Abstract:
The ascension of agile and lightweight software development methods has challenged extant software design and development paradigms in the last decade (and beyond); this is especially notable in the case of small-shop software development. In this research, a Reflective-Agile Learning Model and Method (RALMM) for small-shop software development, is proposed as a result of a case where Dialogical Action Research (Lee, 2007) was used in a practitioner-researcher partnership to enhance small-team communication and learning in the use of Extreme Programming (XP). The practitioner-researcher partnership developed in the case is discussed in the context of, and as an example of, recent calls for an increased focus on applied and practitioner-focused research in business and, specifically, in the area of Information Systems. Dialogical Action Research, a hybrid of reflective/participatory and design science approaches to inquiry into IS phenomena, was effective as an approach to a scholarship of engagement.

Short bio
Dr. Babb joined the College of Business at West Texas A&M University in 2009. He received a B.A. in Geography from the University of Hawaii in 1991, a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000, an M.S. in Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Business and Information Systems from the University of Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009.
Dr. Babb’s research interests include learning and software development method use, information systems security management, and data visualization and geographic information systems.