Understanding Agile Software Development Team Adaptation Processes

Abstract

This study is about team adaptation from a continuous change perspective. The purpose was to investigate how agile software development teams in a Nordic financial institution adapt to task-based triggers. A single case study was conducted of three software development teams in a product unit reporting that they worked in agile ways. One of the main findings is that the agile software development teams sought to define tasks to be worked on individually. The adaptation triggers occurring during taskwork mainly prompt task-related interaction. In addition, the findings support that these adaptation triggers can either prompt small adjustments to taskwork or be more severe and move the focus to evaluation and planning activities before taskwork can be continued. We propose a model describing how agile software development teams adapt to task-based triggers based on the findings.