A Failure to Learn By Software Developers:
Inhibiting the Adoption of an Agile Software
Development Methodology

John McAvoy and Tom Butler, University College Cork, Ireland
j.mcavoy@ucc.ie
tbutler@afis.ucc.ie

ABSTRACT

The adoption of an Agile software development methodology can be impacted by many
stakeholders. In the parlance of Chris Argyris, the adoption of Agile is an exercise in learning -
behavioral change created by Agile’s values. This paper presents a case study investigating the
failures associated with the introduction of elements of a new software development methodology
by the software developers within a software development team. Although Argyis’ work is often
portrayed at the organizational level, this case study examines individual learning. The failure to
adopt aspects of the new methodology is seen as a failure to learn by the individual software
developers within the team. This paper posits that learning is more than a pedagogical view of
learning a new skill; learning also involves changes in individual behaviors, attitudes and
opinions. As methodology adoption involves changes to the software developers’ activities and
values, this study investigates the introduction of an Agile Method as a learning experience. This
case study concentrates on one particular group of stakeholders – the software developers – and
examines the affect their traits can have on the learning activity of adopting an Agile
methodology in a project. Extant research focuses on the traits of software developers but does
not incorporate influences from the values inherent in Agile. The objective of this case study is to
examine the traits of individual programmers to determine the impact they can have on the
adoption of an Agile methodology by examining, in depth, the introduction of Agile by the
software developers in a team. This leads to the research question which asks if and how the
traits of software developers can negatively impact on the behavioral changes required for the
learning inherent in an Agile adoption?