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The role of knowledge-based resources in Agile Software Development contexts
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2679-0517
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3567-9300
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Computing, Department of Software Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3646-235x
University of Gothenburg.
2023 (English)In: Journal of Systems and Software, ISSN 0164-1212, E-ISSN 1873-1228, Vol. 197, article id 111572Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The software value chain is knowledge-based since it is highly dependant on people. Consequently, a lack of practice in managing knowledge as a resource may jeopardise its application in software development. Knowledge-Based Resources (KBRs) relate to employees’ intangible knowledge that is deemed to be valuable to a company's competitive advantage. In this study, we apply a grounded theory approach to examine the role of KBRs in Agile Software Development (ASD). To this aim, we collected data from 18 practitioners from five companies. We develop the Knowledge-Push theory, which explains how KBRs boost the need for change in ASD. Our results show that the practitioners who participated in the study utilise, as primary strategies, task planning, resource management, and social collaboration. These strategies are implemented through the team environment and settings and incorporate an ability to codify and transmit knowledge. However, this process of codification is non-systematic, which consequently introduces inefficiency in the domain of knowledge resource utilisation, resulting in potential knowledge waste. This inefficiency can generate negative implications for software development, including meaningless searches in databases, frustration because of recurrent problems, the unnecessary redesign of solutions, and a lack of awareness of knowledge sources. © 2022 The Authors

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2023. Vol. 197, article id 111572
Keywords [en]
Application programs, Competition, Knowledge based systems, Software design, Agile software development, Competitive advantage, Grounded theory, Grounded theory approach, ITS applications, Knowledge based, Knowledge-based resources, Resource management, Task planning, Value chains, Knowledge management, Software development
National Category
Software Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-24144DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.111572ISI: 000903909200003Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85144082256OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-24144DiVA, id: diva2:1722714
Part of project
SERT- Software Engineering ReThought, Knowledge Foundation
Funder
Knowledge Foundation, 20180010
Note

open access

Available from: 2022-12-30 Created: 2022-12-30 Last updated: 2023-08-18Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Managing Knowledge Resources in Agile Software Development
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Managing Knowledge Resources in Agile Software Development
2023 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Context: Many software companies adopt Agile Software Development (ASD) principles through various methods, aiming to respond rapidly to market changes or internal transformations. Agile principles prioritise informal communication between people over documentation to bring more flexibility and readiness when welcoming changes, posing pressure on how knowledge, a strategic resource, is shared and applied. Many knowledge resources remain intangible in these contexts, which poses challenges to resource management because knowledge is difficult to reproduce and manage, requiring lots of effort to understand what should remain tacit and what should be captured explicitly as artefacts. 

Objective: This thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of knowledge resources in agile software project environments and provide guidance on effectively managing them. 

Method: We follow mostly a qualitative approach to investigate knowledge resource management. We adhere to social constructivism research, which notes that social phenomena undergo constant changes and are affected by human interaction. As qualitative and quantitative methods of investigation, we utilised literature reviews, grounded theory, survey and a case study.

Results: This thesis provides an empirical understanding of how knowledge resources are used in practice and what hinders their effective management in ASD environments. More specifically, we focus on Property-based Resources (PBRs) such as Boundary Artefacts (BAs), examining inefficiencies in their content management and providing recommendations. We synthesised evidence from the literature to show the proportions of knowledge management practices utilised in ASD environments and the knowledge process they focus on. Through a grounded theory study, we identified Knowledge-based Resources (KBRs) that support changes in agile environments in the Knowledge-push theory. In this same study, we identified inefficiencies in converting KBRs into PBRs. This evidence led us to a case study in which we investigated the causes and effects of trust in BAs. The results have contributed to understanding the favourable factors that make stakeholders feel confident in utilising BAs and also pointed to the implication of decreased trust in software projects. Such negative implications can be mitigated by applying our developed and validated guideline that supports the creation of BAs in software engineering, which was perceived as being able to increase the trustworthiness of BAs. Lastly, in a concise format, we gathered the evidence that we collected through this doctoral journey and offered a simplified discussion about knowledge resources in an agile context. We explore their types, challenges and potential solutions to effectively manage knowledge, especially what is stored in artefacts.

Conclusions: We clarify the concept of KBRs, identify them, and explain how they support changes in agile contexts. In this process, we uncover the inefficiencies in converting KBRs into PBRs. We also provide guidance on effectively managing knowledge resources in software project environments, which can be helpful for software organisations. For example, (i) understanding how trust aspects such as reliability, predictability, and functionality affect practitioners' confidence in BAs, (ii) providing a structured guideline that helps practitioners create BAs, (iii) incorporating more formal practices to manage BAs that do not necessarily abandon agile flexibility to deal with changes. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlskrona: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, 2023
Series
Blekinge Institute of Technology Doctoral Dissertation Series, ISSN 1653-2090 ; 14
Keywords
Knowledge Management, Agile Software Development, Knowledge Resource, Boundary Artefacts
National Category
Software Engineering
Research subject
Software Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:bth-25299 (URN)978-91-7295-467-0 (ISBN)
Public defence
2023-10-05, J1360, Karlskrona, 14:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2023-08-21 Created: 2023-08-18 Last updated: 2023-09-18Bibliographically approved

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Ouriques, RaquelWnuk, KrzysztofGorschek, Tony

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