Agile Design Science Research

As design science has matured, prescriptive frameworks and best practices have been advanced to assist researchers and lay out the academic standards for the paradigm. We argue that the problem-solving model underlying much of this progress has limited the ability of researchers to produce creative artefacts. To address this, we propose an amended Agile Design Science Research Methodology (ADSRM). ADSRM draws upon breakthroughs made in industry by those adopting ‘agile’ perspectives on IT development. This agile perspective balances procedural rigour with the need to consider empirically-driven problem/solution coevolution, allowing development to hone in on the most meaningful and unanticipated of problems. ADSRM proposes amendments to several existing DSR best practices, as well as two entirely new components to be modelled in the design process, namely a problem backlog and a hardening sprint. The value of these additions is illustrated in two exemplar cases.