Software Process Improvement in Agile Software Development A Systematic Literature Review

It is recognized the relevance and importance that software process improvement (SPI) and agile development have gained in the field of software engineering. Both are approaches that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a software development organization and to enhance software products. This paper aims to identify and characterize SPI in agile environments through a systematic literature review, including 423 papers published between2001 and March/2013. The selected papers were classified according to SPI aspects. Distinct approaches to Agile SPI were identified, the most common is to adapt traditional approaches of SPI in agile environments, but there are novel approaches such as improving people behavior or even improving practices being innovative in SPI consideration. Conducting SPI initiatives in agile environments is quite different from the traditional one, becoming necessary to adapt existing SPI approaches or creating new methods. The main discussion about agile SPI is: what the role of SPI in a context with people and interactions are more valued than process and tools?