Agile in general and SCRUM Agile in particular have widely been employed in the software development arena ranging from small to medium to large and multinational projects. There are empirical studies, experience reports, and case studies that have reported the successes, issues and challenges of using the methodology in large-scale software development projects context. This Systematic Literature review employs the PRISMA methodology for searching case studies, experience reports and empirical research related to successes, issues, and challenges faced by software companies that fully harnessed Agile Scrum method for large-scale software development projects. A search protocol and context were prepared to guide the search task. Several papers published over more than a decade from multiple scientific databases, including IEEE Xplore and SCOPUS were analyzed. An iterative coding of themes had been employed to identify and categorize the key themes in the papers. Accordingly, eight main themes and 46 subthemes had been identified. These are Dependency issues, Agile Difficult to Implement, Multi-team Environment Challenges, Challenges of Requirement Engineering, Knowledge Issues, Resistance to Change, Organizational Structure and Boundaries, and Quality Assurance Challenges. Agile Difficult to Implement, Multi-team Environment Challenges and Challenges of Requirement Engineering are the most mentioned themes in order.

Development of a risk assessment software for cumulative effect.

The consultation process with indigenous communities in large-scale development projects remains a contested issue, particularly in projects involving the relocation of the communities and compensation. This paper examines the challenges in the consultation process in the context of hydroelectric dam construction, taking the example of the Nenggiri Dam project in Malaysia which is currently under construction. Through a doctrinal legal analysis, this study argues that, with the current Malaysian legal framework recognising the customary land rights of the indigenous communities in the country, it is a legitimate expectation that the consultation process observes the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). This is entailed from the fiduciary duty of the state authority in protecting indigenous land rights under the legal framework in Malaysia. The position of FPIC under the international legal standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and other instruments, and its relevance to the Malaysian legal framework are also discussed. The paper further highlights gaps in the legal framework, which lacks clear mechanisms to enforce FPIC as a binding legal obligation. This paper argues for stronger legal protections and policy reforms to ensure meaningful participation of indigenous communities in decisionmaking. This could be done through formal integration of FPIC into national legislation, and the establishment of independent oversight bodies. By addressing these legal and procedural shortcomings, Malaysia can move towards a more equitable and sustainable approach in development projects affecting the indigenous peoples

Abstract Japan has played a significant and pioneering role in the Olympic Movement for well over a century. Not only was it the first nation outside of Europe and North America to have a member on the International Olympic Committee, to send athletes to the Games, and to host both Summer and Winter Olympics, but it also played an important role in the so-called greening of the Olympic Games. From its planning to host the ultimately canceled 1940 Olympics to its hosting of the ultimately postponed 2020 Olympics, Tokyo has been at the center of Japan's complex and massive Olympic infrastructure projects. The economic and environmental costs of these projects have drawn increasing scrutiny over the past century, and this scrutiny has helped shape present-day attitudes toward large-scale sports development projects. This article looks at Olympic-related projects in Japan, with a focus on Tokyo, over the past century and connects these projects to contemporary debates over sports development projects in the world's largest city—a city with precious little green space that is acutely feeling the effects of climate change. I argue that debates and discourse surrounding Tokyo 2020 highlighted a decline in the Japanese public's eagerness over massive sports development projects, and the first-ever Olympic postponement offered a unique and prolonged opportunity to reflect on the many costs of hosting the event. While the focus of this article is Japan, the questions it raises about the increasingly tense relationship between the Olympics and the natural environment are universal.

This article discusses how legal professionals perceive the change in their work practices and work-related boundaries as they participate in the design and implementation of a new information system. By looking empirically at a large-scale IT development project within the judicial system in Finland, the paper contributes to debates on how technology development affects the key elements of legal work and how legal expertise is perceived when designing IT systems for the public judiciary. Drawing from research literature on science and technology studies (STS), particularly literature on expertise and boundaries, the article suggests four main findings. First, IT design is seen as an additional task with clear boundaries between legal and technological knowledge. Second, the embodied aspects of legal expertise are connected to issues of autonomy and individual work practices. Third, IT design and use affect organizational flexibility and boundaries between and within organizations. Fourth, there are changes in hierarchical relations and work divisions between judges and legal secretaries.

