"Mind the Gap": An Analysis of Communication in Agile Global Outsourced Software Development Projects

Many organizations are currently combining information technology outsourcing strategies with agile software development practices. The resulting agile global outsourced software development (AGOSD) projects involve joint virtual client vendor teams that apply agile development methods for delivering software, and are specifically challenging in terms of appropriate communication. Therefore, our study provides insights on this topic by evaluating agile communication practices for the usage within AGOSD projects. Our study (1) empirically identifies formerly unknown agile communication practices and (2) provides a practical relevance ranking of communication practices for the usage within AGOSD projects. With our results, we shed light on the as-of-yet under-researched topic of communication practices within AGOSD projects and therefore provide important knowledge for both theory and practice.