Progressive integration of method components: A case of agile is development methods

Abstract

Situational Method Engineering aims at constructing methods adapted to a given situation, either by a construction from a set of predefined method components or by a customization of an existing method using different techniques: configuration, extension, reduction, and so on. However, these techniques are still limited in practice, as considered complicated and heavy to implement. In this paper, we describe a practitioner experience of a gradual integration of different method components (issued from agile methods of software development). In a real case of a development company, we have practiced and observed the progressive introduction of agile method components instead of the construction or customization of methods in one go. We discuss the lessons learned from this experience and define different research perspectives.