Adopting flow analytics in software development projects

Anecdotal evidence suggests that use and effectiveness of flow tools and analytics is rapidly increasing across the software community. The differentiating feature of flow methods is their speed, epitomised by terms such as lead-time, cycle time, and cost of delay. Yet, existing research tends to largely focuses on the textbook version of flow, rather than any rigorous examination of its use in the turbulent and constantly changing 'real world' environment within which it is applied. This is a significant limitation given that software development is a highly metric oriented, complex and socially embedded activity. This study draws on a single case with four software development teams to identify the benefits realized when flow practices and analytics are integrated with a contemporary business intelligence and analytical software. It also provides an immediate practical contribution by identifying a set of lessons drawn from the case studied that may be applicable in future implementations of flow tools and analytics and the lessons learned can then be tailored and applied to other software development contexts.

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