What Do We Know about Scientific Software Development's Agile Practices?

Scientific software development viewed as knowledge acquisition: Towards understanding the development of risk-averse scientific software

“…Our observations (eg., [18], [32], [33]), and that of others (eg., [36]), is that scientists engage in software development outside the methods paradigm. But, because methods are so dominant in the software engineering literature [30] and assumed by many to be the only valid approach to software development, scientists have been criticized for not following methods (eg., [29]) and have been offered a plethora of advice on how to apply methods (eg., [2], [7]).…”

“…The model they use is a continuum of activity where the roles of software developer, tester, requirements engineer, are not separated. Sletholt et al [36] comment, "normally the scientists don't assume any specific roles" and that "none of [their] interviewees were able to identify transitions between the activities, as most of these activities (such as coding, analysis, design, and testing) are carried out more or less simultaneously." Sletholt et al [36] found that the two non-commercial projects they studied " didn't use any of the agile practices related to requirements … people involved in these projects didn't perceive any particular problems with requirements, even though they didn't use the agile practices."…”

Bridging the Chasm

“…A key finding was that many agile methods can be used successfully in small scale scientific programming teams, with some adaptations. Sletholt et al [2012] went on to undertake their own case studies, which concluded in contrast that the application of agile practices was rather more varied. Practices appear to be adopted on an ad hoc basis, rather than as a conscious decision to employ a comprehensive approach to agile methods.…”

Improving the Management of Cost and Scope in Software Projects Using Agile Practices

“…Besides studies involving the application of agile methodologies and their principles, researchers such as Chow and Cao [14], Lee and Xia [15], Abbas et al [16], So et al [17], Santos et al [18], Sletholt et al [19] and Asnawi et al [20], have been conducting more thorough studies on some of the general aspects, seeking to understand what kind of attributes are responsible for the success of agile projects. These researchers suggest the existence of factors that promote improvements and successful software development processes.…”

“…According to Sletholt et al [19], projects that use agile practices work better with activities related to test and requirement analysis. These activities, if implemented well, can yield good results, achieving affordable cost and flexible scope.…”