Conclusion

Some anecdotal evidence suggests success of the agile methodologies in producing higher-quality software in less time. In this chapter, we set up a framework and measurement plan for an objective assessment of these methodologies. Our goals are to provide insight into the effectiveness of the new practices in helping organizations meet their business objectives and in developer satisfaction and confidence and related managerial issues. In particular, certain environments and certain projects may be better suited for an agile methodology than others. The authors are interested in collecting and analyzing the results of industrial experiments related to agile methodologies. Anyone interested in running such an experiment is invited to contact the authors.