Challenges to agile software project management practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Santos, Renata Bittencourt Mendonça dos; Figueiredo, Paulo Soares; Marques, Felipe Tumenas

doi:10.1590/1806-9649-2022v29e9722

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Gest. Prod. 30 • 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9649-2022v29e9722 copy

Challenges to agile software project management practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Desafios às práticas ágeis de gestão de projetos de software no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract:

The Agile approach is focused on individuals and customer satisfaction, based on the dynamic and streamlined work of a team that is capable of adapting, and adapting the project to changing scenarios and demands. However, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Agile teams accustomed to in-person communication have encountered the challenges of working from home. The main objective of this research is to analyze the challenges generated by the pandemic context, and the consequent social distance, for the development of software projects that use Agile approaches within a large state-owned company and identify the effect it had on the course and results of the projects. The research was qualitative in nature and had two exploratory diagnostic stages. The findings indicate that there were no negative impacts of relevance on project deliveries. On the one hand, results indicated losses in socialization, in spontaneous exchanges of knowledge, and in interaction among teams, as well as a demand for greater engagement of professionals. Additionally, limitations were revealed for more complex discussions and knowledge management. The study highlights solutions that were found and/or suggested for many challenges, contributing to the literature on best practices for the Agile approach, and is focused on the unprecedented context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings can contribute to other companies with a similar profile that work with Agile projects, besides contributing to building a dialogue between the academic and business environments.

Keywords:
Agile approach; Project management; Software development; COVID-19 Pandemic; Remote work

Project	Members	Beginning	End
1	2 Product owners	Jan/20	Sept/2021
	4 developers
	1 scrum master
2	1 Product owner	Apr/19	Dec/21
	4 developers
	1 story designer
	1 solution designer
3	1 Product owner	Oct/2020	Dec/21
	4 developers
	1 story designer
	1 solution designer
	1 Assistant PO
4	1 Product owner	Apr/20	Jul/20
	5 developers
	1 scrum master
5	1 Product owner4 developers	Jun/21	in progress
	1 scrum master
	1 solution designer

Encoding	Sub-coding
Traditional Project Ma na gement Methodology	Basic Concepts
	Cascade Model of Project Management
	Indication and contraindication for implementing the traditional model
Agile Approaches	Basic concepts of the approach and the Agile Manifesto; the obstacles and benefits of adoption
	Tools of the agile approach
	Team profile
	Agile approach in software development projects
The Covid-19 pandemic context	Introduction to the Covid-19 topic
	Constraints, adaptations, and challenges brought by the pandemic to Project Management
	Remote work concepts, advantages, and disadvantages
	Pandemic context and home office in the use of agile methodologies for software development project management
	Post pandemic Project management
Research methodology
Findings from the study with the team of Agile projects in the context of the pandemic

Interviewee	Gender	Age	Training	Marital Status	Children at home	Residents in household
PO (Product Owner)1	M	39	History and Accounting	Married	1	3
PO2	F	34	Business Administration	Single	0	2
PO3	M	35	Electrical Engineering	Single	0	3
PO4	M	33	Production Engineering	Married	0	2
PO5	M	52	Petroleum engineering	Single	0	2
Developer 1	M	34	System Analysis	Married	0	2
Developer 2	M	32	System Analysis	Single	0	2
Developer 3	M	35	Administration	Married	0	2
Developer 4	M	37	Computer Engineering	Single	1	3
Developer 5	M	34	Computer Engineering	Married	0	2
Developer 6	F	40	Business Administration	Married	1	3
Developer 7	M	36	System Analysis	Married	0	2

Challenge Found	Principle, value, or Agile practice affected	Main Reason	Solution found or suggestion
Motivational Aspects	Principle: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the necessary environment and support and trust them to do the job.	Lack of alignment of everyone on the project deliverables	Leadership must invest in the alignment of goals throughout the team and create an environment of spontaneous and respectful exchange, in order to value the performance of each one to promote autonomy and self-organization.
Remote Communication	Principle: The most efficient and effective method of transmitting information to and between a development team is face-to-face conversation.	Technological dependence, remote work deficiency, lack of spontaneity, loss of synergy	Training, invest in adapting remote work and in spontaneous and continuous communication. Promote small conversations to improve team spirit. Stay connected in a meeting room, after daily tasks (to simulate the spontaneity and exchanges common in a face-to-face work room). Make the workday more flexible.
Difficulty w/ high turnover and entrance of new team members	Indirectly related to the principles: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the necessary environment and support and trust them to do the work. Business people and developers should work together daily for the entire project.	Service delegations and team adjustments are compromised.	Reduce turnover, increase interaction among team members, and intensify retrospective meetings and explanatory meetings among the team, in order to integrate new members that have arrived during the course of the project.
Problems in the initial phase of projects	Principle: Business people and developers should work together daily for the entire project.	Uncertainties and lack of previous relationship, in a new team	Establish contact with the customer and perform integration dynamics with the team in order to improve the environment and motivation.
Less interaction among projects	N/A	The spontaneous and creative exchange ceases to happen, with other teams in the startup, whose diverse experiences can collaborate in the growth of the other teams and improvements in the processes and projects.	Resume scheduled team interactions with other Agile software development projects in the company.

Universidade Federal de São Carlos Departamento de Engenharia de Produção , Caixa Postal 676 , 13.565-905 São Carlos SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 16 3351 8471 - São Carlos - SP - Brazil
E-mail: gp@dep.ufscar.br

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[1] Authors contribution

Renata Bittencourt Mendonça dos Santos was responsible for designing, planning, performing data collection and writing and revising this study. Paulo Soares Figueiredo was responsible for designing, planning, writing and revising this study.Felipe Tumenas Marques was responsible for designing, planning, writing and revising this study.