On the Development of a Model to Support the Combined Use of Agile Software Development with User-Centered Design and Lean Startup

Abstract

Despite the benefits of Agile Software Development, organizations still do not have a clear understanding of the problem to be solved by the software product-to-be. This problem can solved by having a closer engagement with users, and the combined use of Agile, User-Centered Design, and Lean Startup has been pointed out as a strategy to achieve this. However, this novel development approach does not have publicly available tools or instruments that aid organizations in using it in any way. We describe the first steps in building a literature and practice-informed acceleration model to aid in the adaptation to this combined approach. The model is based on a set of principles, activities, and practices derived from Agile, User-Centered Design, and Lean Startup pillars. These will serve as guidance for software teams to determine the competences and skills they need, by accounting for forces that might influence their work processes. We discuss how the acceleration model could help teams adapt to the combined approach and point out our future research plan to define the next steps to fully realize our model.