Towards R&D as innovation experiment systems: A framework for moving beyond agile software development

Paper in proceeding, 2013

In focusing on flexibility, efficiency and speed, agile development practices have lead to a paradigm shift in how software is developed. However, while agile practices have indeed proven to be successful these are not the final step of software development. There is a "beyond agile" in which software development companies can capitalize even more on customer contributions and where customer feedback is the main driver for innovation. In this paper, we present a multiple-case study where we explore five software development companies moving from agile towards continuous deployment of software and a future in which R&D works as an 'innovation experiment system'. Based on a qualitative interview study, we present benefits and barriers when moving towards R&D as an innovation experiment system. Also, we present a framework in which we identify key initiatives that companies deploy in order to evolve their software development practices.