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The article offers information on agile software development. The concept is developed in response to plan-based or traditional methods. The authors examine the benefits and limitations of agile methods to determine its effectiveness. Three overviews conducted in 2002, 2004, and 2005 are presented to discuss the concept of agile development and to describe its status based on the lessons learned from the applications of various agile methods. The authors also present a comparative study of traditional and agile software developments.

The article examines the effectiveness of pair programming (PP) with the help of empirical evidence. Fifteen studies were conducted, out of which eleven compared the effectiveness of isolated pairs. Duration was reported either as the total time a subject took to complete all the assigned programming tasks or as the total time taken to produce code that was assessed as having reached a certain quality standard. For comparisons between pairs and solo programmers, pair effort was reported as twice the duration of each individual in the pair. Quality typically was reported as the number of test cases passed or number of correct solutions of programming tasks. The study reveals that PP leads to increased quality.

The article presents information on Evidence-Based Software Engineering (EBSE) used by the practitioners. EBSE aims to improve decision making related to software development and maintenance by integrating current best evidence from research with practical experience and human values. This means one does not expect a technology to be universally good or universally bad, only more appropriate in some circumstances and for some organizations. Furthermore, practitioners will need to accumulate empirical research about a technology of interest and evaluate the research from the viewpoint of their specific circumstances. This aim is decidedly ambitious, particularly because the gap between research and practice can be wide. EBSE seeks to close this gap by encouraging a stronger emphasis on methodological rigor while focusing on relevance for practice. This is important because rigor is necessary in any research that purports to be relevant. Moreover, because most software engineering (SE) research has not influenced industrial practice, there's also a pressing need to prevent SE research from remaining an ivory tower activity that emphasizes academic rigor over relevance to practice. INSETS: Asking the Right Question.;Useful Information Sources.;Evidenced-Based Software Engineering QSA..

An overview of how context affects empirical software engineering research and how to better contextualize empirical evidence proposes a contextual framework that answers journalism's "Five Ws": What, Who, Where, When, and Why. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A close look at the evidence underpinning the original concept of lean production and its popular interpretation reveals the inherent challenges of measuring and interpreting evidence for performance differences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the obstacles encountered when implementing development methods that rely on self-managed software teams. It describes the potential advantages of self-managing teams over traditionally managed teams. It cites barriers in instilling self-management to software development teams such as problems in individual commitment, individual leadership and failure to learn. The author suggests organizing cross-training, gathering the team in the same room, and assigning one project to the people one at a time.