Context: Agile software development (ASD) projects were assessed through the classical triple constraints of cost, quality, and schedule, as well as on communication, collaboration, and responsiveness.

Objective: Our objective is to examines ASD practitioners' experiences of tensions or conflicting demands between adapting into processes, being structured and having continuity (also called exploitation), on the one hand, and being creative, flexible and autonomous on the other (also called exploration).

Method: We collected data in twelve semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurrent themes and sub-themes in the data.

Results: Three themes and four sub-themes were identified. The findings show ASD practitioners' experiences of tensions labeled in the three main themes: Structure and flexibility, Competence and learning, and Roles and Responsibilities. By identifying how tensions of exploitation and exploration are understood, we contribute to the debate of how organizational ambidexterity is pursued in practice.