Distributed agile patterns : an approach to facilitate agile adoption in offshore software development

• Main Author: Kausar, M.
• Published: University of Salford 2018
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.741154

Over a decade, companies have been using agile methods for the development of software. However with the increasing trends of offshore software development, companies are becoming more interested in using agile methods for such projects. While offshore development has several dynamic benefits such as cost reduction, flexibility, proximity to market, concentration on core processes and easy access to talent, they have introduced new challenges, such as trust, socio-cultural, communication and coordination, and knowledge transfer issues. These challenges not only affect the development process but also affect the applicability of agile practices in offshore development. As a consequence, companies have been modifying and adapting agile practices to overcome these challenges. However there has been little effort put to collect and document the common practices that have been used repeatedly to solve recurring problems in offshore development. Using the systematic literature review approach and applying customised search criteria based on the research questions, we identified and reviewed over 200 cases from literature. As part of this research we also conducted semi-structured interviews, in which we involved practicing professionals who were working with distributed teams. As a result, we identified and documented a number of solutions to address the common agile issues in software development, which we classified as distributed agile patterns. This research presents the challenges caused by offshore development, how they affect the applicability of agile practices in offshoring. We have then developed a catalogue containing the identified fifteen distributed agile patterns and have classified them into four categories. We have used a case study to explain how these patterns can be applied in offshore software development. To verify and validate our catalogue, we conducted a reflection workshop, in which we invited professionals to review and comment on the patterns. The participants engaged in reviewing the patterns and gave constructive feedback, which helped in improving the catalogue. Based on their feedback, the distributed agile patterns catalogue was finalised. The catalogue can help practitioners make a more informed decision while choosing agile for their offshore projects.