Have Your Cake and Eat it Too? Managing Knowledge in Hybrid Agile-Traditional Development Projects

This research examines how knowledge management elements of systems development projects are adapted to correspond with the increasing use of agile practices. Using a single, longitudinal case study, we draw on interview data from an initial CRM implementation that used a traditional approach, followed by a second project phase employing a hybrid agile-traditional approach. Oriented using the concept of ambidexterity, our findings suggest that some knowledge management elements remained traditional, others became strongly agile, and some integrated both approaches together in a hybrid manner. Our study aids practitioners by providing insights into the opportunities and pitfalls of managing knowledge within hybrid development projects. For researchers, this paper applies the concept of ambidexterity in an agile development context as it relates to knowledge management. Our findings extend the literature on the incremental trade-offs that companies face when attempting to simultaneously explore and exploit two development approaches.