What Leads to the Success of Agile Transformation Initiatives? A Study on Critical Success Factors
Gleison Santos, Eliezer Dutra, Claudio Saraiva Mattos, Alessandra Fortuna, Rodrigo Pereira dos Santos, Luiz Felipe Ramos, Álan Júnior da Cruz Andrade · Journal of Software Engineering Research and Development · 2025
Background: Agile methods and practices have been consistently adopted in recent years as alternatives to traditional software development processes to address the ever-changing needs of IT organizations. In previous research, we identified twelve critical success factors of agile transformations from a project management perspective and evaluated their relevance with practitioners. In this research, we also identified other factors suggested by the study’s participants. Objective: In this article, we extend our investigation of how practitioners perceive the relevance of these factors and whether other factors should be considered. In addition, we investigate the relevance of the effects these factors have on agile transformations. Method: We conducted a survey involving project managers from several organizations undergoing agile transformations. We analysed the data quantitative and qualitatively. Results: The participants’ perceptions provided valuable insights into the relevance of the critical success factors. Additionally, we identified four new critical success factors: capacity building and continuous learning, improving processes to meet business needs, organizational change management, and focusing on product quality. These newly identified factors foster the understanding of organizations’ challenges during an agile transformation and contribute to a more comprehensive depiction of the challenges involved with such endeavour. Based on the results and the literature, we present three propositions representing recommendations capable of promoting agile transformations. Conclusions: The evidence gathered in this article indicates that the factors and effects investigated are highly relevant. Moreover, organizations should consider them to enhance the chances of success of agile transformation initiatives.