Exploring software development at the very large-scale: a revelatory case study and research agenda for agile method adaptation

TLDR

Agile development was originally suited to small, co‑located teams, and its success there has led to adoption in very large‑scale projects, yet its core assumptions are challenged at such scale. This interpretative revelatory case study of one of Norway’s largest software programmes demonstrates how agile methods were adapted and supplemented with traditional practices to manage very large scale. The four‑year programme involved 12 co‑located teams and 175 people, and the study was conducted retrospectively through group interviews with 24 participants and documentary analysis. The study identified customer involvement, software architecture, and inter‑team coordination as key challenges and proposes refinements to a research agenda for very large‑scale agile development.

Abstract

Agile development methods were believed to best suit small, co-located teams, but the success in small teams has inspired use in large and very large-scale software development. However, fundamental assumptions of agile development are challenged when applying the methods at a very large scale. An interpretative revelatory case study on one of the largest software development programmes in Norway shows how agile methods were adapted and complemented with practices from traditional methods to handle the scale. The programme ran over four years with 12 co-located development teams and a total of 175 people involved. The case study was conducted retrospectively using group interviews with 24 participants and documents. Findings on key challenging areas are reported: customer involvement, software architecture, and inter-team coordination. The revelatory study also suggests refinements of a research agenda for very large-scale agile development.