Critical Success Factors of Agile Transformation Initiatives from a Project Management Perspective

Context: Agile methods have been adopted as an alternative to
meet the frequent changes in the IT industry and to address is-
sues of quality, cost, speed, and efficiency in systems development
processes. Problem: Managers are responsible for the appropriate
application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques that can
impact the success or failure of an agile transformation initiative.
However, there is not much visibility into the critical success factors
(CSF) associated with it. Solution: We aim to identify the CSFs that
affect agile transformation initiatives from a project management
perspective. IS Theory: The General Systems Theory provides the
basis for this study, since the different organizational aspects in-
volved in the agile transformation are interrelated and influenced
by factors such as environment, culture, information technology,
internal management systems, and other elements that may hinder
its adoption. Method: We performed a systematic mapping study
in the following digital databases: EI Compendex, IEEE, ISI Web
of Science, and SCOPUS. Sumary of Results: We selected 12 stud-
ies that allowed us to identify 12 CSF. The most cited ones were
top management support, team empowerment, adapting the pro-
cess toagile, and customer focus. Adoption of management style,
good communication, and strong teams are among the least cited
CSF. Contributions and Impact in the IS area: Our results can help
organizations in new agile transformation initiatives. Such CSF
are interrelated and, if taken into consideration, have an impor-
tant effect on the success of the agile transformation. Moreover,
management should consider the business through a systemic and
holistic view because those CSFs can positively impact the agile
transformation.