Abstract: Agile software development methods have caught the attention of software practitioners and researchers worldwide. Several issues have arisen from the experience of software methodologies, including the nature of research questions that such studies address the advantages and challenges associated with being a member of the community under study, and how to maintain the rigour in data collection. A systematic review of empirical studies of agile software development up to and including 2005 was conducted. The search strategy identified 1996 studies, of which 36 were identified as empirical studies.