Agile Practices and Agility in Non-Software SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review
TL;DR
The literature supports a differentiated account of agile practices and agility in non-software SMEs; it does not establish a general causal effect of Agile Methodology adoption on SME performance.
Abstract
(1) Background: Research on non-software small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) uses agile to describe named management practices, related approaches such as Lean, and organizational capabilities. Conflating these constructs obscures what firms actually do. (2) Methods: We revisited a systematic search of Scopus and Web of Science that identified 502 records and yielded an original set of 53 studies. We linked each record to its PDF and extracted study context, design, principal finding, and reported enabling or limiting factors. (3) Results: The map distinguishes 11 practice-focused records, 8 on adjacent approaches, 25 on agility as a capability, and 9 retained in a separate peripheral category. These are thematic strata of the historical set; the 44 non-peripheral records form the domain-focused synthesis. Some practice-focused records assess awareness, feasibility, or proposed models rather than observed adoption. (4) Conclusions: The literature supports a differentiated account of agile practices and agility in non-software SMEs; it does not establish a general causal effect of Agile Methodology adoption on SME performance. Historical screening gaps and the absence of an independently verified risk-of-bias appraisal limit certainty.