A Delphi‑based expert judgment method applied to the validation of a mature Agile framework for Web development projects

The validation of any new methodological proposal demands several real-life implementations. However, organizations are reluctant to invest without the firm guarantee that they will be returned the entire expended amount of money. For this purpose, expert judgment techniques are very useful to provide a less-costly initial validation that, when positive, may encourage organizations to use these new proposals. Therefore, the primary goal of the paper will be to assess how expert judgment techniques based on the Delphi method can be applied to Web Engineering field and, more in particular, to assess the validity of the NDT-Agile framework. NDT-Agile is a framework that combines Agile and Web Engineering techniques to meet Capability Maturity Model Integration development goals. The paper presents a real example of an application of a Delphi-based expert judgment method to assess NDT-Agile framework validity, explaining the design as well as the selection and usage of the different techniques it involves. The application of the method will allow assessing benefits and limitations of use in Web Engineering. As a main conclusion, we will state the utility of the proposed methods to obtain a low-resource initial validation of a certain proposal. Finally, we will identify further lines of research related to the analyzed topics.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2015-71938-RED

NDT-Agile: An Agile, CMMI-Compatible Framework for Web Engineering

Agile and Web Engineering show important synergies, making Agile a common approach for Web development. Besides, several initiatives emerged to support CMMI-DEV within Agile, where CMMI-DEV aims to improve organizations’ software development process. An approach integrating Agile, Web and CMMI-DEV might be of great value, since they might allow Web development teams to use Agile, as well as progress through CMMI-DEV maturity levels. For this purpose, we developed NDT-Agile, an NDT-based Agile framework to achieve the goals of CMMI-DEV in the context of Web Engineering. It was developed by mapping Agile practices to the goals of CMMI-DEV so as to identify existing gaps. Next, we searched for suitable Agile practices to cover the gaps and integrated them into a framework called NDTAgile, which was validated using an expert-judgment technique: the Delphi method. This paper describes how we integrated Agile and CMMI-DEV into a Web Engineering framework. Besides, it also analyzes its initial evaluation, together with a first tool developed to support it.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2016-76956-C3-2-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015-71938-RED

DECISION MAKING SUPPORT THROUGH A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR COMPLEX IT SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Recent research reveals a narrow, rational model of problem- solving and decision-making in complex IT systems development projects. This creates problems that are identified in the thesis. The aim of this study is to develop a novel decision-making framework to support the decision-making process of managers of complex IT systems development projects by focusing on knowledge management frameworks. The objectives for the research were determined through a critical review of the existing research on decision-making in IT projects, primarily to discover how project managers’ decision-making can be supported through project-specific knowledge management. A qualitative research approach was then designed to investigate the phenomenon in its context by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews. This study used qualitative data, through expert participants’ observations and opinions on IT systems development, particularly by understanding project management issues. The expert participants expressed their experiences through in-depth interviews. The collected data was then analysed using the thematic analysis technique and the findings were used to develop the IT Systems Development Decision-Making Support Framework. The Framework was then validated through focus group interviews. The main contribution of this research is based on the application of knowledge creation and knowledge management theories to decision-making frameworks for IT systems projects through the IT Systems Development Decision-Making Support Framework. The Framework is expected to enable decision evaluation and project-specific knowledge generation and sharing in IT systems development projects. This is vital for the type of contextual knowledge required for project-specific knowledge creation and management. Since IT systems development projects tend to be unique and their development process is complex, it is contended that an effective novel approach for modelling the expert decision-making process and assessing the defined model through project-specific knowledge activities is essential. This approach should help to deal with high level of complexity that is normally found in IT systems development projects

Tradespace and Affordability – Phase 2

MOTIVATION AND CONTEXT: One of the key elements of the SERC’s research strategy is transforming the practice of systems engineering – “SE Transformation.” The Grand Challenge goal for SE Transformation is to transform the DoD community’s current systems engineering and management methods, processes, and tools (MPTs) and practices away from sequential, single stovepipe system, hardware-first, outside-in, document-driven, point-solution, acquisition-oriented approaches; and toward concurrent, portfolio and enterprise-oriented, hardware-software-human engineered, balanced outside-in and inside-out, model-driven, set-based, full life cycle approaches.This material is based upon work supported, in whole or in part, by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) under Contract H98230-08- D-0171 (Task Order 0031, RT 046).This material is based upon work supported, in whole or in part, by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) under Contract H98230-08- D-0171 (Task Order 0031, RT 046)

Artificial Intelligence Enabled Project Management: A Systematic Literature Review

In the Industry 5.0 era, companies are leveraging the potential of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence for more efficient and green human-centric production. In a similar approach, project management would benefit from artificial intelligence in order to achieve project goals by improving project performance, and consequently, reaching higher sustainable success. In this context, this paper examines the role of artificial intelligence in emerging project management through a systematic literature review; the applications of AI techniques in the project management performance domains are presented. The results show that the number of influential publications on artificial intelligence-enabled project management has increased significantly over the last decade. The findings indicate that artificial intelligence, predominantly machine learning, can be considerably useful in the management of construction and IT projects; it is notably encouraging for enhancing the planning, measurement, and uncertainty performance domains by providing promising forecasting and decision-making capabilities

