Research on software development methodology

Since you are willing to spend money, you can turn to a professional analytics firm like Gartner Research . They generate a lot of reports and you can find something in their archives. Large corporations often cite Gartner research.

If this does not yield any results, you should search scientific papers. Google Scholar can help you there.

If all else fails and you have enough time on your hands, you can do a little research yourself: pick random companies and tell them that you are doing research and that you would like to ask them some questions.

If such a thing existed ...

• There would be results-based standards. If anywhere around 50% of stores used Scrum or RUP or whatever, there would be an applicable standard organization outlining the details.

• We will all be told what to do based on the results. Our lawyers and accountants asked why we use the methodology used by only 15% and not the methodology used by 28%. We would have to fight the generals of the chair by citing the results obtained.

• Based on the results, the products for sale will be presented. "Support for the most popular methodology". "One of the most popular techniques." "Troubled tickets for the fastest growing methodology."

• You will see ads that cite results and claim specific quantitative benefits. "28% of organizations use our version of Scrum with improved time delivery."

Have you ever seen advertisements or standards based on adoption methodology? Anything?

Such quantitative studies probably do not exist.

In addition, definition is a prerequisite for counting. Can you define Scrum in a way that is somehow different from XP? I doubt it.

I think that this kind of data cannot exist. This requires much more formality and standardization than is even remotely possible for something as complex as software development.

I don't think you will find reliable data for what you are looking for. I have been looking for this kind of numbers for several years and I haven't found any.

First of all, very few organizations tell you which method they are using. Some just don't use it. Some others don't know what they are using or what to call it. And some know what to call it, but won't disclose it for one reason or another. Of the organizations that will tell you that (in my experience) are a minority, there is a big asymmetry in how they characterize what they tell you. The way your own question is phrased illustrates this: most people in industry (and many academics) today, when asked to list methodologies, regard waterfall, RUP, Scrum, XP, and some other "trademarks" as agile approaches. This is interesting, but they are quite capable of bringing a number of flexible approaches,the differences between which are usually much less than the differences between the (almost forgotten) methods that are grouped together under the "waterfall". Agile approaches are so widely sold and hyped that, like Coca-Cola or McDonald's, they are present in our daily life.

Methodologies are often presented as either waterfall or agile. This is a terrible mistake supported by a flexible community. There are successful methodologies that do not qualify as waterfall and forerunner (and do not qualify as) flexible. They seem to be ignored, however, and they rarely appear in polls like the one you ask for in your question. Very rarely do I find people in the industry report using methods like Catalysis, OPEN / Metis, or Fusion.

(Note: Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the value and contribution of agile movement. But I'm not delusional, I'm a researcher trying to make an objective assessment.)

Thus, I don't think you will find a study with data that answers your question. But, in your search, I suggest you take these comments into account.

Good luck. :-)