Avila

LASD@SAC'24

Track on Lean and Agile Software Development

at the 39th ACM/SIGAPP Symposium On Applied Computing

April 8 - April 12, 2024

Avila, Spain

Authors who cannot make on-site presentations due to travel or health restrictions may request to present their materials online.

About

The international conference on Lean and Agile Software Development (LASD) was founded in 2017 as a part of the FedCSIS multiconference. The conference grew each year until 2020 when it noticed a substantial decline in the number of submissions. To remedy this issue, in 2021 and 2022, LASD was held as a standalone, free of charge conference. Since 2023, it has joined ACM SAC as a track.

The objective of LASD is to advance the state-of-the-art in lean and agile software development and disseminate best practices, along with success stories of successful transitions and adaptations to the evolving work environment.

LASD has already established itself as a prominent forum where practitioners, researchers, and academics meet to share and discuss their concerns, experience, and research findings. In the previous two editions, authors of approximately 50% of accepted full papers have been invited by either the editor of Computer Science and Information Systems (ComSIS, IF: 1.4) or the Journal of Computer Languages (Cola, IF: 2.2) to publish an extended version of their papers. The conference is also famous for its conscientious PC members, who diligently provide detailed reviews of journal-quality standards.

Motivation

The evolution of software development methods is driven by the perennial quest on how to organize projects for better productivity. Plan-driven methods recommend spending much effort and resources to comprehensively capture all requirements and elaborate a big up-front design. Although they succeeded in projects where all properties of the software system could be specified in detail, they were unable to meet the dynamism, unpredictability and changing conditions that characterize today's competitive business environment. Thereby, traditional methods were superseded by lightweight methods based on iterative and incremental software development, frequent feedback from the customer, and an agile mindset. Agile methods have not only acknowledged that business requirements change, but also that customers are unable to definitively express their needs up front. Accordingly, agile teams start with a small set of core requirements to initiate the project and develop a working product. This working product becomes the basis for further discussions with the customer and new features are incrementally deliver on top of it. Later on, the software industry also started to adopt practices from lean manufacturing as a means of further waste elimination by removing all non-value-adding activities.

While agile and lean software development has already become mainstream in industry and a strong community has crystallized around the new way of thinking, making the transition to the new mindset is still challenging for many project managers. Besides, as the vast majority of software development projects are unique, agile methods often need to be tailored to accommodate specific situations. However, method tailoring is not trivial and poses serious challenges for practitioners. Indeed, one of the most distinctive features of Scrum is that its practices are not independent, but instead are very tightly coupled and synergistic.

Furthermore, Scrum, XP, and Kanban were originally designed for small, single teams and do not provide guidance on dealing with scaling issues, while the last decade has seen the spread of agile into large-scale and distributed projects. To help companies in large-scale transformations, several agile scaling frameworks including LeSS, S@S, Nexus and SAFe have been proposed. These off-the-shelf solutions incorporate predefined workflow patterns to deal with issues related to large number of teams, inter-team coordination, and lack of up-front architecture. Nevertheless, numerous challenges while adopting off-the-shelf frameworks have been reported, including mismatch between framework and organization, changes in management structure, changes in company's policies, and the impossibility of fully implementing the whole framework at once.

On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced co-located teams, who relied on face-to-face communication for work coordination, to transition into a remote work environment. Since agile methods lack guidelines for remote work, it falls upon the agile community to develop systematic solutions for remote agile teams.

Currently, we are witnessing a pervasive hype surrounding generative AI coding tools that leverage Large Language Models (LLMs). These tools enable developers to accelerate coding, testing, debugging, refactoring, and documentation processes. Additionally, fine-tuned LLMs hold potential for enhancing non-programming tasks like user story refinement, estimation, and prioritization. These remarkable advancements not only evoke excitement but also open up new research directions to further explore and optimize the integration of generative AI tools within the realm of Agile Software Development.

