Challenges on Implementing Agile Project Management Methods: An Literature Review and Interview Study with Practitioners

Abstract

Indicated by Geoffrey Moore's Technology Adoption Curve, agile is supposed to face different challenges in different phases facing different user groups. Despite the popularity of agile implementation, the trends of agile development and the limitations and challenges under each particular period are missing in the current published studies. The study aims at filling this gap through Agile Conference (2003-2009) review and interviews in software industry. The study finds out the agile implementation has shift from “starting agile” to“staying agile” in general. Another finding is new developer generations are unfamiliar with traditional project management, which might kill the contribution that traditional way could make to project success. This finding implicates the need to study how to motivate this group of practitioners to take advantage of traditional project management principles to combinewith agile methods, rather than abandon completely.