A Meta Analysis of Critical Success Factors for Computer Technology Projects

Project managers are continually in pursuit of a magic formula that will deliver a successful project. Companies arc interested in formulas for project success because billions of dollars arc wasted each year, in U.S.A. Information Technology projects alone. through poorly managed or failed projects. Failing projects arc not only bad for the individual project team members, but a failed project\u27s impacts emanate outward to cause companies to decline or die. In addition, the targeted customers who receive inferior products, late products, or no products at all (due to project failures) are significantly impacted as well. Because failed computer technology projects arc not isolated to the U.S.A., ultimately the entire world economy would be benefited by the identification of reliable critical success factors. This study investigates, through a meta analysis of current research and literature, the existence of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that influence the ability to deliver successful projects. Twenty-nine literature sources, from three different categories of literature (Researchers, Orgarizations, and Experts) were used as input to the analysis. The results obtained from the analysis yielded seventeen CSFs which contribute to the success of a project. Project management Clear goals and objectives Project team competence Requirements management User & stakeholder involvement Senior management support Organization change management Architecture and design 360 degree communication Quality management Iterative & incremental development Product development life cycle Interdepartmental cooperation Expectation management Individual and team attitudes Risk management Vendor managemen

Strategy for Implementation of the Security Maturity Model in e-Government Systems in Indonesia

The security maturity level of Indonesia's e-Government system needs to be evaluated to determine the current status of security implementations and to plan for overall system security improvements. In general, the maturity model describes how a system consisting of humans and devices performs their duties. These capabilities include effective leadership and governance, level of awareness of implementers, and capabilities of existing tools. This study aims to create a strategy in implementing the security maturity model in the e-Government system in Indonesia. The research method uses a mix method, namely qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method aims to obtain the Critical Success Factors Implementation of the security maturity model, and the quantitative method is used to analyze the results of the Critical success factor validation using SPSS. The strategy for the Security maturity model is based on the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) Model

Evaluating the quality of planning in new product development projects

The research and development industry shifts significant resources, from physical products to software. This is triggered by the need to stay competitive in a tough market. However, the poor performance of new product development in the field of software development may restrict this trend. Following a research stream that focuses on NPD planning, we introduce the quality of planning evaluation model (QPEM) and a knowledge base for improving the quality of planning evaluation. QPEM suggests planning quality should be evaluated using two distinct and complementary approaches of top-down and bottom-up for enhancing the accuracy of planning: a) an established measure that assesses 16 planning products and b) a novel measure that assesses 55 factors that affect project performance. This second measure uses cognitive maps, which is a methodology based on expert knowledge that graphically describes the behaviour of a system, and represents the project manager’s know-how and R&D Management Conference 2017, 1 - 5 July 2017, Leuven, Belgium characteristics, technological expertise, top management support, enterprise environmental factors, and the quality of methods and tools in a form that corresponds closely with humans’ perceptions. The alignment between these two approaches is demonstrated through multiple case studies

A Delphi study to recognize and assess systems of systems vulnerabilities

Context: System of Systems (SoS) is an emerging paradigm by which independent systems collaborate by sharing resources and processes to achieve objectives that they could not achieve on their own. In this context, a number of emergent behaviors may arise that can undermine the security of the constituent systems. Objective: We apply the Delphi method with the aims to improve our understanding of SoS security and related problems, and to investigate their possible causes and remedies. Method: Experts on SoS expressed their opinions and reached consensus in a series of rounds by following a structured questionnaire. Results: The results show that the experts found more consensus in disagreement than in agreement about some SoS characteristics, and on how SoS vulnerabilities could be identified and prevented. Conclusions: From this study we learn that more work is needed to reach a shared understanding of SoS vul nerabilities, and we leverage expert feedback to outline some future research directions.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PID2019-105455GB-C3

Socio–Technical Software Engineering: a Quality–Architecture–Process Perspective

This dissertation provides a model, which focuses on Quality, Architecture, and Process aspects, to manage software development lifecycles in a sustainable way. Here, with sustainability is meant a context-aware approach to IT, which considers all relevant socio-technical units of analysis. Both social (e.g., at the level of the stakeholders community, organization, team, individual) and technical (e.g., technological environments coding standards, language) dimensions play a key role to develop IT systems which respond to contingent needs and may implement future requirements in a flexible manner. We used different research methods and analyzed the problem from several perspectives, in a pragmatic way, to deliver useful insights both to the research and practitioners communities. The Software Quality, Architecture, and Process (SQuAP) model, highlights the key critical factors to develop systems in a sustainable ways. The model was firstly induced and then deduced from a longitudinal research of the financial sector. To support the model, SQuAP-ont, an OWL ontology was develop as a managerial and assessment tool. A real-world case study within a mission-critical environment shows how these dimensions are critical for the development of IT applications. Relevant IT managers concerns were also covered with reference to software reuse and contracting problems. Finally, a long-term contribution for the educational community presents actionable teaching styles and models to train future professionals to act in a Cooperative Thinking fashion