Large-scale design and development projects involve working with immature information and transferring it between colleagues, departments and suppliers. Information’s maturity is an important consideration for many decisions, such as how much effort to dedicate to tasks given the maturities of their inputs, how much to overlap project phases given the maturity of information available for early release, and how much allowance to give for possible changes to preliminary information. An understanding of information maturity could also help to interpret and learn from archived project information. However, there are multiple perspectives on the meaning of information maturity and an agreed understanding of its aspects has not yet emerged. This article contributes an integrating taxonomy that defines and delineates 18 distinct aspects of information maturity in the design and development context. The new taxonomy integrates concepts from literature, clarifies that information can mature along numerous dimensions during design and development, and may inform future research into preliminary information management in large-scale projects.

Today, there is an increase in the number of rural populations forcibly evicted from their land to make way for large-scale development projects, resulting in a decline in the land available for agriculture. Adding to the existing rural distress is the land grabbing for projects that are harmful to the environment, unhealthy, and unsustainable for the local communities. Land dispossession is proclaimed legal and inevitable, even when it encroaches on many undocumented users’ right to livelihood. The study aims to uncover resistance against the dispossession of communities dependent on a unique ecological system, the Sompeta wetland, a coastal freshwater wetland used as a property of commons for generations in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It represents land grabbing for such projects subject to farmers’ resentment. The project-affected population claims that the project was not a development opportunity; instead, it can deepen rural distress led by the state to shift property rights from the communities to the private. The state is misrepresenting the data, criminalising peoples’ resistance by using force and violence, and going by a fallacious understanding of dispossession even though the project is a threat to the environment, health, peoples’ right to livelihood, and their cultural identities.

Purpose This paper investigates the moderating influence of cultural values on the relationship between governance and risk in large-scale infrastructure development projects. It integrates cultural psychology theory into interactive governance theory as a moderator of managerial perceptions of external debt as an effective rule-based risk management framework for these projects. Design/methodology/approach Mixed method integrating quantitative analysis with qualitative insights based on a survey of managerial perceptions in large-scale renewable energy, road and rail projects in Kenya and linear regression was used to test the hypothesis. Findings Managerial perceptions of country risk, project-specific external debt structure, carbon risk and cultural values significantly influenced their infrastructure risk perceptions. Demographic factors such as gender, years of experience, project tenure, board membership and socio-economic settings moderately influenced these risk perceptions. With 597 responses, the study expands on interactive governance theory by showing that cultural values and certain demographic attributes among managers moderate their view of external debt as an effective rule-based risk management framework for large infrastructure projects. Practical implications Cultural values must be appraised when tailoring governance incentives to bolster managerial productivity and performance in mitigating risks in collaborative infrastructure projects. Originality/value This paper supports the hypothesis that cultural values moderate the interaction between governance and risk when the historical context incentivises managers to select defensive social learning techniques such as herding to avoid reputational performance risks in collaborative infrastructure projects.

Social movements in the global South have contested neoliberal development, a major cause of forced displacement, already for decades. Since it is usually the poor, low-caste women who suffer most from large-scale development projects, they have been active in forming movements that contest neoliberal development and neocolonialism, often struggling also against patriarchalism, sexism, and heteronormativity. The phenomenon has been referred to as “feminization of resistance,” and it has been studied from many different perspectives across disciplines. However, in conceptualizing women’s resistance, their political engagement, and activism in the global South, Western theoretical approaches often build on a limited, Eurocentric or Anglo-American perspective, ignoring many aspects that are crucial in non-Western contexts. While especially Western political science is increasingly often criticized for its false universalism, whiteness, and elitism, the demand to decolonize feminism has recently gained more ground in this context. Through an analysis of ethnographic fieldwork with social movement activists in Kolkata, India, and in Kathmandu, Nepal, this article discusses the feminization of resistance in South Asia, highlighting the importance of decolonizing forms of feminist solidarity while also reflecting on its potentials and challenges in the context of engaged social movement research. Drawing on activists’ views, critiques, conceptualizations, and suggestions, this paper argues that taking into account their perspectives, that is, learning from movements – while simultaneously trying to unlearn one’s own academic privileges – creates potential not only for enriching and broadening the theoretical debate on feminization of resistance but can also contribute to efforts of decolonizing Western political thought and feminism.

