The Agile Research Network (ARN) is at the forefront of investigating Agile methodologies. ARN is led by researchers at three UK universities who collaborate with academics and practitioners all over the world. The Open University (OU) has a strong research record in the use of Agile methods in practice. University of Glasgow has a regarded Centre for Computing Science Education and a tradition of research in software engineering. The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has a strong record of linking research, teaching and practice through industry-based research and practitioner-focussed Masters and doctoral programmes.
As Agile methodologies mature and become mainstream it is important to understand what implications and influences they have on organisations and individuals, and to assess the scope and nature of their effectiveness. ARN seeks to work closely with practitioners in their place of work to gain such insights and then disseminate practical findings to a wider audience.
ARN is funded through a number of sources; currently it is funded by the three university members and the Agile Business Consortium. As the network grows the intention is to extend opportunities to other industry partners and funding bodies to contribute to this on-going industry-based research initiative.
Contact us: agile-research@open.ac.uk
Practitioner Whitepapers and Publications
Sharp, H., Barroca, L., Strode, D., Gregory, P. and Taylor, K. (2020) A strategy-focused agile transformation: planning simultaneously 50 years ahead and 5 minutes ahead, Agile Research Network
Barroca, L., Sharp, H., Gregory, P., Taylor, K., AlQaisi, R. (2019) An Agile District Council in the Making: A Behaviour-led Transformation, Agile Research Network
Academic Publications
Gregory, P.; Strode, D.; Barroca, L.; Sharp, H.; Taylor, K. (2020) Stakeholder Perceptions of IT Business Value in a Public Sector IT Digitalisation Project. In press. European Conference of Information Systems (ECIS 2020), Online June 2020
Gregory, P.; Strode, D.; Barroca, L.; Sharp, H.; Taylor, K. (2020) Onboarding: How Newcomers Integrate into an Agile Project Team. To be published. Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2020, Online June 2020
Latest Activities:
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Achieving strategic agility in the short-term and long-term
This masterclass drew on the case method pioneered at the Harvard Business School. The session was based on an earlier piece of research conducted by the ARN for three organisations seeking to achieve agile transformation. Its aim was to enable participants to practise being agile as part of a real-world scenario involving complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity. This masterclass was…
Work with us
We welcome collaborations with a wide range of academics and practitioners.
If you currently working on an Agile project, using Agile methods, researching Agile, or simply interested in adopting Agile practices, we can bring a research-based, evidence-led perspective to you, your team, and organisation.
Reach out to us at agile-research@open.ac.uk for a discussion.
