Exploring agile practice adoption: A survey in the Norwegian public sector

The uptake of practices labeled as "agile" is a topic of widespread discussion in research and practitioner communities. Within the broad topic of agility, there are discussions about the separation between agility in what one might call traditional software development, agility in the form of product orientation, and agility as expressed in continuous delivery. Although particular cases have been studied, the magnitude and manner of adoption and use of agile practices under these three themes remain unclear. We therefore sought to test hypotheses about their growth, prevalence, and implementation patterns in the Norwegian public sector. Aiming to form a comprehensive picture, we distributed surveys three years apart to IT executives at all Norwegian public institutions likely to build digital solutions. The results supported the view that agile practices are prevalent, but gave mixed support for their increase in use. We found no support for the view that agility in, respectively, software development, product orientation, and continuous delivery are treated as distinct disciplines in practice. We were also unable to identify other patterns in implementing these practices. The adoption of agile appears to be enabled primarily by commitment at the team and individual levels and inhibited by factors specific to the public sector. These findings should be compared with other sectors and countries. We propose issues for (a) further research on the scope of agile practices, (b) better indicators for adoption, (c) interaction among agile practices, and (d) factors that enable or inhibit the adoption of agile practices.