What Makes Agile Software Development Agile?

Together with many success stories, promises such as the increase in production speed and improvement stakeholders' collaboration have contributed to making agile a transformation software industry which companies want take part. However, driven either by natural expected evolution or contextual factors that challenge adoption of methods prescribed their creator(s), processes practice mutate into hybrids over time. Are these still agile? In this article, we investigate question: what makes development method We present an empirical study grounded large-scale international survey aims identify practices improve tame agility. Based on 556 data points, analyze perceived degree agility implementation standard project disciplines its relation used practices. Our findings suggest only small number participants operate projects purely traditional manner (under 15%). That said, most show clear trend towards increasing degrees Compared develop software, selection has stronger effect given discipline. Finally, there are no explicitly guarantee prevent conclude cannot be defined solely at process level. Additional need taken account when trying implement company. discuss field process-related research light our roadmap for future research.