Process debt in agile software development: a systematic literature review

Process Debt (PD) in software development arises from suboptimal processes and inefficiencies and negatively impacts productivity, product quality, and organisational adaptability, manifesting itself in delays and rework. Although interrelated with technical and organisational debt, it has received little attention, leaving gaps in its definition and management, and the lack of standardised models hinders strategic decision-making. With this in mind, a Systematic Literature Review was conducted exploring seven academic databases, where 20 primary studies found between 2013 and 2025 were selected. The results reveal that current solutions for PD are pivotally conceptual and evaluative, suggesting an intermediate maturity of the field and the need for more applied approaches. Among the most frequently identified causes of process debt are: lack of communication, organisational silos, and poor documentation, leading to negative impacts such as increased costs and poor software quality. It is concluded that, despite the challenges, PD management offers significant benefits in software quality and operational efficiency, highlighting the urgency of developing early identification tools and empirically validating conceptual frameworks to optimise development processes.