The Role of Project Manager in Agile Software Teams: A Systematic Literature Review

The use of Agile methodologies in software development has grown steadily over recent years. One of the main emphases of these methods is employing cross-functional and self-organized teams and highly skilled developers in software projects. In such a condition, project management would be a serious concern. Indeed, it would be confusing whether Agile teams are really in need of the role of the project manager. While Agile methodologies do not explicitly define the role of the project manager, many reports mention the existence of this role in Agile projects in real environments. So, it seems that the existence of this role is debated. Conducting a Systematic Literature Review, this study tried to find out answers to the ambiguities and questions regarding the role of Agile project management, the role of the project manager, and related issues. Focusing on the primary studies, the results show that there is no independent job called project manager in Agile methodologies. However, there is a need for it. Moreover, in the absence of this role in Agile methodologies and the need for it, it seems that this role would be structurally different from the traditional role of the project manager in terms of responsibilities and duties. Finally, the results show that pre-defined roles in Agile methodologies are often responsible for the project manager duties in software teams with no project manager.