Soft Skills in Agile Culture: An Analysis of Literature, Job Vacancies, and Survey Evidence on the Product Owner in the Information Systems Industry

Research Context: Career development in computing requires competencies that prepare professionals for dynamic industry environments. Among these, soft skills are essential for team performance and project success in agile contexts. Scientific and/or Practical Problem: Despite their relevance, there is limited integrated evidence combining literature, industry demands, and professional practice regarding soft skills in agile Information Systems development. Proposed Solution and/or Analysis: This study adopts a multi-stage research design integrating a systematic literature review, industry analysis, and an ongoing survey with practitioners. Related IS Theory: The study is grounded in Socio-Technical Theory, emphasizing the interdependence between social and technical dimensions in Information Systems. Research Method: A 25-year review analyzing 97 studies identified 33 soft skills across 14 development roles. In addition, 202 job vacancies were examined, and a survey with Product Owners is currently being conducted. Summary of Results: Communication, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability emerge as recurrent competencies, with preliminary evidence of alignment between literature and industry demands. Contributions and Impact to IS area: By triangulating literature, industry data, and practitioner perspectives, this research advances the socio-technical understanding of agile IS development and informs professional training and curriculum design.