Crossing the boundaries – Agile methods in large-scale, plan-driven organizations: A case study from the financial services industry

Abstract

Selecting the software development methodology best-suited for a project or organization is a fundamental decision in the context of Information Systems (IS) engineering. In many industries and organizations, agile software development models are already well-established and commonly used for this purpose. However, large-scale, plan-driven organizations face additional challenges when implementing agile methods. To analyze how such organizations could make the implementation more effective, the results of a qualitative case study performed in a large-scale financial institution are presented in this paper. Based on these results, a best-practice model for their effective implementation in a complex environment is proposed. An organization-specific agile development framework and continuous stakeholder involvement are identified as crucial success factors. In addition, a successful implementation of agile methods in practice needs to be performed by dedicated individuals and cross-functional teams should be established in order to support a common understanding across organizational boundaries.