3,310 research outputs found
The Development of an Evaluation Framework for eGovernment Systems
This paper is a positioning paper which outlines a proposal for engaging in the evaluation of eGovernment systems. The primary purpose of our proposed research is to develop, apply, test, and disseminate an evaluation framework which can support continuous, adaptable, and reflective evaluation of eGovernment systems. The theoretical bases for the methodology will be the Information Systems (IS), Soft Systems Methodology, SSM (Checkland and Scholes, 1990) which provides the platform for the analyses of the âsoftâ aspects (e.g. human, political, cultural and organisational factors) and the Hard Systems Methodology (HSM) which provides
methods and tools for quantitative measures and analyses of the system. A further three interrelated bases are: Reflective Practice, Organisational Learning (OL), and Information and Knowledge Management (IKM). Some of the key underlying principles to a successful evaluation framework are good data collection and analyses methods, an evaluative reflective practice approach whichentails the complete process of identification and analysis of strengths and problems, followed by rigorous testing, implementation, and revision of solutions. Such a cycle encourages organisational learning and promotes continuous improvement to both the evaluation framework and system. Additionally, it aims to cultivate an organisational culture that supports evaluation through reflection, continuous learning, and knowledge management which facilitates knowledge creation, capture, sharing, application and dissemination
Effective communication in requirements elicitation: A comparison of methodologies
The elicitation or communication of user requirements comprises an early and critical but highly error-prone stage in system development. Socially oriented methodologies provide more support for user involvement in design than the rigidity of more traditional methods, facilitating the degree of user-designer communication and the 'capture' of requirements. A more emergent and collaborative view of requirements elicitation and communication is required to encompass the user, contextual and organisational factors. From this accompanying literature in communication issues in requirements elicitation, a four-dimensional framework is outlined and used to appraise comparatively four different methodologies seeking to promote a closer working relationship between users and designers. The facilitation of communication between users and designers is subject to discussion of the ways in which communicative activities can be 'optimised' for successful requirements gathering, by making recommendations based on the four dimensions to provide fruitful considerations for system designers
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The role of user requirements research in medical device development
Aims and Objectives: This research aims to suggest a concise framework to help in the better
conceptualisation and integration of users in the medical device development (MDD) process. The
current economic, political and social climate concerning the matter of healthcare delivery has
resulted in the emergence of numerous users and user groups for whom the healthcare system has not
previously catered for. These users have created ambiguity for the designers and manufacturers of
medical devices as the boundaries between their needs and requirements have blurred, outdating
current methods of MDD to meet consumer needs.
Research Design and Methodology: The research methodology begins primarily with conducting a
literature search on the theories relating to user requirements and medical device development. The
paper outlines these findings through initially describing users and user involvement and relating
them to medical devices. The cross-disciplinary nature of healthcare influenced the investigation into
multiple disciplines including; IT, Ergonomics â particularly participatory research, Psychology and
Design. These disciplines expose various methods and processes, which are useful to user
requirements research. These methods were analysed for their compatibility, and then used to
construct a conceptual framework for user involvement in MDD.
Results: The research insinuates the true significance of user involvement and hence resulted in the
formation of a conceptual framework to aid user involvement in the MDD process. The framework is
produced by the amalgamation of relevant methods examined across the disciplines, in a
complimentary fashion.
Conclusion: The originality of this research lies in its use of a multidisciplinary approach. Previous
research claiming multi-methods has dealt with combining two disciplines or methods at a time i.e.
Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) with participatory research (Scandurra et al, 2008)
for the needs analysis of healthcare professionals only. Collaboration across disciplines has also been
investigated (Johnson et al, 2005), but this was for the purpose of redesign rather than initial designs.
This framework can help medical device designers to fully access all user requirements through more
extensive collaboration right at the start. It reduces the risk of high costs involved in device rejection,
usually associated with belated recognition of user needs in the design cycle
Conceptual models of urban environmental information systems - toward improved information provision
Cities are the hub of European society - for over a millennium, they are the locus of social, political
and economic development. As the core of intensive and creative human activity, they are also the
place where the environmental externalities that accompany rapid development are most visible.
The environmental consequences of urban development have been recognised long ago, as in the
case of London, where in 1388 legislation was introduced to control pollutant emissions
(Lowenthal, 1990). Similar historical environmental regulations can be demonstrated for many
cities in Europe. However, while for most of history those who govern the city (be it the sovereign,
city elders or local government) where responsible for the control, mitigation and management of
the common environment in the city, the last 30 years are a period of profound change. This is due
to the trend toward improved participation in environmental decision making . a more inclusive and
open approach to decisions that deal with the city commons. This change did not occurre overnight
but rather gradually. For example, in the United Kingdom, it was the Town and Country Planning
Act of 1947 which introduced public scrutiny to changes in the urban form (Rydin, 1998), or the
development of public involvement in environmental impact assessment of urban projects as
developed in many countries throughout the developed world during the 1970s and 1980s (Gilpin
1995). These changes accelerate within the last three decades, and especially since the publication
of .Our Common Future. (WCED and Brundtland 1987), the acceptance of the .Sustainable
Development. principles and the Rio conference. A quiet (mini) revolution happened in Europe not
long ago, toward the end of 1998 when the members of the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UN/ECE) signed the .Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. - the Aarhus Convention
(UN/ECE 1998). The convention is expected to come into force by the end of 2001, and calls the
governments and public authorities to open up access to environmental information as a means to
improve public participation in environmental decision making and awareness of environmental
issues (UN/ECE, 1998).
