Design and Evaluation of AgileBPM SDLC–An Agile SDLC for Business Process Management Systems

Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) are critical for enabling organizations to automate, monitor, and optimize their core processes. While agile software development approaches have transformed traditional systems engineering, their systematic application to BPMS development remains limited and underexplored. Existing agile SDLCs for BPMS are often incomplete, lack standardization, and provide insufficient documentation, hindering their adoption in both academic and professional contexts. This study addresses this gap by designing and validating AgileBPM SDLC, a novel, fine-grained Agile Software Development Life Cycle tailored specifically for BPMS. Grounded in Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), the proposed model integrates best practices from the Scrum-XP framework and insights from four existing agile BPMS methodologies. The resulting AgileBPM SDLC includes three agile roles, four phases, fifteen activities, and twelve structured artifacts, all comprehensively documented through an open-access Electronic Process Guide (EPG). Validation involved expert review by senior evaluators and comparative assessment using a Rigor-Agility Framework. Results demonstrate the SDLC’s theoretical soundness, alignment with agile principles, and practical applicability. By providing a detailed, reusable framework for agile BPMS development, this study makes a significant contribution to researchers, developers, and organizations seeking faster, more flexible, and well-documented approaches to process-aware information systems.