Designing Agile Processes in Information Management

Abstract

Nowadays' projects have to cope with increasingly dynamic and turbulent environmental conditions [HHL09]. Agile approaches are one possibility to successfully face this challenge. While combining agile with more traditional process models seems to be usual software development practice in industry [HDGZ06], it lacks of scientific reflection. In this paper, an approach for process design is presented that may be used in information management projects and that combines the advantages of agile software development methodologies and those of traditional information management methods. The agile information management provides process designers with a tool suite that consists of roles, values and principles and a set of various methods and that implements iterative and incremental processes in small steps. Early results of a case study confirm the appropriateness of the approach for challenging frequent changes (e.g. due to changing markets, user needs or vague requirements), interdisciplinary cooperation and communication between the involved roles.