However, these declarations on the value and importance of environmental information do not
match our level of understanding on the role of environmental information in decision making
processes, and especially on the role of information in improving awareness and participation.
Therefore, it is useful to take a step back, and to try and evaluate how environmental information
and access to it and its use support public involvement in such processes.
This paper is aimed to offer a framework that can assist us in the analytical process of
understanding environmental information use. It focuses on public access and assumes that
environmental information will be delivered to the public through the Internet. Such assumption is
based on the current trend within public authorities is to use Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) as a major delivery medium and it seems that it will become more so in the near
future (OECD 2000).
The framework which this paper presents, is based on Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) study
which unpacked some of the core issues relating to public access and use of environmental
information (Haklay, 2001). Although the aim here is not to discuss the merits of SSM, but to focus
on the conceptual models, some introduction to the techniques that are used here is needed.
Therefore, the following section opens with introduction to SSM and its techniques. The core of the
paper is dedicated to the development of conceptual models. After presenting the conceptual
models, some conclusions about these models and their applications are drown
Supporting strategy : a survey of UK OR/MS practitioners
This paper reports the results of an on-line survey conducted with practitioner members of the UK Operational Research (OR) Society. The purpose of the survey was to explore the current practice of supporting strategy in terms of activities supported and tools used. The results of the survey are compared to those of previous surveys to explore developments in, inter-alia, the use of management/strategy tools and âsoftâ Operational Research / Management Science (OR/MS) tools. The survey results demonstrate that OR practitioners actively support strategy within their organisations. Whilst a wide variety of tools, drawn from the OR/MS and management / strategy fields are used to support strategy within organisations, the findings suggest that soft OR/MS tools are not regularly used. The findings also demonstrate that tools are combined to support strategy from both within and across the OR/MS and management / strategy fields. The paper ends by identifying a number of areas for further research
Building on âsoft systems for soft projectsâ : project management lessons learned
University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Design Architecture and Building.This thesis explores lessons emerging from a multi-disciplinary affiliation of practitionerresearchers endeavouring to apply soft systems thinking to project management practice between 1998 and 2006 in New South Wales (NSW) public sector agencies.
The research began with award of an Australian Research Council grant to the Project Management Research Program at the University of Technology, Sydney and the NSW Police Service. Titled âSoft Systems for Soft Projectsâ, the award application had been made with reference to the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) developed by Professor Peter Checkland and colleagues. Hard project management approaches were proving inadequate for dealing with the complex and shifting project environments being encountered in NSW public sector agencies. âSoft Systems for Soft Projectsâ was a multi-faceted and multi-level inquiry that delivered practical results. Affiliation members carried learning from this experience into other public sector change management initiatives and wider project management research and practice networks.
The inquiry reported in this thesis was initially mapped out while the author was managing a NSW public sector agencyâs response to an across-government ecommerce initiative. The aim of the inquiry was to look back on the affiliationâs attempts to reconcile hard and soft perspectives, as represented by project management and SSM respectively, while supporting development of an organisational project management capability through implementing a Project Management Information System (PMIS). It was framed within a modified model of the process of inquiry which Mode 2 use of SSM facilitates (Checkland and Holwell, 1998b, p. 170) and particularly focused on the affiliationâs engagements with Checkland and Holwellâs (1998, p. 106) âprocesses for organization meaningsâ (POM) model.
The research material is drawn from the affiliationâs published outputs, the authorâs personal documentation of emerging project management practice, public sector practice guides and documents about the contextual discourses that were shaping the scope of project management action at the agency level. These are âreadâ according to a model developed for exploring the relationship between the documents according to level of public exposure and close versus long range interest. In a novel approach, the POM model is used as a sense-making framework for appreciating the dynamic relationships between the agency projects / programs, internal organisational processes and the external shaping discourses as documented in this material
Using SSM in Project Management: aligning objectives and outcomes in organizational change projects
This paper aims to contribute to the use of SSM in Project Management, by exploring what happens in a real-world organisational change projects when stakeholders seem to agree in a set of initial-objectives and final-outcomes of the project. SSM Analyses are then use to explore the misalignments between initial-objectives and final-outcomes along the project life cycle. Initial results suggest that SSM helps to âshadowâ these misalignments when structuring an unclear complex situation such as organisational change projects and that the application of SSM facilitates negotiations, generates debate, understanding and learning. This leads to meaningful collaboration among stakeholders and enables key changes to be introduced reflecting on the potential misalignments. Results also support SSM analysis of changes in role, norms or value adversely influencing project outcome
A call for conceptual clarity: a soft systems view of performance measurement in public service delivery
Performance measurement systems and the publication of performance data are fundamental to the New Public Management, with its emphasis on decentralised service provision through a variety of agencies. There seem to be four reasons for this performance measurement: to see what works, to identify competences, to support public accountability and to allow control of decentralised service provision. Each of these is examined, using the root definitions that form part of soft systems methodology, which highlights the importance of different worldviews that provide justifications for different approaches to this measurement. If performance measurement systems are to be beneficial, their design should be based on a conceptualisations that recognises these different worldviews and purposes
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