“Lots done, more to do”: the current state of agile systems development research

Abstract

Agile systems development methods emerged as a response to the inability of previous plandriven approaches to handle rapidly changing environments (Highsmith 2002). Originating from so-called “light-weight” methods and promoted through the publication of the Agile Manifesto (2001), the agile method family have become highly prevalent in recent years. Meantime, agile system development research has gained momentum, as is evident from the increasing number of dedicated journal special issues, conferences, conference tracks and workshops. However, practitioners and consultants have largely driven the creation and dissemination of these methods. Agile research has lagged behind practice, as is often the case with new and emerging phenomena in Information Systems Development (ISD)