  Among the multitude of software development processes available, hardly any
is used by the book. Regardless of company size or industry sector, a majority
of project teams and companies use customized processes that combine different
development methods -- so-called hybrid development methods. Even though such
hybrid development methods are highly individualized, a common understanding of
how to systematically construct synergetic practices is missing. In this paper,
we make a first step towards devising such guidelines. Grounded in 1,467 data
points from a large-scale online survey among practitioners, we study the
current state of practice in process use to answer the question: What are
hybrid development methods made of? Our findings reveal that only eight methods
and few practices build the core of modern software development. This small set
allows for statistically constructing hybrid development methods. Using an 85%
agreement level in the participants' selections, we provide two examples
illustrating how hybrid development methods are characterized by the practices
they are made of. Our evidence-based analysis approach lays the foundation for
devising hybrid development methods.
