Discovering the Chimera of (Un)Happiness in Agile Software Development Communities: A Systematic Literature Review

Agile approaches have gradually and widely gained adoption in the software industry, emphasizing the importance of individuals within software communities over processes or tools. In this context, ensuring the well-being of professionals is essential, positively impacting their quality of life and promoting their happiness. While some solutions exist to study happiness and unhappiness in agile work communities, there is still limited evidence regarding their causes, impact, consequences, and overall understanding. As a result, this article presents a state-of-the-art analysis aimed at understanding the causes and consequences of happiness and unhappiness and how these aspects influence or contribute to the rise of social debt. A systematic literature search identified 1713 studies, of which 27 were selected as primary. These articles allowed for answering the five formulated research questions. The analysis identified 189 causes, of which 65 are related to happiness, organized into 48 social, 16 procedural, and 1 technical, while 125 are linked to unhappiness, classified as 47 social, 65 procedural, and 12 technical. Additionally, 96 consequences were identified, of which 35 correspond to happiness, distributed as 27 social, 5 procedural, and 3 technical, while 61 are associated with unhappiness, categorized as 36 social, 19 procedural, and 6 technical. Additionally, 10 challenges and proposals for future research were identified. This study classifies existing and future approaches to improving happiness and well-being in agile teams. It provides a comprehensive perspective on how these factors affect the work environment and their role in mitigating social debt within software development.