TABLE 4.

Implications of Lessons From the Principles of Agile Science and Case Example for an Agile Paradigm for Embedded Implementation Research

Attribute	The Agile Working Group's 12 Principles of Agile Science¹⁰¹^,^a	Agile Embedded Science Implications
Goal	“Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software [program improvements].”	Problem identification is a continuous process. Owing to contextual complexity and uncertainty, problem details and solutions cannot always be identified in advance.
Outcome evaluation	“Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.”	Monitor compliance with implementation goals continuously with evaluation criteria that continuously shift, as needed. Subordinate demographic and health hypothesis testing to implementation process evaluation.
Leadership	“The best architectures, requirements, and designs [research strategies] emerge from self-organizing teams.”	Problem identification and candidate solutions can be defined by anyone in the research or host agency teams. Peer leadership is encouraged. Project leadership is systemic and multileveled, and it is the outcome of collaborative investigation of appropriate system development needs.
Ownership	“Business people [Host agency participants] and developers must work together daily throughout the project.”	Establish host agency and research joint ownership. Participatory decision making throughout the process of organizational development.
Scientific rigor	[Not relevant]	Develop credible results that focus on implementation processes and outcomes.
System relevance	Working software is the primary measure of progress “Deliver working software [or research products] frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.”	Achieve concordance of research operations with host agency structure and functions. Assess costs and design research to demonstrate affordability. Open-ended, iterative, and continuous sharing of information and review of progress. Timing of phases governed by host agency planning and decision processes.
Teamwork	“At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior [or strategies] accordingly.”	At regular intervals, program managers review feedback to implementers and researchers to detect departures from quality or the need to adjust research or implementation strategy. Roles are integrated for research and host agency counterparts by implementation function.
Teamwork	“Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.”	Build teams around champions who are successful communicators of innovation. Foster peer leadership through exchanges.
Simplicity	“Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.”	Simple solutions are preferred over more complex interventions. Complexity determined by host agency targeted changes to be investigated.
Replicability	“Welcome changing requirements, even late in development.”	Intervention targets, processes for monitoring, and evaluation procedures can be changed by evolving host agency priorities.
Fidelity	[Not relevant]	Intervention targets, processes for monitoring, and evaluation procedures can be changed by evolving host agency priorities.
Curation of knowledge	“The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a [software] development team is face-to-face conversation.”	Direct communication between host agency and research team is essential. Integrate the process of generating evidence and outcomes with the process of utilizing evidence for decision making.
Sustainability	“Agile processes promote sustainable [software] development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.”	Research activities and processes are pursued at a pace that can be maintained indefinitely. Outcomes are delivered continuously as a regular part of research operations. Investigation is embedded in change processes that are continuous and never ending.

Adapted from similar tables by Nerur et al.¹⁰⁷ and by Flood et al.¹⁰⁹