Agile software development one year into the COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

• Software Engineering
• Organizational Psychology
• Information Systems

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid transition to remote work for many agile software development (ASD) practitioners.
• While remote work is not new, its involuntary and widespread adoption presented unique challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of the involuntary shift to remote work and social restrictions on ASD.
• To understand how agile practitioners' ways of working were impacted by the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted.
• Data collection involved a questionnaire (96 respondents) and semi-structured interviews (7 practitioners) one year into the pandemic.
• Data analysis utilized Bayesian analysis and thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Communication and social interactions in ASD were significantly affected, unlike technical work aspects.
• The forced nature of remote work impacted productivity and communication.
• Practitioners' agile development and work methods were primarily affected by reduced social interaction and increased digital communication.

Conclusions:

• The shift to remote work due to COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the social and communicative aspects of agile software development.
• Challenges in digital communication and psychological safety may hinder team progress and sensitive discussions, potentially leading to 'maturing debt' upon return to office environments.