Abstract:
The challenges with developing software systems led to a switch from traditional
software methodologies like Waterfall towards the Agile software methodologies.
These Agile software methodologies have become more and more popular in recent
times, and Scrum in particular has been adopted by many companies. The current
literature suggests that these Agile methodologies are indeed more effective in project
management, particularly in dealing with the complexity of modern software systems
and the rapidly changing business environment.
Given however a lack of available evidence of such research on the factors leading to
the adoption of Scrum, its usage and its impact within Sri Lanka, this thesis
investigates the efficacy of Scrum in project management in the Sri Lankan context.
Agile methodologies were initially proposed as being effective in specialized
scenarios, for example, with small co-located teams, but studies have shown that these
methodologies are also effective in many other settings. The existing literature further
proposes that many factors can affect the effectiveness of these methodologies. This
thesis therefor: set out to compare some of the critical success factors identified in the
existing literature against various characteristics found in the Sri Lankan environment.
A questionnaire was developed for measuring the effectiveness of projects that use the
Scrum methodology, and data was gathered from professionals in six companies. The
results revealed that several factors were strongly associated with the effectiveness of
projects, namely management support, organizational environment, customer involvement,
project management process, delivery strategy and team environment. While this study is
not able to confirm that these six factors directly cause an impact on the effectiveness
of a project, they are important factors that practitioners should be aware of.
To ensure the success of their projects, stakeholders are urged to facilitate upper
management support, create an Agile-friendly organizational environment, ensure
strong customer involvement and follow an Agile project management process.
Key words: Agile project management, Scrum
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