A configurational examination of agile development as a sociotechnical system

The performance of agile development is variable, and the literature has not yet determined the mechanisms behind this behaviour. Agile teams may function as a sociotechnical system and these sociotechnical mechanisms may cause the performance variation. A configurational analysis determined that the presence of both agile technical and agile social subsystems was required for successful work outcomes, indicating that agile does operate as a balanced sociotechnical system. Individual agile components were also found to interact with and compensate for the absence of other agile components, confirming that the theory of constrained sociotechnical systems applies to agile development.