an improved experience of that phenomenon. Each of these questions may be answered using multiple research approaches. From an IS/IT perspective, the significant benefit of using a multi-method approach is that it will arguably ensure the synthesis of a reality that captures the technical and social complexities that define the IT/IS domain.
Having made a commitment to an overarching exploratory design for the current study as well as an endorsement of the value of a mixed methods research approach for IS/IT based research, the researcher enlisted the guidance provided in Creswell et al. (2003) on the topic of possible designs for a mixed methods study.
The objective of this exercise was to identify a viable research design that enabled the answering of the research questions for the current study.
The main criterion that provides a distinction in terms of the type of mixed methods approach is the sequence that is used to collect and analyse data. The data collection for the multiple phases may be done concurrently or sequentially.
The sequential strategy entails an initial phase that is either qualitative or quantitative and a subsequent phase that reverses the methodology. Based on these 3 core mixed methods designs, Creswell et al. (2003, p. 167) introduce 3 additional distinguishing criteria. These are the overall priority that is attached to the type of research, the point at which integration of data is conducted and the relevance of a theoretical framework to underpin the study. Aligned to this framework of research designs, the design for the current study is structured along the specifications.
The design will have an overarching qualitative focus to enable an in-depth exploration of the phenomenon (of agile software development);
The design will enable a convergence of ideas and experiences so that a holistic explanation of the phenomenon of software development in South Africa may be ventured;
The design incorporates the synthesis of a set of models that captures the essence of the qualitative component of the study;
The design provides an option whereby the researcher is able to validate the model by making use of a theoretical framework to ascertain acceptance of the proposed model using a quantitative approach. The choice of a quantitative approach in the latter phase of the study is guided by the suggestion in Saunders (2011, p. 185) that the use of different techniques in a complementary manner is sometimes advisable to cancel out the “method effect”. The “method effect” is a reference to the shortcomings that may be present in a single strategy and the cancelling out of this shortcoming is achieved by enlisting the service of a complementary approach. It is claimed in Saunders that this strategy will arguably ensure that there is greater confidence that may be placed in the conclusions of the study.
Using the specifications listed above, the most appropriate research design identified for the current study is the Sequential Exploratory Design suggested in Creswell et al. (2003, p. 180). In terms of the notation used to describe this type of research design, Morse (1991) suggested the use of the expression QUAL quan to denote a study that has an overarching qualitative design but also makes use of a subsequent quantitative approach that is dependent on the outcome of the qualitative phase of the study. The phases of the study are executed in a sequential manner.
3.4.1 The Sequential Exploratory Research Design
The sequential exploratory design is conducted in two phases where priority is attached to the first phase of the study. The initial phase consists of a qualitative data collection and analysis phase followed by a quantitative data collection and analysis phase. The final phase entails an integration of the analysis from the both phases. The intention of the first phase of the study is to explore the problem under study and then follow up with a quantitative phase that seeks to obtain validation of the outcome obtained from the first phase of the study. The
sequential exploratory design adopted for the current study is illustrated in Figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1: The Sequential Exploratory Design Adapted from Creswell et al.
(2003, p. 180)
In order to contextualise the use of the Sequential Exploratory Design illustrated in Figure 3.1, reference is made to the inception of the current study which was at the literature review phase. The literature review conducted in Chapter 2 entailed an elucidation of the practices and methods used in software development and was predominately technical. However, the relevance of organisational culture in understanding the technical issues became integrated with many of the technical issues underpinning software development. The culture within an organisation consisted of habits and practices that became embedded into software development techniques. This phenomenon necessitated a foray into the socio-technical domain of software development. An outcome of this process is the instantiation of the first 2 research questions20 which necessitated an overarching qualitative21 approach towards the study. The first 2 phases in the sequence of the research design (illustrated in Figure 3.1) is attributed to the first 2 research questions. It should be noted that the strategy of using a literature review to inform the research question(s) in a qualitative study is endorsed by Creswell (2013, p. 50) who asserts
20The first 2 research questions have been repeated in Section 3.3 for ease of reference
21A discourse on the choice of an overarching qualitative approach for the study is
that sufficient flexibility may be accorded to the qualitative researcher, unlike in quantitative research where a theoretical framework is given much more prominence. The lack of reference to a specific theoretical underpinning renders this phase of the study as inductive. According to Thomas (2006) the main purpose of an inductive approach is to allow research findings to be obtained from the significant themes found in the raw data without the constraints imposed by any structural underpinning such as academic theory or a structured methodology.
Thomas elaborates on the purpose of an inductive approach and suggests that the following outcomes are expected from the inductive approach:
a condensation of extensive and diverse raw data into a cogent, summarised form;
an alignment of the research objectives and the summarized findings that is transparent and defensible;
enables the synthesis of a model or theory about the underlying structure of experiences or processes that are found in the data.
The synthesis phase in the current study forms the 3rd phase of the study (illustrated in Figure 3.1) and entails the development of a set of models that guide the implementation of agile software development methodology (ASDM). The models will have a social and a technical orientation. The social dimension will be aligned to organisational culture theory. It is envisaged that the organisational culture dimension of the study will provide an overarching framework to match the culture within an organisation to the type of development methodology best aligned to this culture. The technical dimension will be largely dictated by the evidence in the qualitative, exploratory phase of the study. This phase of the study will provide an answer to the 3rd research question, listed below for reference.
How can South African software practitioner’s knowledge of ASDM be used to develop a framework to guide the implementation of ASDM?
The 4th phase of the study follows a quantitative approach that entails an inquiry to determine the level of acceptance by software development practitioners
of the technical component of the proposed framework for the implementation of ASDM. The researcher has made a conscious decision to validate the technological component of the proposed framework because of its envisaged pragmatic relevance to practitioners. This decision resonates with the suggestion by Creswell et al. (2003, p. 171) that practical constraints with regards to data collection coupled with the “amenability” of the research approach to the validation exercise will determine the level of intensity of the quantitative phase of the study. A social science-oriented theoretical model of technology acceptance will be used to operationalise software practitioners’ acceptance of the proposed technological model to guide the implementation of ASDM. It should be noted that the design for the quantitative phase of the study is only tentative at this stage (as indicated in Creswell et al. (2003, p. 171)). It will however be used to answer the final research question, listed below for reference.
What is the acceptance by South African software practitioners of a framework that informs the technical implementation of ASDM?
An analysis and condensation of the knowledge obtained from the 1st 5 phases of the study will lead to a conclusion of the study. This conclusion will entail the ‘mixing’ of results in order to present an element of sequential triangulation which is one of the hallmarks of a successful mixed methods study (Morse, 1991).
The remainder of the chapter comprises of a discussion of qualitative research methodology, the approach that underpins the first (and defining) phase of the study.