A Quantitative Study on Critical Success Factors in Agile Software Development Projects; Case Study IT Company

Abstract: While software play integral role in every aspect of the modern world, software development process still faces many problems. During development process in an organization, effective methodology has a crucial role in order to become accomplished. Agile approach is new methodologies which have been introduced recently as a new approach for developing software to increase productivity and efficacy of software development process compare to traditional methodologies. Whereas, accomplishment of this methodology is still anecdotal and deeper investigation in this area is scant in academic circles. The purposes of this research is to influence success of agile software development in subject factor of organization, people, process, technical and project dimensions under terms of quality, scope, timeless and cost. This study has conducted a survey in order to investigate important success factors of agile software development process using quantitative approach. Preliminary After sufficient literature an explanation and list of potential factors for agile methodology based on previous studies were introduced. Afterward, factor and reliability analysis were conducted to mix this primal list into a finalized list of potential critical success factors in four mentioned dimensions. For each agile success factors term of quality, scope, time, and cost has been investigated. In order to collect required data a questionnaire was conducted among employees in a famous software development company who are mostly working based on agile methodology. This survey will make the personnel’s feedback and analysis their ideas about the variety of factors of agile methodologies which they are usually implemented in software development projects. Dependent sample tests, independent test related to the gender and multiple regression techniques as in full regression model and the last one is an optimized regression model which is done via the stepwise screening procedure. Final result of this study proved and rejected selected hypotheses. These hypotheses were about relationship between factor in four dimensions and quality, scope, time, and cost by using agile process. This questionnaire and analysis of this case study has proved some of authors’ hypothesis like the fact that by using agile methodology organization dimension is related directly to quality of product instead of reduction of total cost or using team management techniques can affect timeless factor instead of cost reduction. Finally, researcher makes more suggestions in order to make success factors more effective and increase productivity during the development process and to have more accomplishment in agile base projects.