Taxonomical classification of barriers for scaling agile methods in global software development environment using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Identifying Barriers in the Implementation of Agile Methodologies in Automotive Industry

Projects have grown into more dynamic and complex endeavors, and agile project management should be considered as a way to deal with them. This is a novel study in this field, because the implementation of agile project management in the automotive industry was not explored so far, thus, this work intended to fill this gap, by identifying barriers in the implementation of agile methodologies in project management regarding the automotive industry. This was conducted through a questionnaire survey, which was developed and distributed to 148 manufacturing companies of components for the automotive industry, out of a total number of companies of 240, and 56 complete answers were obtained (23.33%). Statistical analyses were performed using a Kruskal–Wallis test, a Mann–Whitney test, and Spearmen’s correlation. A real picture of the implementation of agile project management in the Portuguese automotive industry is depicted through this work. ‘Organizational’, ‘Knowledge and Technology’, ‘Institutional’, and ‘Financial’ barriers are found to be the most important. However, in overcoming these barriers, companies can be more sustainable in economic, environmental, and social terms. Recommendations on how to overcome these barriers were presented, and a framework sequencing these recommendations was presented, leading to an effective implementation of agile methodologies. It starts with the willingness of the company, and all collaborators, to adopt the agile methodologies, looking for the agile values as an input in order to achieve a competitive advantage. It is followed by an initial investment, which intends to attain the deployment of an agile team, composed of highly skilled collaborators with a clear understanding of the agile objectives, who disseminate knowledge about agile methodologies to the other collaborators, increasing their ability to implement agile methodologies in project management. This team should work and develop frameworks and workflows, according to each company’s characteristics and environment. The studied aspects can be replicated in other countries, and allow a comparison of the situation between countries, trying to correlate the culture of each country with the ability to implement agile methodologies, among other aspects, such as economical level of the companies, type of production, and the commitment of the collaborators to improve processes and create competitive advantages with which to face competitors.

Scrum Team Competencies in Information Technology Professionals in the Global Software Development Environment

The Product Owner and Scrum Master are members of the Scrum Team, which play an essential role in Global Software Development. They must have some competencies that can overcome challenges in the global environment. This study aims to develop the competencies of these two roles and explore issues of global competencies. Researchers conducted a literature study to produce a list of competencies and in-depth interviews to explore the issues. Data processing uses content analysis and descriptive statistics. The author compiled questionnaires and generated three issues, then held a Focus Group Discussion for validation. Without reducing the nature of scrum, the consensus of experts had approved 31 competencies for the product owner while 34 for the scrum master. This research enriches scrum.org and has a global impact on improving Scrum and Global Software Development human capital and IT professionals.