Title: The impact of agile coordination practices on conditions for successful coordination

Authors: Tomas Gustavsson

Addresses: Karlstad Business School, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden

Abstract: Large-scale agile frameworks suggest several practices for coordination between teams in software development projects. These prescribed coordination practices are often described as how to be performed in detail but without explaining the intended impacts. At the same time, agile values emphasise the need for tailoring practices that are not helpful. This study examines how three agile coordination practices influence accountability, predictability, and common understanding, which are important conditions for coordination. A qualitative research strategy was used to investigate three case organisations that implemented the scaled agile framework (SAFe): one bank, one government agency, and one department within the automotive industry. The empirical data consists of 28 semi-structured interviews and observations. The findings show the differing impacts of three investigated agile coordination practices and how the tailoring of practices affects coordination.

Keywords: agile software development; agile practices; agile systems; coordination practices; inter-team coordination; project management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJASM.2023.132470

International Journal of Agile Systems and Management, 2023 Vol.16 No.3, pp.347 - 367

Received: 02 Feb 2022
Accepted: 11 Sep 2022
Published online: 21 Jul 2023 *

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