Hybrid Work in Agile Software Development: Recurring Meetings

TL;DR

This study investigates how recurring meetings are organized and carried out in hybrid large-scale agile at Ericsson's Finnish site. Through 27 semi-structured interviews across two units, it identifies a core pattern: meetings requiring active discussion or brainstorming are best conducted onsite, while information sharing meetings function well remotely; community of practice meetings support cross-team knowledge sharing and social ties. The findings argue for hybrid participation options, camera usage in small discussion-oriented meetings, and workspace arrangements that avoid excessive back-to-back office meetings. Practically, the work informs how to structure recurring meetings, CoP activities, and information sharing events in hybrid contexts, while outlining avenues for further research on ad hoc meetings, cross-site collaboration, and office design. The study contributes empirical insights to the sparse literature on hybrid work in large-scale agile software development and offers concrete guidance for practitioners navigating hybrid collaboration environments.

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic established hybrid work as the new norm in software development companies. In large-scale agile, meetings of different types are pivotal for collaboration, and decisions need to be taken on how they are organized and carried out in hybrid work. This study investigates how recurring meetings are organized and carried out in hybrid work in a large-scale agile environment. We performed a single case study by conducting 27 semi-structured interviews with members of 15 agile teams, product owners, managers, and specialists from two units of Ericsson, a multinational telecommunications company with a "2 days per week at the office" policy. A key insight from this study is that different types of meetings in agile software development should be primarily organized onsite or remotely based on the meeting intent, i.e., meetings requiring active discussion or brainstorming, such as retrospectives or technical discussions, benefit from onsite attendance, whereas large information sharing meetings work well remotely. In hybrid work, community meetings can contribute to knowledge sharing within organizations, help strengthen social ties, and prevent siloed collaboration. Additionally, the use of cameras is recommended for small discussion-oriented remote and hybrid meetings.

Figures (3)

• Figure 1: Office presence of the interviewees and teams.
• Figure 2: Unit meetings.
• Figure 3: Agile team meetings (PRN = as needed).