Use of Agile Practices in Start-ups

• Main Authors: Klotins, Eriks, Unterkalmsteiner, Michael, Chatzipetrou, Panagiota, Gorschek, Tony, Prikladnicki, Rafael, Tripathi, Nirnaya, Pompermaier, Leandro Bento
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 14-02-2024
• Subjects: Computer Science - Software Engineering
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2402.09555

e-Informatica Software Engineering Journal, 2021, 15.1 Context Software start-ups have shown their ability to develop and launch
innovative software products and services. Small, motivated teams and uncertain
project scope makes start-ups good candidates for adopting Agile practices.
Objective We explore how start-ups use Agile practices and what effects can be
associated with the use of those practices. Method We use a case survey to
analyze 84 start-up cases and 56 Agile practices. We apply statistical methods
to test for statistically significant associations between the use of Agile
practices, team, and product factors. Results Our results suggest that
development of the backlog, use of version control, code refactoring, and
development of user stories are the most frequently reported practices. We
identify 22 associations between the use of Agile practices, team, and product
factors. The use of Agile practices is associated with effects on source code
and overall product quality. A team's positive or negative attitude towards
best engineering practices is a significant indicator for either adoption or
rejection of certain Agile practices. To explore the relationships in our
findings, we set forth a number of propositions that can be investigated in
future research. Conclusions We conclude that start-ups use Agile practices,
however without following any specific methodology. We identify the opportunity
for more fine-grained studies into the adoption and effects of individual Agile
practices. Start-up practitioners could benefit from Agile practices in terms
of better overall quality, tighter control over team performance, and resource
utilization.