The impact of agile principles on market‐driven software product development

TLDR

Agile development methods such as XP, SCRUM, and Lean SD have become popular, promising faster time‑to‑market, satisfied customers, and high‑quality software, yet their suitability across domains and business contexts remains unclear. This article investigates the applicability of agile principles to market‑driven software product development, focusing on pre‑project activities. The authors examine agile principles' applicability by analyzing their fit with pre‑project activities in market‑driven development. The results reveal a misalignment between agile principles and pre‑project needs in market‑driven development, threatening both the positive aspects of agile and effective product management. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract Agile development methods such as extreme programming (XP), SCRUM, Lean Software Development (Lean SD) and others have gained much popularity during the last years. Agile methodologies promise faster time‐to‐market, satisfied customers and high quality software. While these prospects are appealing, the suitability of agile practices to different domains and business contexts still remains unclear. In this article we investigate the applicability of agile principles in the context of market‐driven software product development (MDPD), focusing on pre‐project activities. This article presents results of a comparison between typical properties of agile methods to the needs of MDPD, as well as findings of a case study conducted at Ericsson, an early adopter of agile product development. The results show misalignment between the agile principles and needs of pre‐project activities in market‐driven development. This misalignment threatens to subtract from the positive aspects of agile development, but maybe more importantly, threaten the overall product development by disabling effective product management. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.