Fixations in Agile Software Development Teams

Abstract Cognitive biases influence every human being, including the individuals that take part in the software development process. Fixation is a cognitive bias that occurs when one focuses too much on certain items, events, obstacles or activities. In this study, we examine whether agile team members fixate on any particular agile practices. Through a set of semi-structured interviews, we investigated the source of these fixations, their consequences, and then propose possible countermeasures. We found that practitioners tend to fixate on practices that give them a sense of being in control over the project (such as meetings or Scrum events), while neglecting the Agile Principles of self-organising teams and working at a sustainable pace. This resulted in a series of problems, such as futile attempts to control team members, oversharing information with the client, meetings becoming a form of interrogation, and others.