Assessment of a hybrid software development process for student projects: a controlled experiment

TL;DR

This study evaluates whether a hybrid software development process improves student project outcomes compared to traditional methods, focusing on quality, productivity, and teamwork in an academic setting.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of hybrid development methods for student projects, filling a gap in academic evaluations.

Findings

Hybrid approach can enhance product quality and teamwork.

Different development methods impact productivity and learning outcomes.

Patterns identified can guide educational process design.

Abstract

In recent years, a vivid interest in hybrid development methods has been observed as practitioners combine various approaches to software creation to improve productivity, product quality, and adaptability of the process to react to change. Scientific papers on the subject proliferate, however evaluation of the effectiveness of hybrid methods in academic contexts has yet to follow. The work presented investigates if introducing a hybrid approach for student projects brings added value as compared to iterative and sequential development. A controlled experiment was carried out among Bachelor students of a French engineering school to assess the impacts of a given development method on the success of student computing undertakings. Its three dimensions were examined via a set of metrics: product quality, team productivity as well as human factors (teamwork quality & learning outcomes). Several patterns were observed, which can provide a starting point for educators and researchers wishing to tailor or design a software development process for academic needs.