1. DECISION-MAKING IN AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
TEAMS: SOLVING THE OPTIMAL TIMING PROBLEM
Dr. Niamh O Riordan Centre for Innovation & Structural Change, NUI Galway, Ireland
Dr. Tom Acton J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics & Lero, NUI Galway, Ireland
Prof. Kieran Conboy Associate Professor, Information Systems, Technology and Management Australian School of
Business, The University of New South Wales, Sydney & Lero, NUI Galway, Ireland
Prof. Willie Golden Dean of College of Business, Public Policy & Law, NUI Galway, Ireland
InterTradeIreland Innovation Conference 2012
12 and 13 June 2012
National University of Ireland, Galway

2. • Agile methods are an innovative approach to
software development
• They are
– organic, flexible and empowered teams
– working in active and close collaboration with customers
– over a series of rapid development iterations
• They deliver
✔ Productivity gains
✔ Quality gains
… But there’s a catch.

3. • Decision-making in agile teams is
– decentralised and pluralistic
– frequent and short-term
– dynamically complex (decisions are highly inter-related)
– time constrained
– resource constrained
– often unstructured
– minimally documented
The problem is that decision outcomes ultimately
impact upon project outcomes

4. Our research indicates that temporal problems are a key barrier to success in agile teams
∴ This research-in-progress investigates the temporal dynamics of decision-making in agile
teams

5. • This research-in-progress is designed to
– Address repeated calls for research on decision-making in agile teams
(e.g. Drury et al., 2012; McAvoy and Butler, 2009; Zannier and Maurer, 2007)
– Deliver empirical data on decision making in agile teams
– Identify temporal factors affecting decision quality in agile teams
– Derive practical recommendations to improve team performance
– Develop a theoretical understanding of decentralised decision making in
dynamic contexts
… and ultimately to contribute to research on (i) agile methods and (ii) the
broader field of decision support

6. Thank You
niamh.oriordan@nuigalway.ie
InterTradeIreland Innovation Conference 2012
Delivered as part of the InterTradeIreland All-Island Innovation Programme
12 and 13 June 2012
National University of Ireland, Galway

7. Thank You
niamh.oriordan@nuigalway.ie
InterTradeIreland Innovation Conference 2012
Delivered as part of the InterTradeIreland All-Island Innovation Programme
12 and 13 June 2012
National University of Ireland, Galway