new hypotheses are introduced and discussed. They have interesting implications, when contrasted with ad hoc development and with traditional systems development methods. ConclusionBecause of the conceptual richness of organizational culture and the ambiguity of the concept of agility the relationship between organizational culture and the deployment of agile systems development forms a rich and interesting research topic. Recognizing that the Competing Values Model represents just one view of organizational culture, the paper introduces a number of alternative conceptions and identifies several interesting paths for future research into the relationship between organizational culture and agile methods deployment.

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249 citations

Cites background from "Using Scrum in Global Software Deve..."

...For example, if we interpret that Principle 8, emphasizing face-to-face conversation, expresses a preference for co-located projects, does it exclude geographically distributed projects by definition from agility [39]? Despite these interpretation problems, it seems obvious that some subset of the Agile Manifesto could provide a starting point to characterize the agile approach....
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References

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Book Chapter•

Case study research

[...]

Jean Hartley

28 Apr 2004

TL;DR: The comprehensive and accessible nature of this collection will make it an essential and lasting handbook for researchers and students studying organizations.

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Abstract: Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research is an excellent resource for students and researchers in the areas of organization studies, management research and organizational psychology, bringing together in one volume the range of methods available for undertaking qualitative data collection and analysis. The volume includes 30 chapters, each focusing on a specific technique. The chapters cover traditional research methods, analysis techniques, and interventions as well as the latest developments in the field. Each chapter reviews how the method has been used in organizational research, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using the method, and presents a case study example of the method in use. A list of further reading is supplied for those requiring additional information about a given method. The comprehensive and accessible nature of this collection will make it an essential and lasting handbook for researchers and students studying organizations.

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16,383 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Case Study Research

[...]

JoAnne D. Whitney

01 Mar 1999-Journal of Wound Ostomy and Continence Nursing

6,069 citations

"Using Scrum in Global Software Deve..." refers background in this paper

...As usually a standard research report discusses research problem, related research work, research method, data analysis technique and conclusion adequately [12]....
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Proceedings Article•DOI•

Performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering

[...]

David Budgen¹, Pearl Brereton²•Institutions (2)

Durham University¹, Keele University²

28 May 2006

TL;DR: This tutorial is designed to provide an introduction to the role, form and processes involved in performing Systematic Literature Reviews, and to gain the knowledge needed to conduct systematic reviews of their own.

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Abstract: Context: Making best use of the growing number of empirical studies in Software Engineering, for making decisions and formulating research questions, requires the ability to construct an objective summary of available research evidence. Adopting a systematic approach to assessing and aggregating the outcomes from a set of empirical studies is also particularly important in Software Engineering, given that such studies may employ very different experimental forms and be undertaken in very different experimental contexts.Objectives: To provide an introduction to the role, form and processes involved in performing Systematic Literature Reviews. After the tutorial, participants should be able to read and use such reviews, and have gained the knowledge needed to conduct systematic reviews of their own.Method: We will use a blend of information presentation (including some experiences of the problems that can arise in the Software Engineering domain), and also of interactive working, using review material prepared in advance.

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4,352 citations

"Using Scrum in Global Software Deve..." refers background in this paper

...We only searched for papers that are written in English and available online....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Empirical studies of agile software development: A systematic review

[...]

Tore Dybå¹, Torgeir Dingsøyr¹•Institutions (1)

SINTEF¹

01 Aug 2008-Information & Software Technology

TL;DR: A systematic review of empirical studies of agile software development up to and including 2005 was conducted and provides a map of findings, according to topic, that can be compared for relevance to their own settings and situations.

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Abstract: Agile software development represents a major departure from traditional, plan-based approaches to software engineering. A systematic review of empirical studies of agile software development up to and including 2005 was conducted. The search strategy identified 1996 studies, of which 36 were identified as empirical studies. The studies were grouped into four themes: introduction and adoption, human and social factors, perceptions on agile methods, and comparative studies. The review investigates what is currently known about the benefits and limitations of, and the strength of evidence for, agile methods. Implications for research and practice are presented. The main implication for research is a need for more and better empirical studies of agile software development within a common research agenda. For the industrial readership, the review provides a map of findings, according to topic, that can be compared for relevance to their own settings and situations.

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2,399 citations

Journal Article•

Agile software development methods: Review and analysis

[...]

Pekka Abrahamsson, Outi Salo, Jussi Ronkainen, Juhani Warsta

01 Jan 2002-arXiv: Software Engineering

TL;DR: This publication proposes a definition and a classification of agile software development approaches and analyses ten software development methods that can be characterized as being "agile" against the defined criterion.

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Abstract: Agile - denoting "the quality of being agile, readiness for motion, nimbleness, activity, dexterity in motion" - software development methods are attempting to offer an answer to the eager business community asking for lighter weight along with faster and nimbler software development processes. This is especially the case with the rapidly growing and volatile Internet software industry as well as for the emerging mobile application environment. The new agile methods have evoked substantial amount of literature and debates. However, academic research on the subject is still scarce, as most of existing publications are written by practitioners or consultants. The aim of this publication is to begin filling this gap by systematically reviewing the existing literature on agile software development methodologies. This publication has three purposes. First, it proposes a definition and a classification of agile software development approaches. Second, it analyses ten software development methods that can be characterized as being "agile" against the defined criterion. Third, it compares these methods and highlights their similarities and differences. Based on this analysis, future research needs are identified and discussed.

...read moreread less

1,087 citations