Agile methods adaptation during remote work in Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruptions in every aspect of life, including the way people work. With lockdowns and social distancing measures in place, many businesses had to adapt to remote working to continue their operations. This report focuses on the impact of the pandemic on software developers and how they adapted to this new work scenario. Specifically, the report analyzes the challenges faced by remote workers, the tools they used during the pandemic, and what they need to improve their productivity and well-being.

Full text

Agile methods adaptation during remote work in
Pandemic
Alexander Golovin
Faculty of Computer Science
Innopolis University
Innopolis, Tatarstan
a.golovin@innopolis.university
Abstract—The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive dis-
ruptions in every aspect of life, including the way people work.
With lockdowns and social distancing measures in place, many
businesses had to adapt to remote working to continue their
operations. This report focuses on the impact of the pandemic
on software developers and how they adapted to this new work
scenario. Specifically, the report analyzes the challenges faced by
remote workers, the tools they used during the pandemic, and
what they need to improve their productivity and well-being.
Index Terms—Agile methods, remote work, pandemic, software
development, adaptation, productivity, well-being, challenges,
tools
I. INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the
way people work across the globe. As social distancing
measures have been enforced, remote working has become the
new normal for many industries, including the software devel-
opment industry. While remote work offers several advantages,
such as improved work-life balance, creativity, productivity,
and reduced anxiety, it also poses unique challenges, includ-
ing collaboration, communication, loneliness, distractions, and
motivation issues. Moreover, the pandemic has exacerbated
these challenges, leading to increased stress, depression, and
a negative impact on collaboration skills. As remote work
continues to expand, it is essential to study its impact on
software developers and their productivity.
To support remote working, companies need to provide
developers with the necessary equipment and adopt a strategy
that eliminates fear and anxiety. They should also promote
online socialization and provide resources for self-care, such
as exercise and home-schooling. Additionally, technical in-
frastructure and procedures, such as VPNs and code review
practices, need to be in place to ensure data security and
smooth workflow.
The pandemic has also had a significant impact on the psy-
chological well-being of developers, and studies have shown
that their fear of bioevents, relief efforts, and job center
ergonomics have affected their productivity. However, these
studies lack a better understanding of the importance of team
collaboration in software development. Developer efficiency
encompasses more than just activity level or the effectiveness
of engineering processes and cannot be quantified in a single
statistic or aspect.
II. RE MOT E WORKING
To limit the occurrence of pandemics, huge parts of the
population must be quarantined and social distancing must
be enforced (World Health Organization 2020). This usually
means that only necessary workers, such as those in health-
care, law enforcement, or food chains like supermarkets, are
permitted to go to work. People are inspired to develop from
their homes if at all possible. Such actions, on the other hand,
are viewed as extreme and can have serious implications for
people’s health [3] As remote employees commute less, remote
jobs have been linked to a better employment balance, im-
proved creativity, beneficial effect, improved performance, less
anxiety, and lower production costs. Working remotely, on the
other hand, has its drawbacks. For example, challenges faced
by remote workers include collaboration and communication
(named by 20Since these results are interesting, it’s unclear
whether they’ll be applied to other situations. Many individuals
will be forced to work virtually from home if a pandemic,
including the one triggered by COVID-19 in 2020, occurs.
The usual challenges in remote work are exacerbated by being
in a frameless and newly discovered work scenario without
planning. Change in the work setting and coping with addi-
tional obstacles add to the issues that remote employees have
already noticed and experienced, thereby increasing stress and
depression and severely affecting their skills to collaborate.
The current scenario demonstrates the importance of study
in this subject. According to projections, remote work will
expand much more than in previous years, thus study findings
on determinants of productivity when working remotely will
become even more important. [2]
III. WHAT DODEVELOPERS NEE D?
To support remote working, companies need to provide
developers with the necessary equipment and adopt a strategy
that eliminates fear and anxiety. Companies should also pro-
mote online socialization and provide resources for self-care,
such as exercise and home-schooling. Additionally, technical
infrastructure and procedures, such as VPNs and code review
practices, need to be in place.
IV. WHAT DODEVELOPERS NEED?
To support remote working, companies need to provide
developers with the necessary equipment and adopt a strategy

