Development Of a Measurement Instrument for Process Debt Detection in Agile Software Development Organizations

This paper explores the concept of Process Debt (PD) in Agile Software Development (ASD) organizations. Drawing on the analogy with Technical Debt, PD is defined as the challenges that emerge from suboptimal or outdated processes, which can significantly hinder an organization's adaptability and software delivery effectiveness. The study proposes a survey instrument, designed to measure various types of PD based on existing research and expert interviews. Five types of PD are identified and operationalized: Process Unsuitability Debt, Synchronization Debt, Roles Debt, (Process) Documentation Debt, and Infrastructure Debt. The instrument's reliability and validity are assessed through a multi-stage process, culminating in a field survey within two ASD organizations. The findings significantly contribute to our understanding of PD and provide the first version of a validated tool for researchers and practitioners to identify and measure PD in their organizations.