TY - JOUR
T1 - Analyzing the concept of technical debt in the context of agile software development
T2 - A systematic literature review
AU - Behutiye, Woubshet Nema
AU - Rodríguez, Pilar
AU - Oivo, Markku
AU - Tosun, Ayşe
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Context Technical debt (TD) is a metaphor that is used to communicate the consequences of poor software development practices to non-technical stakeholders. In recent years, it has gained significant attention in agile software development (ASD). Objective The purpose of this study is to analyze and synthesize the state of the art of TD, and its causes, consequences, and management strategies in the context of ASD. Research Method Using a systematic literature review (SLR), 38 primary studies, out of 346 studies, were identified and analyzed. Results We found five research areas of interest related to the literature of TD in ASD. Among those areas, “managing TD in ASD” received the highest attention, followed by “architecture in ASD and its relationship with TD”. In addition, eight categories regarding the causes and five categories regarding the consequences of incurring TD in ASD were identified. “Focus on quick delivery” and “architectural and design issues” were the most popular causes of incurring TD in ASD. “Reduced productivity”, “system degradation” and “increased maintenance cost” were identified as significant consequences of incurring TD in ASD. Additionally, we found 12 strategies for managing TD in the context of ASD, out of which “refactoring” and “enhancing the visibility of TD” were the most significant. Conclusion The results of this study provide a structured synthesis of TD and its management in the context of ASD as well as potential research areas for further investigation.
AB - Context Technical debt (TD) is a metaphor that is used to communicate the consequences of poor software development practices to non-technical stakeholders. In recent years, it has gained significant attention in agile software development (ASD). Objective The purpose of this study is to analyze and synthesize the state of the art of TD, and its causes, consequences, and management strategies in the context of ASD. Research Method Using a systematic literature review (SLR), 38 primary studies, out of 346 studies, were identified and analyzed. Results We found five research areas of interest related to the literature of TD in ASD. Among those areas, “managing TD in ASD” received the highest attention, followed by “architecture in ASD and its relationship with TD”. In addition, eight categories regarding the causes and five categories regarding the consequences of incurring TD in ASD were identified. “Focus on quick delivery” and “architectural and design issues” were the most popular causes of incurring TD in ASD. “Reduced productivity”, “system degradation” and “increased maintenance cost” were identified as significant consequences of incurring TD in ASD. Additionally, we found 12 strategies for managing TD in the context of ASD, out of which “refactoring” and “enhancing the visibility of TD” were the most significant. Conclusion The results of this study provide a structured synthesis of TD and its management in the context of ASD as well as potential research areas for further investigation.
KW - Agile software development
KW - Systematic literature review
KW - Technical debt
KW - Technical debt management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84993990146&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.infsof.2016.10.004
DO - 10.1016/j.infsof.2016.10.004
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:84993990146
SN - 0950-5849
VL - 82
SP - 139
EP - 158
JO - Information and Software Technology
JF - Information and Software Technology
ER -