that eliminates fear and anxiety. Companies should also pro-
mote online socialization and provide resources for self-care,
such as exercise and home-schooling. Additionally, technical
infrastructure and procedures, such as VPNs and code review
practices, need to be in place.
V. TH E PANDEMIC PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT S
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the psycho-
logical well-being of developers. Studies have shown that their
fear of bioevents, relief efforts, and job center ergonomics have
affected their productivity. However, [8] lacks a better under-
standing of the importance of team collaboration in software
development. Developer efficiency encompasses more than
just activity level or the effectiveness of engineering processes
and cannot be quantified in a single statistic or aspect. [7]
revealed that a survey of 2,265 developers conducted at the
beginning of the pandemic, indicated that several developers
were having difficulty meeting goals and that their contracts
had altered.
VI. TOOLS FOR REMOT E WORK
Although no one was prepared for the pandemic, software
developers had most of the tools needed for teleworking. The
most used technologies include version control, project man-
agement, team communication, video communication, desktop
sharing, virtual private network, and cloud storage. Version
control technology, such as Git and Github, allows teams
to manage ever-updating projects and decreases conflicts. [9]
Project management applications, such as Asana, Basecamp,
Monday, Notion, and Trello, help teams plan, organize and
manage their projects. [6] Instant messaging apps, such as
Slack and Discord, are used for team communication. Other
tools include video conferencing software such as Zoom,
project management tools like Trello or Asana, code collab-
oration platforms like Github or Bitbucket, and cloud-based
development environments like AWS or Google Cloud. These
tools have enabled developers to work together efficiently and
effectively, regardless of their location. Finally, VPNs and
cloud storage are used to host data online and ensure data
security. [1]
VII. CHA NG ES I N PROD UC T MANAGEMENT
Remote work has also changed the way project management
is done. Traditional project management methodologies like
Waterfall may not be as effective in remote settings, as
they often require face-to-face communication and in-person
collaboration. Instead, Agile methodologies like Scrum or
Kanban have become more popular, as they rely on shorter
development cycles and frequent communication between
team members. [6] These methodologies also emphasize the
importance of continuous feedback and adaptability, which is
crucial for remote teams.
VIII. TEA M COMMUNICATION
Communication is key to successful remote work, and
team communication has changed significantly in the remote
environment. Remote teams often rely on asynchronous com-
munication methods such as email or messaging platforms like
Slack, as team members may be in different time zones or
have different schedules.[11] This means that communication
needs to be clear, concise, and well-documented to avoid
misunderstandings or confusion. Regular video conferencing
or virtual meetings are also essential for remote teams, as
they allow team members to connect face-to-face and discuss
important issues in real time. [6]
IX. TH E FU TU RE O F TE LE WORKING FOR SOFTWARE
DE VE LO PE RS
Teleworking saw an unprecedented rise in popularity due
to Covid-19 pandemic. Teleworking can arguably remain very
popular after the pandemic. Nonetheless, companies will not
be forced to keep their employees working from home, and
the employees will no longer be forced to stay at home.
The current work-from- home(WFH) will become work-from-
anywhere(WFX)[10].
Despite reportedly having comparable outputs in several
”aspects of productivity” [10]. For example, [10] found that
”singles (especially ex-pats) whose social life happens in
the office do not favor WFH”. Despite some challenges,
companies will continue to hire remote workers and even more
than in pre-pandemic times[10]. Employers should not neglect
the health of their remote workers. Companies should provide
regular medical checkups for their teleworking employees and
ensure that they have ergonomic working space and good air
conditioning at home[4]. [10] predict that employees will be
able to opt to work remotely for some fixed time in a year.
They will be able to travel abroad while working.
X. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a signif-
icant impact on the software development industry. Remote
working has become the norm, leading to both advantages
and challenges. To support remote working, companies need
to provide the necessary equipment and promote socialization
and self-care. Technical infrastructure and procedures, such as
VPNs and code review practices, are also crucial. Although
the pandemic has affected the psychological well-being of
developers, the tools used for teleworking have helped them
adapt to this new scenario. Companies need to understand
the importance of team collaboration and support developer
efficiency to ensure the success of their operations in the
future.
XI. ACK NOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Manuel
Mazzara, Head of the Institute of Software Development and
Engineering at Innopolis University, and Hamna Aslam, a

member of the Lab of Artificial Intelligence in Game Devel-
opment at Innopolis University, for their invaluable assistance
in the preparation of this article.
Their insightful feedback and guidance have helped me to
shape my ideas and convey them effectively. Their knowledge
and expertise in the field of software development and artificial
intelligence have been invaluable assets to me, and I am truly
grateful for their support.
I would like to thank them both for their time, effort,
and dedication, which have made this article possible. Their
contributions have been instrumental in ensuring the quality
of this work, and I am deeply indebted to them for their
assistance.
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