Software development management

Software development method and Project management

We research the adoption and use of software development methods as a key factor in project management effectiveness and project outcomes. Software development methods shape how teams plan, coordinate, and deliver value, and their appropriate use is often decisive for whether projects succeed or struggle. A central focus is on agile methods and cargo cult behavior—situations where methods are followed ritualistically rather than applied with an understanding of their underlying principles—leading to inefficiencies and poor outcomes. In our research, we develop conceptual frameworks and diagnostic tools to detect such behavior, examines the organizational and cognitive drivers behind method adoption, and explores the mindset required to achieve genuine Agility in volatile and complex environments. By promoting context-sensitive and principle-driven method use, this research aims to support organizations in improving project success rates and realizing the intended benefits, i.e., goals and values, of modern software development approaches.

Key publications

Havstorm, T. E., Karlsson, F., & Gao, S. (2025). Agile software development method cargo cult - Devising an analytical tool. Information and Software Technology, 187, Article 107851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107851

Appel Bangshøj, C., Havstorm, T. E., Algulin, Å. (2025). An Agile Mindset in a VUCA-World. 25th International Conference in Agile Software Development XP2024, Bolzano, Italy, June 3-7, 2024. Proceedings of Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming - Workshops. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing (LNBIP, volume 524). E-ISSN: 1865-1356. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72781-8_26

Yu, L. , Alegroth, E. , Chatzipetrou, P. & Gorschek, T. (2024). A Roadmap for Using Continuous Integration Environments.  Communications of the ACM, 67 (6), 82-90. https://doi.org/10.1145/3631519

Havstorm, T., Karlsson, F. (2023). Software developers reasoning behind adoption and use of software development methods – a systematic literature review. International Journal of Information Systems and Project Management, 11 (2), 47-78. https://doi.org/10.12821/ijispm110203.

Klotins, E. , Unterkalmsteiner, M. , Chatzipetrou, P. , Gorschek, T. , Prikladnicki, R. , Tripathi, N. & Pompermaier, L. B. (2021). Use of Agile Practices in Start-up Companies.  e-Informatica Software Engineering Journal, 15 (1), 47-64. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSE.2019.2900213

Smite, D. , Moe, N. B. , Floryan, M. , Levinta, G. & Chatzipetrou, P. (2020). Spotify guilds.  Communications of the ACM, 63 (3), 58-61. https://doi.org/10.1145/3343146

Karlsson, F. (2013). Longitudinal use of method rationale in method configuration: an exploratory study. European Journal of Information Systems, 22(6), 690-710. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2012.30

Karlsson, F., & Ågerfalk, P. J. (2009). Exploring Agile Values in Method Configuration. European Journal of Information Systems, 18(4), 300-316. https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2009.20

Karlsson, F., & Ågerfalk, P. J. (2004). Method Configuration: Adapting to Situational Characteristics while Creating Reusable Assets. Information and Software Technology, 46(9), 619-633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2003.12.004

Requirements engineering

We aim to explore how large language models (LLMs) can be used for Requirements Engineering processes. Specifically, we investigate the consistency of GPT models in classifying Natural Language Requirements. Moreover, when multi-label requirements classification is an inherently challenging task, there is a need to examine the performance of zero-shot classifiers on a multi-label industrial dataset. Therefore, we have focused on classifying requirements according to a hierarchical taxonomy designed to support requirements tracing. Additionally, we strive to explore the various applications of AI in Requirements Engineering processes within the industry. Finally, the model integration introduces challenges to product quality; therefore, mapping current metrics to quality characteristics of the GenAI system needs to be investigated and refined.