Topics of Interest

AI-driven Agile Software Development
LLMs for improved efficiency
Tools for AI-assisted software development
Agile teams in the post-COVID era
Integrating DevOps, Agile, and CI/CD for end-to-end software development and deployment
Scaling agile methods
Distributed teams in Agile Software Development
Lean and agility at the enterprise level
Challenges of agile project management
Balancing agility and discipline
Collaborative games in Software Process Improvement
Challenges of migrating to lean and agile methods
Lean and agile coaching
Agile gamification
Measurement and metrics for agile projects, agile processes, and agile teams
Innovation and creativity in agile teams
Agile development for safety systems

Submissions

Research papers and experience reports related to the above topics are solicited. Papers should be submitted in the PDF format using the ACM-SAC proceedings format via the START submission system. Full papers are limited to 8 pages with the option (at an extra charge) to add 2 more pages.

Each submission will be reviewed by at least three program committee members. To facilitate the double-blind reviewing, authors are kindly requested to provide the paper WITHOUT any reference to any of the authors, including the authors' personal details, the acknowledgments section of the paper and any other reference that may disclose the authors' identity.

Papers that receives positive reviews but are not accepted due to space limitation are invited for the poster session. The length of poster papers is 2 pages (included in the registration) + 1 page (at an extra charge).

Upon paper acceptance, prospective authors must provide a camera-ready version which takes into account the review comments. The conference proceedings will be published by ACM and also available online through the ACM Digital Library.

Paper registration is required, allowing the inclusion of the paper/poster in the conference proceedings. An author or a proxy must present the paper. This is a requirement for the paper/poster to be included in the ACM digital library. Authors who cannot make on-site presentations due to travel or health restrictions may request to present their materials online. No-presentation of registered papers and posters will result in excluding them from the ACM digital libray.

Student Research Competition (SRC)

Students are invited to submit research abstracts (maximum of 2 pages in ACM camera-ready format) following the instructions published at the SAC 2024 website.

Authors of selected abstracts will have the opportunity to give poster and oral presentations of their work and compete for three top-winning places. The SRC committee will evaluate and select First, Second, and Third place winners. The winners will receive medals and cash awards. Winners will be announced during the conference banquet. Invited students receive SRC travel support (US$500) and are eligible to apply to the SIGAPP Student Travel Award Program (STAP) for additional travel support.

Important Dates

  • Paper submission
    October 13, 2023
  • Reviews due date
    November 13, 2023
  • Author notification
    November 17, 2023
  • Camera-ready copies of accepted papers/posters/SRC
    January 5, 2024
  • Author registration due date
    January 5, 2024

Program

Wed., April 10Session I (Room 2); chaired by Adam Przybyłek
14:30 - 14:40Track opening (Adam Przybyłek)
14:40 - 15:00Common LeSS Transformation Patterns (Alena Buchalcevova and Jakub Hermanek)
15:00 - 15:20Beyond Technical Debt Unravelling Organisational Debt Concept (Muhammad Ovais Ahmad and Osama Al-Baik)
15:20 - 15:40Challenges to Sustaining Agility: An Exploratory Case Study (Mali Senapathi and Diane E Strode)
15:40 - 16:00Navigating Cultural Diversity: Barriers and Benefits in Multicultural Agile Software Development Teams (Daniel Welsch, Luisa Burk, David Mötefindt and Michael Neumann)
Wed., April 10Poster Exhibit (Hallway - 0 floor)
15:00 - 17:00UMask-AFL: Unmasking All Reachable Targets for Comprehensive Agile Fuzzing (Sangharatna Godboley, Bikash Singha, Monika Rani Golla and P. R Krishna)
Implementing Action Items Over Improving the Format of Retros (Yen Ying Ng and Ryszard Kuduk)
Wed., April 10Session II (Room 2); chaired by Michael Neumann
16:30 - 16:50Technical Debt Management in Agile Context: A new framework and case study in a large financial institution (Gisela Archela, Ana C V Melo and Vagner Luiz Gava)
16:50 - 17:10Revisiting Technical Debt Types and Indicators for Software Systems (Dilek Caglayan and Ozden Ozcan-Top)
17:10 - 17:30The use of prototypes as a tool in Agile software development (Vivian Larrea, Milene Selbach Silveira and Tiago da Silva)

