Will Agile Training Promote Sustaining Agile Usage in Software Development?

Abstract

Agile methodologies have garnered prominence in the contemporary landscape of software development. Despite development teams migrating to such methodologies, they encounter hurdles in their sustained usage. Research suggests that these stem from inadequacies in the agile mindset of team members, acknowledging the role of agile training in fostering the same. However, they fail to adequately address the impact of agile training on sustained agile usage. This study substantiates the impact of agile training on the sustained usage of agile methodologies, exploring the mediating role of the agile mindset. A questionnaire was administered to a select group of 45 agile software development team members. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was utilized to evaluate the relationships between variables, finding that the agile training of a software development team member has a significant positive impact on the team’s sustained agile usage. Furthermore, the agile training of a team member contributes to his/her agile mindset. The study does not identify a clear link between the agile mindset and the team’s sustained agile usage, thereby failing to justify a mediating role. However, the findings assert the relevance of the agile mindset within the context. This study advances understanding of sustained agile usage, agile training, and the agile mindset by delving into the interplay of these factors. Furthermore, it equips practitioners with the knowledge to design effective interventions to cultivate an agile mindset amongst team members, thereby promoting the long-term success of agile methodologies.