Investigation of Agile Mindset Elements by Using Literature Review for a Better Understanding of Agility

Abstract

The Agile Software Development movement itself emerged from practice just like most of the works in the Agile Software Development is evolved through practice. Thus, the creators and consultants of the Agile world may evangelize it with commercial concerns, resulting in selling agility to organizations as an object in a form of packaged practices (of methods/models/frameworks). As a result, agile mindset may easily lag behind the sold practices. However, effective agile individuals, teams and organizations require a particular attitude, way of thinking and behavior so called as agile mindset, beyond the given set of procedures, techniques and rituals, which makes it essential and primary before any practice (of any methods or frameworks). Despite its importance, the number of studies aiming to cover the elements of the agile mindset is surprisingly few, which calls for more study on this subject. By considering this gap and as an alternative to the limitations and monopoly of Agile Manifesto in being regarded as the dominant source of the mindset and to selling agility with a set of practices, this study provides the elements/factors/items of the agile mindset for a proper agility, by reviewing the literature to reach most comprehensive and up-to-date list, along with their categorization, relationships and discussions Thus, this study can serve as a basis to identify in what ways a particular entity (team, organization, or method) differs from the mindset.