CEPE: a cooperative editor for processes elicitation

Companies nonnally hire extemal consultants to carry out their Business Process Re-engineering. While this can be straightforward in the short tenn, it does not produce the desired result on the mid and long tenns. A low leveI of workers' involvement with a consequent resistance to changes, and a continuous dependency on extemal consultancy are the main drawbacks. We propose an altemative approach to BPR, specifically to Workflow Design, where company workers play an active and important role in re-designing the organization's processes in a cooperative style. The paper describes the essence of a BPR method based on participatory design and stepwise refinement, which we believe, will generate better results than the traditional approach. We also present CEPE -Cooperative Editor for Processes Elicitation -, which is a cooperative graphic editor that supports the processes knowledge building. That is the second phase of the proposed method

Collaborative improvement of software processes

To achieve high levels of product quality, organizations dealing with software development have massively invested in ways to improve their development processes. Many studies reporting factors that injluence the success of such initiatives point out to the relevance of social issues to succeed in adopting process improvement. This paper discusses the possibilities for collaboration support in helping organizations to reduce social barriers to process improvement and to establish a process culture among developers. The paper explores this idea by proposing a collaborative environment that aims to promote SPI initiatives. The environment is focused on the role of awareness support, since we believe it is a primary resource for software process improvements to achieve higher levels of group/collaboration and process consciousness

Interactive situation modelling in knowledge intensive domains

Interactive Situation Modelling (ISM) method, a semi-methodological approach, is proposed to tackle issues associated with modelling complex knowledge intensive domains, which cannot be easily modelled using traditional approaches. This paper presents the background and implementation of ISM within a complex domain, where synthesizing knowledge from various sources is critical, and is based on the principles of ethnography within a constructivist framework. Although the motivation for the reported work comes from the application presented in the paper, the actual scope of the paper covers a wide range of issues related to modelling complex systems. The author firstly reviews approaches used for modelling knowledge intensive domains, preceded by a brief discussion about two main issues: symmetry of ignorance and system behaviour, which are often confronted when applying modelling approaches to business domains. The ISM process is then characterized and critiqued with lessons from an exemplar presented to illustrate its effectiveness

How Collaborative Technology Supports Cognitive Processes in Collaborative Process Modeling: A Capabilities-Gains-Outcome Model

We examine which capabilities technologies provide to support collaborative process modeling. We develop a model that explains how technology capabilities impact cognitive group processes, and how they lead to improved modeling outcomes and positive technology beliefs. We test this model through a free simulation experiment of collaborative process modelers structured around a set of modeling tasks. With our study, we provide an understanding of the process of collaborative process modeling, and detail implications for research and guidelines for the practical design of collaborative process modeling

Bringing the Enterprise System to the Frontline Intertwining Computerized and Conventional Communication at BT Europe

This paper draws on the need to understand how mobile technology is implemented and used at the organisational level. IT is a general-purpose technology and therefore its use involves a high degree of uncertainty and ambiguity. Moreover, IT vendors and system developers tend to be very unambiguous in their rhetoric about mobile technology opportunities. Therefore, managers have trouble to identify the real scope, the functionality and the impact of new mobile applications. However, these three types of uncertainties need to be handled in change management projects where new information technology is involved. Gradual uncertainty reduction at these three different levels, i.e. what technology can do; will technology work; and will users adopt it, is studied in this paper. This is achieved through an analysis of the implementation process of an information system where mobile terminals are used to give service technicians access to the ERP system at BT Europe, a leading supplier of forklift trucks. The analysis shows how the three levels of uncertainty interact, and how the computerised parts of the information system are complemented by mindful intertwining with the non-computerised communication and manual data processing, in order for the information system to work

Interactive situation modelling in knowledge intensive domains

Interactive Situation Modelling (ISM) method, a semi-methodological approach, is proposed to tackle issues associated with modelling complex knowledge intensive domains, which cannot be easily modelled using traditional approaches. This paper presents the background and implementation of ISM within a complex domain, where synthesizing knowledge from various sources is critical, and is based on the principles of ethnography within a constructivist framework. Although the motivation for the reported work comes from the application presented in the paper, the actual scope of the paper covers a wide range of issues related to modelling complex systems. The author firstly reviews approaches used for modelling knowledge intensive domains, preceded by a brief discussion about two main issues: symmetry of ignorance and system behaviour, which are often confronted when applying modelling approaches to business domains. The ISM process is then characterized and critiqued with lessons from an exemplar presented to illustrate its effectiveness.

Change Support in Cross-Organizational Dynamic Process-Aware Software Architecture – A Pattern-Based Analysis

Process-aware information systems (PAIS) offer promising perspectives in this respect and are increasingly employed for operationally supporting business processes. In this paper, we describe the emergence of different process support paradigms and the lack of methods for comparing existing change approaches have made it difficult for process-aware software architecture (PASA) engineers to choose the adequate technology. A pattern-based analysis combines self-adapting and self-evolution theory in PAIS, we adopt a set of changes patterns and change support features to put forwards four kinds of model of PASA according to the situation of the needs business processer facing and changeable environment. Based on these change patterns and features, we provide a detailed mechanism analysis and case study evaluation in the healthcare industry of the relationship between cross-organizational dynamic process-aware software architecture (CD-PASA) and change patterns of business processes. In summary, we identified change patterns and change support features facilitate the comparison of change support frameworks, and consequently will support PASA engineers in selecting the right technology for realizing flexible PASA. In addition, this work can be used as a reference for implementing more flexible PASA

Collaboration, Coordination and Computer Support: An Activity Theoretical Approach to the Design of Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Ph.D. Thesis

This thesis is written in partial satisfaction of the requirements for a Ph.D. in Computer Science performed within the Industrial Research Education Programme established between the University of Aarhus, Kommunedata and Aarhus University Hospital. The initial focus of the project was to investigate ways of supporting the extensive cooperation taking place within a hospital. The theoretical objective of this work is to apply activity theory as a theoretical foundation for CSCW research and to focus on the issue of design within CSCW

0015/2011 - Propostas para aproximação entre Sociedade e Governo por meio de discussões apoiadas por TICs

Várias discussões reforçam o quanto as novas Tecnologias de Informação e Comu-nicação (TICs) podem ampliar o envolvimento e a participação da sociedade nos as-suntos públicos e tomadas de decisão. Contudo, apesar do interesse na discussão e promoção do envolvimento da Sociedade nos assuntos públicos, ainda nota-se um distanciamento entre Governo e Sociedade. Este relatório apresenta os resultados obtidos no levantamento bibliográfico para identificar propostas de pesquisa cujo objetivo seja promover a aproximação entre Governo e Sociedade a partir de discussões a respeito de processos de prestação de serviços públicos