A Capability Theory of Cloud Utilization Maturity for Agile Development

Gardner Mwansa

doi:10.30871/jaic.v10i5.14030

Authors

Gardner Mwansa Walter Sisulu University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30871/jaic.v10i5.14030

Keywords:

Agile Software Development, Cloud Computing, Cloud Utilization Maturity, Dynamic Capabilities, Organizational Capability

Abstract

Cloud computing has become central to digital transformation and agile software development, yet Information Systems research still explains cloud utilization mainly through adoption determinants or stage-based maturity models, leaving limited theoretical insight into how organizations build the capabilities needed to sustain value from cloud use after adoption. The primary objective of this study is to develop a capability-based theoretical explanation of Cloud Utilization Maturity (CUM) that addresses this gap. Using a conceptual, theory-building research design, the study synthesizes and integrates literature on cloud adoption, post-adoption value realization, cloud maturity, and agile software development, drawing on the Technology-Organization-Environment framework, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, and the Resource-Based View. Through this integration, CUM is reconceptualized as a higher-order organizational capability comprising five complementary first-order capabilities: Technological, Organizational, Cloud-Agile Integration, Adaptive and Strategic, and Sustainability Capability. The main conceptual outcome is a capability framework explaining how these domains jointly constitute CUM and proposing operational, strategic, and sustainability outcomes as consequences, extending cloud maturity research beyond stage-based assessment. The study concludes that mature cloud utilization is best explained as a continuously developed organizational capability rather than a fixed technological state, providing a theoretical foundation for future empirical measurement and validation.

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