Context Large fintech organizations are increasingly adopting agile methodologies to enhance product development capabilities. However, implementing agile at scale presents unique challenges, particularly related to collaboration essential for successful software product management (SPM). Social capital, comprising structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions, may play a crucial role in facilitating the collaboration needed to overcome these challenges. Objectives We examine the role of social capital in large-scale agile SPM, focusing on how it facilitates coordination, collaboration, and, ultimately, success, in complex, product-focused environments. Methods We employ a multi-case study approach, comprising 33 interviews, observations, and document analysis, analyzing two Scandinavian fintech companies that have adopted large-scale agile practices organized around product areas. Results Our findings, viewed through the lens of social capital theory, show that its three dimensions help explain how large-scale organizations adopting SPM manage dependencies and enable product-focused coordination. Specifically, the structural dimension helps illuminate how networks are formed; the cognitive dimension clarifies how shared understanding of product visions and development practices emerges; and the relational dimension highlights how trust is cultivated among product development actors across multiple operational levels (i.e., product team, product area, organizational, and external levels). Together, these dimensions offer insight into how agile practices are effectively implemented at scale. Conclusion Our study finds that social capital is a critical enabler of effective SPM in large-scale agile contexts. Its three dimensions support the collaboration and relational networks necessary for agility at scale. These insights suggest that fostering social capital should be prioritized in agile transformations to address the sociotechnical complexities inherent in large-scale SPM.

Abstract Product teams organized into product areas are becoming more and more prevalent in large-scale agile. While such arrangements are thought to improve the development process and overall product delivery, it is still not clear how this form of organizing alleviates the coordination challenges commonly associated with large-scale agile. In this paper, we report on a case study from a product area in a large FinTech organization. Through analyzing interviews, observations, and strategic documents, we describe how organizing into a product area with vertical and horizontal teams supported inter-team coordination. Further, we describe seventeen coordination mechanisms used in the product area. Our findings have three main contributions. First, we propose that the product area represent a distinct organizational level that can support coordination in large scale development settings. Second, we found that the team types used in the product area represent different team typologies. Third, pull requests and pair programming were used as inter-team coordination mechanisms, and our findings suggest that pair programming to some extent could replace the PR mechanism to further improve product area coordination.

Abstract Large-scale agile software development is increasingly being organized with product management. Although product management is familiar to software engineering, we need research-based knowledge about organizing product management in an agile development context. This study focuses on product management challenges and configurations in a Nordic fintech organization with 10,000 employees. We conducted 19 interviews with participants involved in core product management activities. The study identifies ten key factors that hinder product management performance in a large-scale agile product company. Further, we present six product management configurations used in the fintech organization. The most suitable setup depends on the product lifecycle stage, product size, and development team setup. Our summary of the product management configurations and challenges can guide software product managers working in large-scale agile companies.

Abstract Context Responding to change and continuously improving processes, practices, and products are core to agile software development. It is no different in large-scale agile, where multiple software development teams need to respond both to changes in their external environments and to changes within the organization. Objective With this study, we aim to advance knowledge on coordination in large-scale agile by developing a model of the types of organizational changes that influence coordination mechanisms. Method We conducted a longitudinal case study in a growing large-scale agile organization, focusing on how external and internal changes impact coordination over time. We collected our data through 62 days of fieldwork across one and a half years. We conducted 37 interviews, observed 118 meetings at all organizational levels, collected supplementary material such as chat logs and presentations, and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. Results Our findings demonstrate how external events, such as onboarding new clients, and internal events, such as changes in the team organization, influence coordination mechanisms in the large-scale software development program. We find that external and internal change events lead to the introduction of new coordination mechanisms, or the adjustment of existing ones. Further, we find that continuous scaling requires continuous change and adjustment. Finally, we find that having the right mechanisms in place at the right time strengthens resilience and the ability to cope with change in coordination needs in complex large-scale environments. Conclusions Our findings are summarized in an empirically based model that provides a practical approach to analyzing change, aimed at supporting both researchers and practitioners dealing with change in coordination mechanisms in large-scale agile development contexts.

In large-scale agile software development, many teams work together to achieve overarching project goals. The more teams, the greater the coordination requirements. Despite the growing popularity of large-scale agile, inter-team coordination is challenging to practice and research. We conducted a case study over 1.5 years in a large-scale software development firm to better understand which inter-team coordination mechanisms are used in large-scale agile and how they support inter-team coordination. Based on a thematic analysis of 31 interviews, 113 hours of observations, and supplemental material, we identified 27 inter-team coordination mechanisms. From this, we offer the following contributions. First, we propose a taxonomy of inter-team coordination with three categories: coordination meetings, such as communities of practice, inter-team stand-ups, and retrospectives; coordination roles, such as the program architects and the platform team; and coordination tools and artefacts, such as Slack and JIRA as well as inter-team task boards, product backlogs, and roadmaps. Second, the coordination mechanisms displayed combinations of four key characteristics, technical, organizational, physical, and social (TOPS), which form the basis of the TOPS framework to capture the multifaceted characteristics of coordination mechanisms.Technicalrelates to the software product and/or technical tools supporting software development.Organizationalpertains to the structural aspects of the organization.Physicalrefers to tangible or spatial characteristics.Socialcaptures interpersonal and community-based characteristics. Finally, the taxonomy and the TOPS framework provide a knowledge base and a structured approach for researchers to study as well as for software practitioners to understand and improve inter-team coordination in large-scale agile.

Abstract Inter-team coordination in large-scale software development can be challenging when relying on agile development methods that emphasize iterative and frequent delivery in autonomous teams. Previous research has introduced the concept of coordination strategies, which refer to a set of coordination mechanisms to manage dependencies. We report on a case study in a large-scale agile development program with 16 development teams. Through interviews, meeting observations, and supplemental document analyses, we explore the challenges to inter-team coordination and how dependencies are managed. We found four coordination strategies: 1) aligning autonomous teams, 2) maintaining overview in the large-scale setting, 3) managing prioritizations, and 4) managing architecture and technical dependencies. This study extends previous research on coordination strategies within teams to the inter-team level. We propose that large-scale organizations can use coordination strategies to understand how they coordinate across teams and manage their unique coordination situation.

Abstract In agile software development, a core responsibility of the product owner (PO) is to communicate business needs to the development team. In large-scale agile software development projects, many teams work toward an overall outcome, but they also need to manage interdependencies and coordinate efficiently. In such settings, POs need to coordinate knowledge about project status and goal attainment both within and across the development teams. Previous research has shown that the PO assumes a wide set of roles. Still, our knowledge about how POs coordinate amongst themselves and with their teams in large-scale agile is limited. In this case study, we explore PO coordination in a large-scale development program through the theoretical lens of Relational Coordination Theory. Our findings suggest that (1) coordination varies depending on the context of each PO, (2) a focus on achieving high-quality communication changes coordination over time, and (3) unscheduled coordination enables of high-quality communication.