This study investigates the variation in particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) concentrations in Gazipur, Bangladesh during three distinct phases: before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing secondary data from the Continuous Air Monitoring Stations situated in Gazipur. Gazipur is one of the major urban cities and a hub for the garments industry in Bangladesh. Since the establishment of Gazipur City Corporation in 2013, a number of large-scale construction and development projects have been initiated there which eventually deteriorated the air quality. The findings indicated consistently high pollution levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during winter months. Seasonal factors, like low temperatures and stagnant air, lead to increased PM levels, although monsoon rains temporarily improved air quality. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, PM2.5 and PM10 levels decreased by 6.5% and 53.7% respectively, based on annual average compared to 2019 because of reduced industrial and transportation activities. Nevertheless, levels immediately returned to pre-pandemic figures following the lifting of major restrictions. Even during the lockdown, PM concentrations were above Bangladesh's National Ambient Air Quality Standards and World Health Organization’s Air Quality Guidelines as evidenced by the annual average value of 235 µg/m³ for PM10 in 2021. The peak PM2.5 and PM10 levels post COVID-19 were recorded as 307.1 and 339 µg/m³ respectively. These findings emphasize the necessity of adopting long-term measures to improve air quality. Measures must encompass more stringent emissions regulations, additional CAMS establishment, sustainable urban development, and improved public awareness to safeguard public health and ensure clean air in Gazipur.

The development of Indonesia’s new capital, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) or the Nusantara Capital City, involves land acquisition, potentially impacting the rights of indigenous peoples. This study evaluates the effectiveness of normative law in protecting these rights during the land acquisition process. Using a normative method, it examines relevant laws, regulations, jurisprudence, and academic literature through qualitative analysis. The findings reveal that while a robust legal framework exists to protect indigenous rights, implementation challenges persist. Key issues include determining fair compensation, land ownership recognition, relocation, and cultural preservation. Addressing these problems requires improved synergy and refinement of laws and regulations. The study highlights the critical need to bridge the gap between normative legal provisions and real-world practices. It emphasizes a holistic approach involving the government, indigenous communities, and stakeholders to achieve equitable and sustainable development. By offering operational legal solutions, the research underscores the importance of consistent legal application to respect indigenous rights. The findings call for multidisciplinary studies to tackle the complexities of protecting indigenous peoples in large-scale development projects. Strengthening legal mechanisms and fostering inclusive collaboration are essential for ensuring development aligns with the rights and needs of indigenous communities.

The study is devoted to the history of the design and construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, its significance for the economy, politics and defense of the country. The authors provide a historical overview of the topic under study, present various points of view on the construction of the project at different stages of the socio-political and economic development of the state in the 19th century, the 1930s–1950s, and during the period of the beginning of the construction of the BAM in the 1970s. The highway, originally designed as a backup for the Trans-Siberian Railway, had established itself as a powerful domestic defense project by the time construction began. During the period of the beginning of operation and until the 2000s, the highway was considered a low-traffic line. However, in recent years, the BAM project has become a powerful locomotive for the development of the east of the country and all of Russia as a whole. Along with the development of the extractive industries in the areas of gravity of the highway, the BAM is becoming the largest transit corridor in Eurasia. Currently, there is a "turn in the vector of the country's development to the East." However, a major problem in the development of the entire Eastern transport polygon as a whole and the BAM in particular is the weak development of the transport infrastructure compared to that in the European part of the country. The paper discusses the progress of strengthening the project under consideration (construction of additional artificial structures, second tracks, extension of station tracks, electrification along the entire length, etc.), prospects for further development of the highway in the near and distant future, including for increasing the connectivity of the territory of Russia. Today, BAM is understood as a large-scale railway development project - a latitudinal element of the transport grid of Siberia and the Russian Far East, the construction of which is a strategic goal of the country in the long term. BAM is being transformed from an auxiliary line into a truly instrument for the country's survival in a hybrid war with the collective West.

This study investigates the impact of renewable energy integration on energy efficiency within the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from 2000 to 2022. Efficient renewable energy utilization is crucial for the CPEC’s sustainable development. We employed multiple linear regression analysis on data from national energy statistics databases to examine the relationship between energy efficiency defined as the ratio of total renewable energy output to input in (TWh) and four renewable energy sources: hydropower, biofuel, solar PV, and geothermal. Our model controlled for potential confounding factors and met assumptions of linearity, multivariate normality, and absence of multicollinearity. Hydropower exhibited a highly significant negative correlation with energy efficiency (-0.632, p < 0.001), with a regression coefficient of -7.642 × 10⁻⁴ (p < 0.001). Similarly, biofuel showed a significant negative correlation (-0.222, p < 0.001) and a coefficient of -9.580 × 10⁻⁴ (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that increased production from these sources is associated with decreased energy efficiency, potentially due to transmission losses or inefficiencies in conversion technologies. In contrast, solar PV (-0.027, p = 0.638) and geothermal (-0.014, p = 0.806) showed no statistically significant relationship with energy efficiency, indicating that at their current scales of deployment, they do not significantly impact overall efficiency. A moderate negative correlation (r=-0.114, p = 0.047) was observed between solar PV and geothermal production, possibly reflecting resource allocation choices within the renewable energy portfolio. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve the efficiency of hydropower and biofuel production and emphasize the potential for future contributions from solar PV and geothermal as their deployment and grid integration expands. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between renewable energy generation and overall energy efficiency within large-scale development projects.

