From transformation to normalisation: An exploratory study of a large-scale agile transformation

Abstract

Following the highly pervasive and effective use of agile methods at the team level, many software organisations now wish to replicate this success at the organisational level, adopting large-scale agile methods. However, an analysis of extant literature reveals (i) a lack of theoretically grounded studies of large-scale agile transformations; (ii) weak assumptions underpinning those that do exist; and (iii) an overly simplistic and often problematic over-reliance on simple adherence to agile methods. In addition, there is a lack of insights on why large-scale agile transformations fail. To explore this, we apply normalisation process theory (NPT) to examine key challenges in normalising (i.e., the process of embedding and sustaining) large-scale agile methods. We present an in-depth case study of large-scale agile transformation and demonstrate how failing to normalise a large-scale agile method can unravel an organisation’s transformation efforts. There are four key contributions from this research. First, this study shows that the standard focus on initial adoption is one of the main reasons for the widespread failure of digital transformations and in this case a large-scale agile transformation. Second, this is the first study to introduce and empirically apply NPT to information system development (ISD) as an illustrative guide for those across information systems field to follow. Third, we present key recommendations based on NPT to guide researchers and practitioners on the normalisation of large-scale transformations. Fourth, we present an agenda for future research on large-scale agile transformations.

Scalable Agile Frameworks in Large Enterprise Project Portfolio Management

“…Recent studies have added that companies rely on scalable agile frameworks to improve communication, coordination, and productivity of agile teams [19], [83], [115]. These multifunctional, self-organized, and highly skilled teams are responsible for the success of projects and the roles of traditional project managers [26], [54], which have become the focus of agile practices developed in release planning because they represent the essential needs of customers [63], [64]. This role seeks to realize business benefits through frequent deliveries to customers with continuous feedback loops [6], resulting in higher success rates for software project portfolios [85].…”

Responding to change over time: A longitudinal case study on changes in coordination mechanisms in large-scale agile

“…Traditionally, studies have focused on how software development teams respond to change (Hoda and Noble 2017;Spiegler et al 2021). Further, changes are typically understood as "things that happen," that is, events that are more or less beyond the individual developer's or team's control, for example, changes in requirements (Aldave et al 2019;Madampe et al 2022), re-organizing of the team (Spiegler et al 2021) or company structure (Gustavsson et al 2022;Carroll et al 2023), or technical issues (Kwan et al 2011;Cataldo and Herbsleb 2012). In largescale agile, such events can be even more complex and challenging because of the dependencies that exist between teams that develop an overall product with inter-dependent components or several inter-dependent products.…”

“…Common to these previous studies is the focus on one specific change (i.e., how was coordination before/after implementing a framework (Gustavsson et al 2022;Carroll et al 2023) or agile transformation (Paasivaara et al 2018), transitioning from one phase to another (Dingsøyr et al 2022) or focus on one type of coordination mechanism (such as group mode coordination mechanisms (Dingsøyr et al 2018b;Moe et al 2018)).…”

“…For instance, Allison and Merali (2007) proposed a theory of software process improvement, where the interplay between software development and software process improvement continuously informed each other and where both process and product were changing each other, and were changed by their surrounding context over time. In a recent paper, Carroll et al (2023) applied normalization process theory (Murray et al 2010) to examine how agile practices were embedded and sustained in a large international company that implemented the Spotify model during a large-scale agile transformation. They found that a failure to normalize new practices led to the unraveling of the transformation within 18 months.…”