A Symbiosis between Agile Methods and Knowledge Management for Dealing with Complexity in Software Engineering

Abstract

This thesis proceeds from the notion that complexity in the field of software engineering is a result of the internal and external forces that must be brought together to engage in it, resulting in a chaotic state that breeds failure and that this state can be ameliorated through the use of the Agile Methods and knowledge management. After enumerating and discussing the sources of complexity, and surveying the results of their interactions, it proceeds to look at the theory of knowledge management. In elaborating the ideas of Nonaka and Takeuchi we are introduced to the concepts of both the knowledge spiral and a model of knowledge creation, including its enabling conditions and barriers, as well as the concept of Ba. These theories seek to harness the interplay of explicit and tacit knowledge to manage complexity. These theories form a framework that is then applied to the Agile methods, specifically Extreme Programming and the Crystal Clear methodologies, in order to evaluate their values, principles, practices and strategies of software engineering from a knowledge management perspective. This evaluation finds that there is a congruency between the practices of the Agile methods and the theory of knowledge management. In particular the manner in which the Agile methods engage in an iterative pattern of development, its support for direct communication, the incorporation of non-technical team members in defining the product and planning and its reflection on process and product, create a knowledge creating process. As a result, many of the issues of complexity are either removed or minimized through the application of this process.