Browsing by Subject "agile"

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    Open Access
    Agile project management in South African financial service organisation: a case study
    (2023) Mhlanga, Success Siphesihle; Rivett, Ulrike
    Financial service organisations have traditionally utilised conventional project management approaches to execute software projects. However, with the emergence of the agile methodology, there has been a growing transition among these organisations towards adopting agile project management (APM) practices. Scholars in the field have pointed out that traditional project management approaches are inadequate in meeting the dynamic demands of the financial service sector. This observation helps to explain the industry's inclination towards alternative approaches. The increasing trend of organisations embracing Agile Project Management (APM) highlights a pressing need to rethink the delivery mechanisms for software development projects. Previous studies have focused on documenting employees' experiences during an agile transition, but there is a need for further examination of the experiences of management. This study analysed the perceptions of managers in a financial service organisation during an APM transition. Utilising a case study methodology, perceptions, and experiences of 14 managers were analysed using a qualitative research paradigm. The study showed that the financial service organisation transitioned to leverage the benefits of agile such as incremental delivery, reaching the market faster, gaining visibility on the product output, and increasing transparency. The findings revealed that value was immediately created by increasing visibility and transparency, meeting customer demands, and quantifying return on investment. Some managers associated “walking the agile journey together” with the different levels of management as a positive attribute towards transitioning. The study found that executive management influenced decisions and drove change throughout the transition process. Additionally, a relationship between resistance to change and the absence of a change management plan was identified. The absence of a clear and communicated change management plan contributed to frustrations in persuasion, which resulted in some employees leaving the organisation. This study suggests that further research is needed to examine the consequences of transitioning without a change management plan.
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    Open Access
    Critical success factors influencing agile software development projects: a theoretical and empirical investigation
    (2025) Hanslo, Ridewaan; Tanner, Maureen
    Context: Information systems are the infrastructure and service backbone for many of today's organisations. The Agile mindset to software development and project delivery has substantially improved project outcomes compared to traditional software development methodologies. However, while Agile projects are more successful than traditional approaches, the success rate is considered low, and the percentage of Agile projects deemed challenged and failed is still too high. This low project success rate is attributed to projects not being rigorously evaluated against critical success factors of Agile projects and contemporary project success criteria. Furthermore, criticisms of the status quo include the lack of rigorous research into the factors that improve Agile project success. Therefore, this study examines the critical factors influencing Agile software development project success against project success criteria through a theoretical and empirical investigation. Objective: To identify the critical success factors that contribute to Agile software development project success as perceived by Agile practitioners and explain how they contribute to project success. Method: This study used a positivist approach to investigate the critical success factors of agile software development projects. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify and synthesise previous research, providing input to the quantitative survey questionnaire to identify Agile practitioners' perceived critical factors contributing to project success criteria. Partial least squares structural equation modelling with SmartPLS was used to analyse the data and test the hypotheses to identify significant relationships between the constructs and project success criteria. Results: This research found that a few critical factors significantly contribute to Agile project success. The Agile team's skilled individuals and appropriate group dynamics significantly impact stakeholder satisfaction. How well project activities, processes, and phases are managed has a positive relationship with stakeholder satisfaction and the project schedule. In addition, having an organised system and control mechanisms contributes to adhering to project schedules and cost estimates. Contribution: The study developed a novel model that can be used to evaluate and measure project success. Furthermore, the critical success factor, socio-technical systems, and the complex adaptive systems theories were used to identify, describe, and explain how the few significant critical success factors contribute to Agile software development project success, providing novel insights. Conclusion: This research contributes to a parsimonious model of critical success factors for Agile software development projects. Furthermore, this study provides practical guidance for organisations seeking to improve project success. By focusing on team effectiveness, project governance, and project management, organisations can enhance stakeholder satisfaction and achieve better adherence to project cost and schedule constraints. This study's findings offer a nuanced understanding of the interplay between these critical success factors and project success criteria, providing insight from multiple theoretical lenses. Future research could explore the dynamic relationships between these factors and investigate their applicability across diverse project contexts