Risk Management Analysis in Software Projects which Use the Scrum Framework

Abstract

Studies show one of the reasons for the failure of the software projects is the absence of Risk Management or its improper application. The adoption of Scrum Framework on software projects is increasing. However, the Scrum does not have specific Risk Management activities. In this scenario, this paper presents the results of a survey applied using qualitative approach, in order to analyze how Risk Management is carried out in software projects, which use Scrum. The research method adopted was the case study and the research instrument for data collection was developed based on scientific articles and the application of structured interviews. As a result, this paper presents Risk Management practices which achieved greater and lower agreement among respondents and literature. It was found that Risk Management must be applied continuously in a feedback loop. Furthermore, Scrum projects must not have a high formal planning level, even for the high risk ones. This result does not converge to the literature. The research verified that the Risk Management in Scrum projects is performed differently from its application on traditional methodologies. The framework has native resources, but the use of the classic Risk Management processes must be incorporated and adapted to Scrum.

Risk management analysis in Scrum software projects

“…Furthermore, studies regarding risk management applied to software development projects that implement agile methodologies are scarce (Hijazi et al., ; Tavares, ), and do not emphasize the process of how a team establishes, ranks, and takes action regarding risks (Smith and Pichler, ). The aim of this study is to understand how risk management is performed in projects that use the Scrum framework, with the following objectives: identify applied risk management practices in software development; conduct a case study in software projects that use Scrum to analyze the respondent's agreement with the risk management practices identified in scientific literature; analyze the agreement among the respondents and the standard respondent; rank the risk management practices according to the results. …”