Key publications

Karlsson, F., Chatzipetrou, P., Gao, S., & Havstorm, T. E. (2025). How Reliable Are GPT-4o and LLAMA3.3-70B in Classifying Natural Language Requirements? IEEE Software, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.2025.3572561

Chatzipetrou, P., Karlsson, F., Havstorm, T. E. Gao, S., (2025) Using Large Language Models and Few-Shot Learning to Classify Natural Language Requirements: An Experimental Study. 18th International Conference on the Quality of Information and Communications Technology, QUATIC 2025, Lisbon, Portugal, September 3-5, 2025, Proceedings.

Karlsson, F., Gao, S., Chatzipetrou, P., Havstorm, T. E. (2025) Exploring Classification Consistency of Natural Language Requirements Using GPT-4o. 15th International Conference, ICSOB 2024, Utrecht, The Netherlands, November 18–20, 2024, Proceedings. Series E-ISSN: 1865-1356. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85849-9_4

Abdeen, W., Unterkalmsteiner, M., Wnuk, K., Ferrari, A., & Chatzipetrou, P. (2025, March). Language Models to Support Multi-Label Classification of Industrial Data. In 2025 IEEE International Conference on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER) (pp. 45-55). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/SANER64311.2025.00013

Chatzipetrou, P., Unterkalmsteiner, M., & Gorschek, T. (2019, August). Requirements’ Characteristics: How do they Impact on Project Budget in a Systems Engineering Context?. In 2019 45th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications (SEAA) (pp. 260-267). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/SEAA.2019.00048

Digitalization of the public sector

We research the digitalization of the public sector – what is usually referred to as e-Government or digital government. E-government refers to the use of technology in the public sector to improve public sector internal and external operations. We research the software development process as well as how we can ensure that public values and ethical aspects are safeguarded when emerging technologies such as AI are used in decision-making.

Key publications

Skargren, Fredric, 2020. “What is the point of benchmarking e-government? An integrative and critical literature review on the phenomenon of benchmarking e-government”. Information Polity, 25:1, 67-89. https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-190131

Twizeyimana, J. D., & Andersson, A. (2019). The public value of E-Government–A literature review. Government information quarterly, 36(2), 167-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.01.001

Lagsten, J., & Andersson, A. (2018). Use of information systems in social work–challenges and an agenda  for future research. European Journal of Social Work, 21(6), 850-862. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2018.1423554

Larsson, H., & Grönlund, Å. (2016). Sustainable eGovernance? Practices, problems and beliefs about the future in Swedish eGov practice. Government Information Quarterly, 33(1), 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2015.11.002

Grönlund, Å., & Horan, T. A. (2005). Introducing e-gov: history, definitions, and issues. Communications of the association for information systems, 15(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.01539

Emerging technologies in software development

We research how emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and cloud-native architectures—are transforming software development practices through automation and predictive insights e.g., AI-assisted development. Our research explores the impact of these emerging technologies on software quality, developer’s productivity, collaboration, and system sustainability. Our research also investigates the socio-technical factors influencing technology integration, assess the digital maturity of organizations, and identify the skills and processes needed to adopt them effectively. Through conducting empirical studies, and analyzing real-world implementation, our research goal is to help organizations make well-informed, strategic decisions about the technological innovation to bring the innovation closer to reality and enable more adaptive, robust and responsible software development.

Key publications

Yu, L., Alégroth, E., Chatzipetrou, P., & Gorschek, T. (2025). Measuring the quality of generative AI systems: Mapping metrics to quality characteristics-Snowballing literature review. Information and Software Technology, 107802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107802

Borg, M., Chatzipetrou, P., Wnuk, K., Alégroth, E., Gorschek, T., Papatheocharous, E., ... & Axelsson, J. (2019). Selecting component sourcing options: a survey of software engineering’s broader make-or-buy decisions. Information and Software Technology, 112, 18-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2019.03.015

Klotins, E., Unterkalmsteiner, M., Chatzipetrou, P., Gorschek, T., Prikladnicki, R., Tripathi, N., & Pompermaier, L. B. (2019). A progression model of software engineering goals, challenges, and practices in start-ups. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 47(3), 498-521. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSE.2019.2900213