Implementation of Kanban Techniques in Software Development Process: An Empirical Study Based on Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

It has been observed that there is an increasing trend of implementing Lean Techniques as a whole in general and Kanban in particular in the software development process all across the globe to reap the proclaimed advantages of these techniques as documented in the available literature and verified by the Lean practitioners. The main goal of this paper is to highlight the present state of implementation and usage of Kanban techniques in the software development process, its obtained and to-be-obtained benefits, challenges that are being faced by the software development companies and the reason(s) of motivation that compels the organization to adopt Kanban technique. Furthermore, the solutions for challenges identified during the study will also be suggested. In order to achieve this, an empirical study has been conducted encompassing a survey followed by complementing thematic interview sessions with 241 employees of 67 software companies of Pakistan. The companies involved in the empirical study have reasonable years of experience in practicing Agile and Lean techniques. Generally, the obtained results depict that the usage of Kanban techniques is rather positive and appreciative; however, the challenges that are being faced in Kanban adoption are lack of specialized training and experience pertaining to its usage and a too conventional organizational culture.