Applying Emergent Outcome Controls to Mitigate Time Pressure in Agile Software Development

Can agile software development methods handle time pressure effectively? In this research-in-progress paper we examine the sources and remedies for time pressure in an agile software development project. We draw upon research on emergent outcome controls to understand how they can be used effectively to handle time pressure. In particular, we use Extreme Programming (XP) as an agile development exemplar and propose 3 interesting research propositions. Further, we discuss the limitations, practical implications, and future research efforts on how emergent outcome controls can be used to balance aspects of quality, time, and cost in software development.

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