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International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management

Abstract

Multiple metrics are available for agile software development (ASD), but adapting them to changing conditions of ASD is a challenge. To be truly agile, the metrics must be goal-oriented, flexible, and adhere to the principles of people interactions. This paper presents the results of a multi-year action research project conducted in different companies adopting ASD. Our contribution describes the organizational routines and a framework (3View) to incorporate meaningful metrics supported in three main pillars: comparability with past projects, relevance to measuring project expectations, and adaptability to remain valid in dynamic project conditions. The proposed framework includes (1) a reference model to build metrics and (2) a process model to guide practitioners. Measures of all types of attributes in ASD can be evaluated differently, depending on the project stakeholders and lifecycle stage. Dynamic environments require adaptive metrics that guide the interpretation and directions for project development. Failure to adopt these recommendations may lead to a risk of ceremonial conformity to measurements that do not reflect practice. Our work extends the literature on ASD metrics, expanding their role as enablers of agile project assessment and transparent communication throughout the project lifecycle. It explains how ASD metrics can be adapted to fit stakeholders’ perceptions while maintaining rigor and transparency in their reasoning.

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