International conference on software engineering and knowledge engineering: Session chair

The Thirtieth International Conference on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering (SEKE 2018) will be held at the Hotel Pullman, San Francisco Bay, USA, from July 1 to July 3, 2018. SEKE2018 will also be dedicated in memory of Professor Lofti Zadeh, a great scholar, pioneer and leader in fuzzy sets theory and soft computing. The conference aims at bringing together experts in software engineering and knowledge engineering to discuss on relevant results in either software engineering or knowledge engineering or both. Special emphasis will be put on the transference of methods between both domains. The theme this year is soft computing in software engineering & knowledge engineering. Submission of papers and demos are both welcome

XP customer practices: A grounded theory

The Customer is a critical role in XP, but almost all XP practices are presented for developers by developers. While XP calls for Real Customer Involvement, it does not explain what XP Customers should do, nor how they should do it. Using Grounded Theory, we discovered eight customer practices used by successful XP teams: Customer Boot Camp, Customer’s Apprentice, Customer Pairing, and Programmer’s Holiday support the well-being and effectiveness of customers; Programmer On-site and Road shows support team and organization interactions; and Big Picture Up Front and Re-calibration support Customers steering the whole project. By adopting these processes, XP Customers and teams can work faster and more sustainably

Agile or non-agile, that is the question: designing a decision support system for an agile approach in software development projects

To know how to choose an approach to manage a software development project is essential to maximize the chances to achieve success. One of the great dilemmas we face nowadays concerns the option for an Agile or a traditional development methodology. There are several characteristics of software projects and the business environments in which they are performed that we must consider while choosing a suitable option. Although Agile development methodologies have been increasingly expanding and consolidating worldwide as effective ways of building software since the early 2000s, they are not a one-size-fits-all approach. When to use Agile and which methodology is most suitable are the great questions we aim to answer in this research. Through a comprehensive revision of the literature and an exploratory study with Agile practitioners, we explored and identified the main factors that favour the use of an Agile approach. We also unveiled the characteristics of software development projects and organisational environments that lead development teams to opt for one of the common Agile frameworks: Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, or Lean Software Development (LSD). Based on the results obtained, we conceived a conceptual model to support decision making and developed a prototype of an information system that implements this conceptual model. Our major goal in this study is to clarify what is important to consider in the choice of an Agile methodology and help the decision-maker selecting an appropriate development approach. The results of this research contribute to the literature related to processes of selection of software development methodologies, as well as to the diffusion of Agile within development teams and organisations with none or low degree of maturity in Agile, but interested in knowing more or adopting this development approach.Escolher uma abordagem adequada para gerenciar um projeto de desenvolvimento de software é essencial para maximizar as chances de se obter sucesso. Um dos grandes dilemas da atualidade diz respeito à opção por uma metodologia de desenvolvimento Agile ou tradicional. Existem diversas características dos projetos de software e dos ambientes organizacionais onde eles são executados que devemos considerar ao escolher uma opção apropriada. Embora as metodologias de desenvolvimento Agile venham se expandindo e consolidando mundialmente desde o início dos anos 2000 como soluções eficazes para se construir software, elas não se aplicam a todos os cenários de desenvolvimento. Quando usar Agile e qual das suas metodologias é a mais adequada são as grandes questões que pretendemos responder nesta investigação. Através de uma abrangente revisão de literatura e de um estudo exploratório com profissionais com experiência nas metodologias Agile, exploramos e identificamos os principais fatores que favorecem o uso de uma abordagem Agile. Também estudamos as características de projetos de desenvolvimento de software e de ambientes organizacionais que levam as equipas de desenvolvimento a optar por uma das suas metodologias mais comuns: Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban ou Lean Software Development (LSD). Com base nos resultados obtidos, concebemos um modelo conceitual para apoiar a tomada de decisão e desenvolvemos um protótipo de um sistema que implementa tal modelo conceitual. Nosso principal objetivo é esclarecer o que é importante considerar na escolha de uma metodologia Agile e ajudar o tomador de decisão a selecionar uma opção adequada. Os resultados desta investigação enriquecem a literatura voltada para os métodos de seleção de processos de desenvolvimento de software, e contribuem para a difusão do Agile entre as equipas de desenvolvimento e as organizações com nenhum ou baixo grau de maturidade em Agile, mas que estejam interessadas em conhecer mais ou adotar esta abordagem de desenvolvimento

SCRUM IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TO IMPROVE PROJECT PERFORMANCE IN DESIGN PHASE

As building technologies dramatically developed over the past several decades, construction project delivery methods evolved tremendously. Since the Renaissance, the fields of architecture and construction have been regarded as complex art forms. Today, both disciplines are regarded more as technical fields meant to improve human functional, technological, and practical needs. Therefore, the management of a project plays a more critical role in contemporary construction projects. Over the several decades, there has been no significant change in the way of construction projects management changes. However, client requirements and expectations are constantly evolving. Because of this disconnect, traditional construction management practices cannot meet the needs of the current market. The potential project risks are increased by the gap between how the projects are conducted and how the projects should be managed. This negatively impacts the overall performance of the project as well as the quality of delivery. Recently, more and more construction projects have begun improving project performance by utilizing new management frameworks. Most notably, “Agile” construction has gradually garnered attention throughout the industry because of its outstanding ability in managing risks and changes. This thesis researches the implementation of “Scrum” (a framework of Agile project management) from the information technology field into the construction industry by means of the literature review. Through precedent analysis, the benefits and shortcomings of Scrum will be revealed. The benefits of Scrum that contribute to overall project performance will be analyzed in detail through the findings made through case studies, personal interviews, and a comprehensive literature review. The result of the research shows that Scrum provides significant improvements for construction project performance in many ways. By decreasing uncertainty and increasing management of risks, it has obvious potential benefits in the design phase of a construction project. In sum, this thesis identifies the advantages of the project performance by using Scrum in the design phase of construction projects. It predicts the future outlook of the possible development of Agile models in the construction industry. The thesis also includes the recommendation section to provide the suggestions for the future researches

Learning From the Case Studies, How Global Software Development Process is Executed in an Agile Method Environment

. The biggest challenge in Global Software Development (GSD) is the efficiency of time to develop. GSD provides a guidance to use the process along with up-front analysis method like unified process or waterfall method. Although, it gives a benefit through comprehensive documentation and its clearness, it gives inhibits the organization which wants use GSD but in a rush. Agile methods claim an efficient and the effective approach to software development. This paper reports on how organizations combine the GSD process with agile methods like eXtreme Programming (XP), Scrum, Agile Unified Process (Agile UP), Feature Driven Development (FDD), and Microsoft Solution Framework Agile (MSF Agile). The paper uses case study to get organization experiences and describe useful practices for the organization that want to implement GSD with an agile method.