AI and Agile Software Development: From Frustration to Success -- XP2025 Workshop Summary
Tomas Herda, Victoria Pichler, Zheying Zhang, Pekka Abrahamsson, Geir K. Hanssen
TL;DR
The paper documents XP2025's AI and Agile workshop, which united researchers and industry practitioners to address practical integration challenges. It outlines a four-phase process (retrospective, current practices, roadmap) that culminates in a collaborative research roadmap and a Living Lab proposal to sustain progress. Key findings center on tooling proliferation, data governance, and knowledge gaps, with actionable short-term actions and ambitious moonshots (e.g., Evaluator Agents, RAG adaptations, governance mechanisms). The work emphasizes a community-driven, action-oriented format to move from frustration to tangible impact in AI-enabled Agile software development.
Abstract
The full-day workshop on AI and Agile at XP 2025 convened a diverse group of researchers and industry practitioners to address the practical challenges and opportunities of integrating Artificial Intelligence into Agile software development. Through interactive sessions, participants identified shared frustrations related to integrating AI into Agile Software Development practices, including challenges with tooling, governance, data quality, and critical skill gaps. These challenges were systematically prioritized and analyzed to uncover root causes. The workshop culminated in the collaborative development of a research roadmap that pinpoints actionable directions for future work, including both immediate solutions and ambitious long-term goals. The key outcome is a structured agenda designed to foster joint industry-academic efforts to move from identified frustrations to successful implementation.