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

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