Beyond Code, We Are People: A Systematic Mapping of 25 Years of Literature on Soft Skills in Agile Development Teams

Software development is a sociotechnical and human-centered endeavor in which human factors directly influence quality, productivity, and the capacity for technological innovation. In this context, career development in computing extends beyond technical mastery, relying on competencies that prepare professionals to cope with continuous change and the collaborative demands imposed by agile software development. Among these competencies, non-technical skills (soft skills) stand out, encompassing social, emotional, and communicational dimensions that are critical to team effectiveness and the success of dynamic and complex software projects. Despite broad recognition of their importance, there remains a need for a systematic mapping of the most relevant soft skills for computing professionals over the past 25 years, a period marked by the emergence and widespread adoption of agile methodologies in industry. This gap hinders the balanced integration of human and technical aspects in systems development and limits the design of academic curricula, professional training programs, and organizational practices aligned with industry needs. This study presents a systematic mapping of the literature, analyzing 97 studies published between 2000 and May 2025 across major scientific databases. The results reveal recurring competencies such as communication, adaptability, teamwork, and leadership, as well as their associations with different professional roles in agile contexts. Additionally, the main agile methodologies adopted, most notably Scrum, are identified, and key gaps in the literature are mapped, including the lack of studies investigating role-specific soft skills. The findings of this study can support researchers, educators, agile team managers, and computing professionals in planning curricula, training strategies, and organizational practices that are more sensitive to human factors. In this way, the study highlights the need to strengthen the integration of social and technical dimensions of computing to foster the development of collaborative and innovative professionals.