The increasing need for information systems by organizations, especially in managing resources efficiently, drives the importance of implementing effective software development methods. This research discusses the integration of the Scrum method and the DevOps method in a web-based information system development project for multimedia SMEs at Aiska University (MUSKA). This integration aims to utilize the advantages of the Scrum and DevOps methods to optimize the information system development process. The integration of the two methods is assessed through team performance, by identifying the benefits and challenges faced in its implementation. This research shows that collaboration between Scrum and DevOps results in a more effective and reliable development process, because each method complements each other in overcoming MUSKA system development challenges. Projects can be managed more systematically, and automation allows for faster responses to changes and increased quality of the final output. The evaluation of this research shows that further optimization of the roles and functions of each team member requires an increase in project resources, both in terms of adding team members and using more advanced technology. These findings provide recommendations for future development, especially for large-scale information system development projects.

Large-scale and long-term urban development projects often cause sizeable transformations in the built and social fabric, raising questions about the impacts on existing neighbourhoods and communities, and how they might try to shape the development. There are significant challenges to achieving community-based engagement at a large scale involving mobilising a wide range of stakeholders with different positionalities, agendas and priorities across multiple and diverse areas of a city. In this interview, two experienced organisers reflect together on their different but resonant experiences in building community networks to engage with large-scale developments. Between 2016 and 2018, the research project ‘Governing the Future City’ explored the governance of large-scale developments in three urban areas—London, Johannesburg and Shanghai. In Johannesburg and London, the research process directly funded and supported community-based organising in relation to the planning and implementation of the developments. The organisers and researchers worked with existing community-based organisations to try to influence the planning process, drawing together a wide range of affected community and neighbourhood groups. During the course of the research project, the two community coordinators, Mike Makwela (Planact, Johannesburg), focusing on the Corridors of Freedom project, and Sharon Hayward (London Tenants Federation and Grand Union Alliance), working on the Old Oak Park Royal development, visited the other city to explore possibilities to learn from each other’s experiences and contexts. In 2017, while Sharon was in Johannesburg, project researcher Romain Dittgen interviewed them together, twice, on 18 and 20 July, about their experiences of organising and mobilising in their respective cities, specifically in relation to large-scale development projects and in the context of highly diverse communities. Key issues that emerged concerned shared values of community self-organising, the benefits of building consensus or working with different views, and different approaches to relations with government officials and elected representatives. In parallel, they also reflected about working and collaborating with academics, as well as about possibilities for critical analysis of the developments and mutual learning across the two cases.

This paper discusses the digital application and benefit analysis of building information model (BIM) technology in the large-scale comprehensive development project of the Guangxi headquarters base. The project covers a total area of 92,100 square meters, with a total construction area of 379,700 square meters, including a variety of architectural forms. Through three-dimensional modeling and simulation analysis, BIM technology significantly enhances the design quality and efficiency, shortens the design cycle by about 20%, and promotes the collaboration and integration of project management, improving the management efficiency by about 25%. During the construction phase, the collision detection and four-dimensional visual management functions of BIM technology have improved construction efficiency by about 15% and saved the cost by about 10%. In addition, BIM technology has promoted green building and sustainable development, achieved the dual improvement of technical and economic indicators and social and economic benefits, set an example for enterprises in digital transformation, and opened up new market businesses.

