Self-Organizing Agile Teams: A Grounded Theory

Abstract

Self-organizing teams are a hallmark of Agile software development, directly\na ecting team e ectiveness and project success. Agile software development,\nand in particular the Scrum method, emphasizes self-organizing teams but\ndoes not provide clear guidelines on how teams should become and remain\nself-organizing. Based on Grounded Theory research involving 58 Agile prac-\ntitioners from 23 di erent software organizations in New Zealand and In-\ndia, this thesis presents a grounded theory of self-organizing Agile teams.\nThe theory of self-organizing Agile teams explains how software development\nteams take on informal, implicit, transient, and spontaneous roles and per-\nform balanced practices while facing critical environmental factors, in order\nto become self-organizing. The roles are: Mentor, Co-ordinator, Translator,\nChampion, Promoter, and Terminator. The practices involve balancing free-\ndom and responsibility, cross-functionality and specialization, and continuous\nlearning and iteration pressure. The factors are senior management support\nand level of customer involvement. This thesis will help teams and their\ncoaches better understand their roles and responsibilities as a self-organizing\nAgile team. This thesis will also serve to educate senior management and\ncustomers about the importance of supporting these teams