Track Chair

  • Przybyłek, Adam
    Poland, Gdańsk University of Technology, adam.przybylek@gmail.com

Program Commitee

  • Ahmad, Muhammad Ovais
    Sweden, Karlstad University

  • Almeida, Fernando
    Portugal, University of Porto & INESC TEC

  • Alshayeb, Mohammad
    Saudi Arabia, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

  • Andrade, Wilkerson
    Brazil, Federal University of Campina Grande

  • Aziz Butt, Shariq
    Pakistan, University of Lahore

  • Bagnato, Alessandra
    France, SOFTEAM R&D Department

  • Barata, João
    Portugal, University of Coimbra

  • Bastarrica, María Cecilia
    Chile, University of Chile

  • Baumeister, Hubert
    Denmark, Technical University of Denmark

  • Behutiye, Woubshet
    Finland, University of Oulu

  • Bernhart, Mario
    Austria, Vienna University of Technology

  • Borg, Markus
    Sweden, Lund University & CodeScene

  • Brada, Premek
    Czech Republic, University of West Bohemia

  • Buchalcevova, Alena
    Czech Republic, Prague University of Economics and Business

  • Cruzes, Daniela
    Norway, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

  • Datta, Soma
    USA, University of Houston-Clear Lake

  • Derezinska, Anna
    Poland, Warsaw University of Technology

  • Dutta, Arpita
    Singapore, National University of Singapore

  • Escalona Cuaresma, Maria Jose
    Spain, Universidad de Sevilla

  • Ferreira de Souza, Érica
    Brazil, Federal University of Technology – Parana

  • Francillette, Yannick
    Canada, University of Quebec at Chicoutimi

  • García-Mireles, Gabriel Alberto
    Mexico, Universidad de Sonora

  • Gilson, Fabian
    New Zealand, University of Canterbury

  • Gomes Rocha, Fábio
    Brazil, Universidade Tiradentes

  • Gregory, Peggy
    UK, University of Central Lancashire

  • Guerra, Eduardo
    Italy, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

  • Hanslo, Ridewaan
    South Africa, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

  • Heng, Samedi
    Belgium, Smals and Université catholique de Louvain

  • Herold, Sebastian
    Sweden, Karlstad University

  • Hohenstein, Uwe
    Germany, Siemens AG

  • Janes, Andrea
    Italy, Free University of Bolzano

  • Jarzębowicz, Aleksander
    Poland, Gdańsk University of Technology

  • Kakarontzas, George
    Greece, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

  • Kaloyanova, Kalinka
    Bulgaria, Sofia University

  • Kapitsaki, Georgia
    Cyprus, University of Cyprus

  • Katić, Marija
    UK, University of London

  • Khan, Arif Ali
    Finland, University of Oulu

  • Kopczyńska, Sylwia
    Poland, Poznań University of Technology

  • Kropp, Martin
    Switzerland, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland

  • Lano, Kevin
    UK, King’s College London

  • Luković, Ivan
    Serbia, University of Belgrade

  • Madeyski, Lech
    Poland, Wroclaw University of Technology

  • Mahnič, Viljan
    Slovenia, University of Ljubljana

  • Mangalaraj, George
    USA, Western Illinois University

  • Marcinkowski, Bartosz
    Poland, University of Gdańsk

  • Maślankowski, Jacek
    Poland, University of Gdańsk

  • Matthies, Christoph
    Germany, Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam

  • Mazzara, Manuel
    Russia, Innopolis University

  • Melegati, Jorge
    Italy, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