The Greater Amanzule Peatlands (GAP) in Ghana is an important biodiversity hotspot facing increasing pressure from anthropogenic land-use activities driven by rapid agricultural plantation expansion, urbanisation, and the burgeoning oil and gas industry. Accurate measurement of how these pressures alter land cover over time, along with the projection of future changes, is crucial for sustainable management. This study aims to analyse these changes from 2010 to 2020 and predict future scenarios up to 2040 using multi-source remote sensing and machine learning techniques. Optical, radar, and topographical remote sensing data from Landsat-7, Landsat-8, ALOS/PALSAR, and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission derived digital elevation models (DEMs) were integrated to perform land cover change analysis using Random Forest (RF), while Cellular Automata Artificial Neural Networks (CA-ANNs) were employed for predictive modelling. The classification model achieved overall accuracies of 93% in 2010 and 94% in both 2015 and 2020, with weighted F1 scores of 80.0%, 75.8%, and 75.7%, respectively. Validation of the predictive model yielded a Kappa value of 0.70, with an overall accuracy rate of 80%, ensuring reliable spatial predictions of future land cover dynamics. Findings reveal a 12% expansion in peatland cover, equivalent to approximately 6570 ± 308.59 hectares, despite declines in specific peatland types. Concurrently, anthropogenic land uses have increased, evidenced by an 85% rise in rubber plantations (from 30,530 ± 110.96 hectares to 56,617 ± 220.90 hectares) and a 6% reduction in natural forest cover (5965 ± 353.72 hectares). Sparse vegetation, including smallholder farms, decreased by 35% from 45,064 ± 163.79 hectares to 29,424 ± 114.81 hectares. Projections for 2030 and 2040 indicate minimal changes based on current trends; however, they do not consider potential impacts from climate change, large-scale development projects, and demographic shifts, necessitating cautious interpretation. The results highlight areas of stability and vulnerability within the understudied GAP region, offering critical insights for developing targeted conservation strategies. Additionally, the methodological framework, which combines optical, radar, and topographical data with machine learning, provides a robust approach for accurate and detailed landscape-scale monitoring of tropical peatlands that is applicable to other regions facing similar environmental challenges.

Abstract Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains a significant challenge for many countries, particularly in the face of increasing environmental pollution. Balancing social, economic, and environmental sustainability under these conditions is especially complex. This study explores the role of green finance in promoting sustainable infrastructure, innovation in green technology, corporate social responsibility, economic stability, and environmental conservation within the framework of Belt and Road initiative (BRI), with a specific focus on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiatives. Furthermore, the study examines the role of government support in facilitating the issuance of GF, emphasizing its significance in large-scale international development projects like CPEC. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire targeting a diverse group of respondents, including businessmen, CPEC officials, and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, and Ministry of Planning and Development. Partial Least Squares analysis was employed to test the proposed relationships and hypotheses. The results indicate a significant positive impact of green finance on the development of sustainable infrastructure and the innovation of green technology. Additionally, the results underscore the pivotal role of environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable infrastructure in driving the achievement of SDGs, especially in the social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The study findings offer actionable insights for policymakers, highlighting the critical need to integrate green finance with sustainable practices to foster economic growth and environmental protection. These findings provide a strategic roadmap for nations aiming to align their development goals with global sustainability standards.

This article examines the contested formation of Spain’s largest wholesale food distribution centre, Mercamadrid, in relation to wider projects of neo-liberal restructuring in Madrid, Spain, during the second half of the twentieth century. It first links the installations at Mercamadrid to efforts undertaken by the Franco Regime (1939–75) to liberalize the nation’s fledgling economy. To draw out some of the path-dependent legacies of Francoist urbanism, the article then explores a supply-chain dispute that unfolded at the wholesale complex during the Transition (1975–82) and early democratic periods (1982–96). A close reading of the so-called Fruit Sellers’ War of 1986 will show how urban elites symbolically framed Mercamadrid’s urban landscape as a bastion of consumer rights. The focus thereafter moves to the Arganzuela district, where prior to Mercamadrid’s construction the city’s original trio of municipal markets were previously located. This to show that a series of large-scale urban development projects there – the Atocha train station, the Matadero Madrid arts and cultural centre, and the Madrid Río Park – transformed the once-polluted industrial and service district into an iconic landscape of a burgeoning global city. The shifting narratives surrounding the purpose and function of Mercamadrid provide insights into the powerful ways that capital shapes the geographies of our cities to legitimize its own self-serving growth ideologies.

This paper discusses the digital application of building information model (BIM) technology in the architectural design stage. Taking the large-scale comprehensive development project of Guangxi headquarters base as an example, this paper analyzes in detail how BIM technology promotes the intelligence and refinement of the design process. Through the three-dimensional modeling and simulation analysis of BIM technology, the project design has realized the accurate transformation from concept to operation, which not only improves the design efficiency, but also ensures the construction quality and economic benefits. This paper focuses on the application of BIM in the digital design of building structure, the deepening design of steel nodes, as well as the remarkable results in the comprehensive layout optimization of mechanical and electrical pipelines. Through the collision detection and optimization design of the BIM model, the potential design conflicts and construction problems were found and solved at the initial stage of the project, ensuring the efficient promotion and smooth implementation of the project. The research results show that BIM technology, as the core digital tool in the architectural design stage, is of great significance for improving the overall design level of the construction industry and realizing intelligent construction.