A framework for cots software evaluation and selection for COTS mismatches handling and non-functional requirements

The decision to purchase Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software needs systematic guidelines so that the appropriate COTS software can be selected in order to provide a viable and effective solution to the organizations. However, the existing COTS software evaluation and selection frameworks focus more on functional aspects and do not give adequate attention to accommodate the mismatch between user requirements and COTS software specification, and also integration with non functional requirements of COTS software. Studies have identified that these two criteria are important in COTS software evaluation and selection. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new framework of COTS software evaluation and selection that focuses on handling COTS software mismatches and integrating the nonfunctional requirements. The study is conducted using mixed-mode methodology which involves survey and interview. The study is conducted in four main phases: a survey and interview of 63 organizations to identify COTS software evaluation criteria, development of COTS software evaluation and selection framework using Evaluation Theory, development of a new decision making technique by integrating Analytical Hierarchy Process and Gap Analysis to handle COTS software mismatches, and validation of the practicality and reliability of the proposed COTS software Evaluation and Selection Framework (COTS-ESF) using experts’ review, case studies and yardstick validation. This study has developed the COTS-ESF which consists of five categories of evaluation criteria: Quality, Domain, Architecture, Operational Environment and Vendor Reputation. It also provides a decision making technique and a complete process for performing the evaluation and selection of COTS software. The result of this study shows that the evaluated aspects of the framework are feasible and demonstrate their potential and practicality to be applied in the real environment. The contribution of this study straddles both the research and practical perspectives of software evaluation by improving decision making and providing a systematic guidelines for handling issue in purchasing viable COTS software

A process based approach software certification model for agile and secure environment

In today’s business environment, Agile and secure software processes are essential since they bring high quality and secured software to market faster and more cost effectively. Unfortunately, some software practitioners are not following the proper practices of both processes when developing software. There exist various studies which assess the quality of software process; nevertheless, their focus is on the conventional software process. Furthermore, they do not consider weight values in the assessment although each evaluation criterion might have different importance. Consequently, software certification is needed to give conformance on the quality of Agile and secure software processes. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to propose Extended Software Process Assessment and Certification Model (ESPAC) which addresses both software processes and considers the weight values during the assessment. The study is conducted in four phases: 1) theoretical study to examine the factors and practices that influence the quality of Agile and secure software processes and weight value allocation techniques, 2) an exploratory study which was participated by 114 software practitioners to investigate their current practices, 3) development of an enhanced software process certification model which considers process, people, technology, project constraint and environment, provides certification guideline and utilizes the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for weight values allocation and 4) verification of Agile and secure software processes and AHP through expert reviews followed by validation on satisfaction and practicality of the proposed model through focus group discussion. The validation result shows that ESPAC Model gained software practitioners’ satisfaction and practical to be executed in the real environment. The contributions of this study straddle research perspectives of Software Process Assessment and Certification and Multiple Criteria Decision Making, and practical perspectives by providing software practitioners and assessors a mechanism to reveal the quality of software process and helps investors and customers in making investment decisions

Selección de software, una revisión sistemática del estado del arte

La selección de software es un proceso en el que intervienen varios decisores, los cuales tienen diferentes preferencias que pueden llegar a ser mutuamente excluyentes, esto sumado a los diferentes criterios que se deben considerar al evaluar las alternativas, hace que este tipo de situación sea un problema de decisión, el cual puede abordarse desde el análisis multicriterio de decisiones. En este documento, se presenta una revisión sistemática del estado del arte de los procesos de selección de software, con el objetivo principal de establecer una base académica que permita dar soporte a dicho tipo de procesos. Para la elaboración del estado del arte, se definieron las preguntas de investigación, los criterios de inclusión de los documentos, el proceso de búsqueda y los datos a analizar para dar respuesta a las preguntas definidas. El aporte principal de este documento, es la determinación de las metodologías más usadas, así como el conjunto de criterios que se puede tomar como base para la evaluación de las alternativas, con el fin de elegir la más adecuada de acuerdo al contexto del proceso de decisión

Makan@local chatok: mobile eatery recommendation system based on local knowledge

This paper discusses a unique business model of eatery recommended system based on local knowledge using mobile platform. The business model is developed to define the business concept of the innovation which is a rural innovation involving multiple entities (locals, eatery owners and users who are searching for eatery). The innovation highlights on local knowledge crowd sourced from the participation of locals through ramification activities included in the mobile app. In achieving the aim, the design science methodology was adapted in this study which consists of 4 phases: (i) Awareness of Problem, (ii) Suggestion, (iii) Evaluation, and (iv) Conclusion. The proposed business model was developed through a few activities including literature review, comparative study and preliminary study. Then, the study continued with developing a prototype known as Makan@Local Chatok (M@LC) app and evaluated the app in terms of its usability aspects. Results from the usability testing concludes that the app is perceived as easy to use. It was also found that the proposed business model has been well-accepted by users. In conclusion, it is hoped that this study will not only demonstrate the potential and impact of mobile eatery recommendation system using local knowledge, but also provide a capstone on business research in the field of tourism industry