  • Mesquida Calafat, Antoni-Lluís
    Spain, University of the Balearic Islands

  • Miler, Jakub
    Poland, Gdańsk University of Technology

  • Miller, Gloria
    Germany, Maxmetrics

  • Mira da Silva, Miguel
    Portugal, University of Lisbon

  • Mishra, Alok
    Norway, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

  • Mohapatra, Durga Prasad
    India, NIT Rourkela

  • Morales Trujillo, Miguel Ehecatl
    New Zealand, University of Canterbury

  • Morandini, Marcelo
    Brazil, University of São Paulo

  • Münch, Jürgen
    Germany, Reutlingen University

  • Muszyńska, Karolina
    Poland, University of Szczecin

  • Nawrocki, Jerzy
    Poland, Poznań University of Technology

  • Neumann, Michael
    Germany, Hochschule Hannover

  • Ng, Yen Ying
    Poland, Nicolaus Copernicus University

  • Nguyen, Phuong Thanh
    Italy, University of L'Aquila

  • Nguyen-Duc, Anh
    Norway, University of South Eastern Norway

  • Noyer, Arne
    Germany, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences

  • Özcan-Top, Özden
    Turkey, Middle East Technical University

  • Özkan, Necmettin
    Turkey, Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank

  • Pereira, Rui Humberto R.
    Portugal, Instituto Politécnico do Porto - ISCAP

  • Petrillo, Fábio
    Canada, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS)

  • Pohl, Matthias
    Germany, Otto von Guericke University

  • Polignano, Marco
    Italy, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro

  • Poniszewska-Maranda, Aneta
    Poland, Lodz University of Technology

  • Poth, Alexander
    Germany, Volkswagen AG

  • Przybyłek, Michał
    Poland, Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology

  • Ramsin, Raman
    Iran, Sharif University of Technology

  • Riel, Andreas
    France, Grenoble Alpes University

  • Ristić, Sonja
    Serbia, University of Novi Sad

  • Rodrigues da Silva, Alberto
    Portugal, University of Lisbon

  • Rossi, Bruno
    Czech Republic, Masaryk University

  • Russo , Daniel
    Denmark, Aalborg University - Copenhagen

  • Rybola, Zdenek
    Czech Republic, FIT CTU in Prague

  • Saari, Mika
    Finland, Tampere University

  • Sánchez-Gordón, Mary
    Norway, Østfold University College

  • Schön, Eva-Maria
    Germany, University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer

  • Selviandro, Nungki
    Indonesia, Telkom University

  • Senapathi, Mali
    New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology

  • Soares, Pedro Filipe
    Portugal, Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS

  • Spichkova, Maria
    Australia, RMIT University

  • Stettina, Christoph Johann
    The Netherlands, Leiden University

  • Strode, Diane
    New Zealand, Whitireia Polytechnic

  • Suri, Bharti
    India, GGS Indraprastha University

  • Taweel, Adel
    UK, University of Manchester

  • Theobald, Sven
    Germany, Fraunhofer IESE

  • Thomaschewski, Jörg
    Germany, University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer

  • Torrecilla Salinas, Carlos
    Spain, University of Seville

  • Tsilionis, Konstantinos
    The Netherlands, Eindhoven University of Technology

  • Tuncel, Doruk
    Germany, Siemens AG

  • Vranić, Valentino
    Slovakia, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

  • Winter, Dominique
    Germany, University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer

  • Zhang, Zheying
    Finland, Tampere University

  • Ziadi, Tewfik
    France, Sorbonne Université

History

LASD@SAC'23
Tallinn 2023
WebsiteProceedings
LASD'22
Virtual Event 2022
WebsiteProceedings
LASD'21
Virtual Event 2021
WebsiteProceedings
LASD@FedCSIS'20
Virtual Event 2020
WebsiteProceedings
LASD@FedCSIS'19
Leipzig 2019
WebsiteProceedings
LASD@FedCSIS'18
Poznan 2018
WebsiteProceedings
LASD@FedCSIS'17
Prague 2017
WebsiteProceedings