A new study has shown that projects working according to the Agile methodology are 268% more likely to fail than projects that do not use this practice. This was reported by ArsTechnica.
Agile is an agile and interactive methodology that gives software development teams the ability to quickly adapt to changing requirements and continuously improve their product.
The practice has four main principles: people and collaboration are more important than processes and tools; a product that works is more important than comprehensive documentation; collaboration with the customer is more important than negotiating the terms of the contract; and readiness for change is more important than sticking to the plan.
The study was conducted from May 3 to 7, and 600 software engineers took part in it: 250 from the UK and another 350 from the US.
One of the most striking findings of the study was that projects that have documentation with clear requirements before development begins have a 97% better chance of being successful.
The study found that establishing a specification before development begins can lead to a 50% increase in success, and making sure the requirements match the real problem increases this figure by another 57%.
Dr. Junade Ali, author of the book Impact Engineering, which describes the same methodology, said that 65% of projects use Agile practices and added that perhaps this methodology should be questioned.
The study also found that 65% of software projects that use Agile fail to complete work on time and on budget. But projects that use the new Impact Engineering approach described in the book fail in only 10% of cases.
"Our research has shown that what matters when it comes to delivering high-quality software on time and within budget is a robust requirements engineering process and having the psychological safety to discuss and solve problems when they emerge, whilst taking steps to prevent developer burnout," Ali wrote.
The study also found that projects in which engineers feel they have the freedom to discuss problems are 87% more likely to succeed.