Exploring Process Debt in Large-Scale Agile Software Development For Secure Telecom Solutions

Background: Agile methodologies emphasise iterative development, customer collaboration, and flexibility in software development. However, challenges arise when agile practices are adopted in larger projects. Process inefficiencies and redundancies, known as process debt, result from the compounded complexities of expanding agile processes and workflows. However, strategies to understand and tackle it remain markedly inadequate.Aims: This study investigates process debt types, causes, and effects in large-scale agile development and its connection with technical debt.Method: In this case study, we conducted fifteen semi-structured interviews with a Nordic IT company, primarily focusing on telecom-related products like 5G secure solutions, testing tools, and base station software. We performed a thematic analysis to examine the data qualitatively.Results: The thematic analysis identified five process debt types with 28 sub-types: documentation (3), roles & responsibilities (5), synchronization (5), inefficiency & unsuitability (12), and infrastructure debt (3) identified causes and effects of process debt and identified the correlation of process debt to technical debt based on descriptions from interview data and researchers’ insights.Conclusions: Process debt, stemming from flawed agile practices in large-scale development, causes inefficiencies, reduces quality, and extends timelines, risking technical debt. Its management is essential for the success of these projects.CCS CONCEPTS• Software Engineering; • Software Process Improvement ; • Technical Debt Management ; • Quality Assurance;