Journals / Gazi Üniversitesi Mühendislik Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 41 Sayı: 1

Examining the roles of team and managerial competencies in achieving a successful agile transformation

Çevik dönüşümün başarısında rol oynayan ekip ve yönetici yetkinliklerinin incelenmesi

Hazal Şimşir Ayhan(İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0009-0007-8232-3055
Çiğdem Kadaifçi(İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-6900-5238
Pages
141–152
Publication Date
2026-02-19
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Moreover, it provides practical guidance for selecting individuals who will take part in the agile transformation process and for accurately identifying areas for development.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Agile transformation has been widely adopted, particularly in the software and telecommunications industries, to enhance flexibility and customer orientation in project management processes.
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Key Findings & Data:Within the scope of two separate decision models developed based on a literature review and expert opinions, 25 and 28 competencies related to team members and project managers, respectively, were grouped into eight categories and evaluated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process.
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Conclusion & Impact:Moreover, it provides practical guidance for selecting individuals who will take part in the agile transformation process and for accurately identifying areas for development.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Çevik dönüşüm · proje ekibi · proje yöneticisi

Abstract

Agile transformation has been widely adopted, particularly in the software and telecommunications industries, to enhance flexibility and customer orientation in project management processes. However, considering that many transformation efforts undertaken since the concept was first proposed have remained incomplete, and those that were completed have largely ended in failure, the success of this transformation, as emphasized in both theory and practice, is directly related to the human factor. For this purpose, the study aims to identify and prioritize the competencies that are critical to the success of agile transformation. Within the scope of two separate decision models developed based on a literature review and expert opinions, 25 and 28 competencies related to team members and project managers, respectively, were grouped into eight categories and evaluated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. According to the findings, the most important competency groups for both roles are communication and teamwork. “Self-organization” for team members and “verbal communication” for project managers emerged as the most critical sub-competencies. It was also revealed that, particularly in the telecommunications industry, technical knowledge and work experience are given greater importance. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature as no other study has been identified that focuses on team-related factors highlighted in macro-level research on agile transformation success and to examine the required competencies of both team members and project managers through a comprehensive model. Moreover, it provides practical guidance for selecting individuals who will take part in the agile transformation process and for accurately identifying areas for development.

Özet

Çevik dönüşüm, özellikle yazılım ve telekomünikasyon sektörlerinde proje yönetim süreçlerinde esneklik ve müşteri odaklılık sağlamak amacıyla yaygın şekilde benimsenmektedir. Önerildiği günden bu yana gerçekleştirilen dönüşüm hamlelerinin yarım kaldığı, tamamlananların da büyük oranda başarısızlıkla sonuçlandığı göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, uygulamada ve teoride vurgulandığı üzere bu dönüşümün başarısı, insan boyutuyla doğrudan ilişkilidir. Bu amaçla, çevik dönüşümün başarısında kritik olan yetkinliklerin belirlenmesi ve önceliklendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Literatür taraması ve uzman görüşleri doğrultusunda geliştirilen iki ayrı karar modeli kapsamında, ekip üyeleri ve proje yöneticilerine ait sırasıyla 25 ve 28 yetkinlik sekiz ortak grupta toplanmış, Analitik Hiyerarşi Süreciyle değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgulara göre, her iki grup için en önemli yetkinlik grupları iletişim ve ekip çalışmasıdır. Ekip üyeleri için “kendi kendini organize etme”, proje yöneticileri için “sözlü iletişim” en önemli alt yetkinlikler olarak öne çıkmıştır. Özellikle telekomünikasyon sektöründe teknik bilgi ve iş deneyimine daha fazla önem atfedildiği ortaya konmuştur. Bu çalışma, çevik dönüşümün başarı faktörlerine ilişkin yapılan makro düzeydeki çalışmalarda öne çıkan ekibe ilişkin faktörlere odaklanan ve hem ekip üyeleri hem de proje yöneticilerinin sahip olması gereken yetkinlikleri kapsamlı bir model üzerinden inceleyen başka bir çalışma tespit edilememiş olması sebebiyle literatüre önemli bir katkı sunmaktadır. Ayrıca, çevik dönüşüm sürecinde rol alacak bireylerin seçimi ve gelişim alanlarının doğru belirlenebilmesi açısından uygulayıcılara yol gösterici niteliktedir.

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Cite This Article

Ayhan, H. Ş., Kadaifçi, Ç. (2026). Examining the roles of team and managerial competencies in achieving a successful agile transformation. Gazi Üniversitesi Mühendislik Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 41 Sayı: 1, 141–152. https://doi.org/10.17341/gazimmfd.1739573

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