Scrum, a quantitative analysis of functional Versus cross-functional teams in digital companies in Thailand

Abstract

Software Development projects face diverse challenges due to the lack of adequate communication. The Agile manifesto spins between people and interactions and demonstrates how a good synergy between these factors results in value to stakeholders in complex and fast-changing environments. One of the most recognized Agile frameworks, Scrum, proposes different values and specific interactions between team members that are considered a solution for mitigating team challenges, with a consistent focus on communication. Scrum focuses on creating value for stakeholders in the shortest time possible. This paper suggests different approaches to facilitate good communications in software development teams and demonstrates the influence of the workspace sitting arrangement on the quality and impact of intra-team communications. This study's motivation is to reduce existing research gaps in the relationship between the application of Agile methodologies, specifically Scrum, and the efficiency and quality of development teams by comparing the stated factors. The study collected and compared data from five software development teams, pre- and post-adoption of the proposed Scrum framework. The recommended Scrum framework suggests a new sitting arrangement, intending to improve the team members' communications habits. The project lasted one year, included 5 Scrum teams, involved 50 people, and was distributed between two departments (Production and Support) of a software and website development company located in Bangkok, Thailand. Quasi-experimental research was carried out using a pretest-posttest research design for the comparison. The study led to two main findings. For one, the evaluation results show that the proposed Scrum framework contributes to improving the development process quality and the final products' quality. For two, the sitting arrangement changes positively affected the quality of communication between team members, improving the teams' speed to solve challenges and, consequently, the teams' efficiency.