The Dynamics of Implementing Software Engineering Projects

The study set out to establish whether project dynamics is perceived as a factor that affects the implementation of software engineering projects in Nairobi, Kenya and used the findings to model the dynamics of the implementation process. According to literature, the software industry in Kenya is relatively young and therefore necessary to look into other more established industries to identify key factors and challenges. Kenya's software projects experience a myriad of dynamism during implementation; the budgets are volatile, human resources required for project implementation come on board with many differing skills that add to the complexity of executing and implementing the projects, and there are also many internal and external variables to the implementation process that keep on changing. Since many projects suffer from the 90% syndrome in which a project is thought to be 90% complete for half of the total time required, software projects are not excluded. Tasks which are completed as part of a software project may be flawed and may need rework. For software projects, implementation is double phased and there are numerous changing variables in both phases that contribute to the dynamics of implementing software projects. The study used the Kenya ICT sector as a case study and utilized the findings to model the dynamics of implementing software projects. The model depicted that there is a lot of dynamism in implementing software projects. The dynamism revolves around the changing project variables that influence the success or failure of the said projects. The study recommends that modeling the dynamics of implementing any software project is critical to enable detection of any hindrances to successful implementation and avoid wastage of resources. The models can aid in detecting the effects of any unforeseen uncertainties within the implementation process early enough so that appropriate action can be taken to mitigate any uncertainties.

Free and open source GIS in South America: political inroads and local advocacy

Geographical information systems (GIS) practitioners worldwide enjoy a growing array of free and open source software (FOSS) options. This software has expanded the accessibility of GIS in economically developing countries while fostering local technical expertise. This article reviews FOSS GIS uptake and advocacy in South America, especially how it relates to a climate of political friendliness toward FOSS in the region. The use or absence of FOSS GIS is assessed in public-facing web maps in South America, first at the national government level, and then at the provincial level using Argentina as a country of study. Local technical support groups and software development initiatives surrounding FOSS GIS in South America are then summarized. Finally, three case studies are presented of notable efforts to build FOSS GIS technical communities at the local level: the FOSSGIS Brasil online magazine, the Geoinquietos Argentina professional network, and the FOSS.4GIS.GOV conference in Brazil. A study of the leaders, dynamics, and practices of these groups can inform others in similar circumstances around the world who are trying to promote FOSS GIS adoption, development, skills, and services

Adoption and use of free and open source software (foss) globally : an overview and analysis of selected countries

Institutions and individuals in many countries are migrating from commercial software (CS) to FOSS mostly because of two reasons: the increase of costs of purchase and maintenance of commercial software against the backdrop of global economic meltdown, and the increased commitment to open content and technologies in key domains such as research and education. In this regard, some governments have implemented policies that compel government departments, public institutions, and quasi-government institutions to adopt FOSS. The purpose of this article is to summarise the outcomes of a study of an international team of researchers that explores FOSS adoption and policies in some selected countries across the globe. The study is a pilot desk research and qualitative descriptive in nature. Data were collected for 13 countries selected to illustrate the process of FOSS adoption in countries of different economic strength; content analysis was used to identify emerging trends in FOSS adoption. In this regard, the literature on FOSS adoption and policies was scrutinized in order to accurately describe the current situation and the trends. The study findings show that many countries have adopted FOSS because it is less costly in comparison to commercial software. Furthermore, the study identified that countries have approached FOSS policy formulation and implementation in varied ways. In Europe, countries such as Germany, France, Spain, and Sweden have formulated effective FOSS policies that have influenced many public institutions to migrate to FOSS. In North America, the study reveals that the United States of America (USA) does not have a Federal policy on FOSS. However, some states such as Texas and Oregon have formulated policies that support the use of FOSS. Despite not having Federal policy on FOSS, some Federal departments in the USA use FOSS. In South America, Brazil has been a leader in adopting FOSS; the Federal government of Brazil launched a policy to support the adoption of FOSS as early as 2003; this resulted in many state institutions adopting FOSS. In Asia governments of China, South Korea and India have launched policies making it mandatory for all state institutions to use FOSS. In Africa, some countries have formulated policies to support FOSS; these include South Africa and Tanzania. Their FOSS policies give preference to FOSS in the procurement of software in public institutions but many governments in Africa still rely on commercial software which is too expensive for their economies to sustain contributing to the digital divide

Adoption of free desktop open source software in developing countries in Africa : a case of Kenyan University students

Open source products such as software development tools and server applications are gaining popularity among expert users. There is however a notable lag in adoption of desktop open source software among ordinary users especially in Africa. A number of critical factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions have been suggested as the determinants of Information and Communication Technologies adoption in general. This study deemed it important to establish if the above factors are the determinants of desktop open source software adoption in Africa. The study aimed to establish the Open Source Software adoption levels among university students in Kenya as well as the factors affecting Open Source Software adoption in this population. The author further aimed to assess the applicability of popular technology acceptance models in the adoption of the software in the population under study. The study employed literature review, quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study also used both descriptive and explanatory research designs in answering the research questions. The Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used as a theoretical framework because it has synthesised all its major predecessors and accommodated all the predecessors constructs. The other reason The Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used is because the model was developed specifically for predicting voluntary technology adoption. This study established that the adoption of Free Open Source Software products in Kenya is very low and existing literature revealed that this is also the case in other developing countries. The study concluded that the factors affecting adoption of desktop Open Source Software by Kenyan university students are usability, user training, Open Source Software compatibility, social influence, prior experience, social economic status, job market demands, proprietary software piracy culture and patent and copyright laws. Hence the study suggested that the existing technology adoption models are not appropriate in predicting technology adoption in an Africa setup. The study proposed and validated an appropriate model that fits in this context.School of ComputingD.Phil. (Information Systems

Blended learning in large class introductory programming courses: an empirical study in the context of an Ethiopian university

This study was motivated by a desire to address the challenges of introductory programming courses. Ethiopian universities teach such courses in large classes (80+ students) and students complain about the difficulty of the courses and teaching variation of instructors. The study was set to explore optimum course and learning environment design approaches. The research question raised was: how can a blended learning approach be used to improve large class teaching of programming? In an action design research approach, the study was initiated with redesigning two consecutive courses and a supportive blended learning environment on the basis of existing learning theories and educational design frameworks. Two cycles of action research were conducted for a dual goal of refinement and evaluation of the intervention. The action research was conducted during the 2012/13 academic year with 240 students at the beginning. A predominantly quantitative first cycle of action research produced a mixed outcome. The students’ marks from assessment activities were fairly close to results from two other international universities. A pre- and post-implementation survey of students’ approach to learning showed a slight class level change towards the deep learning approach. Conversely, some students were found at-risk (not progressing well) and certain technologies, particularly program visualisation tools, were found underutilised. The second action research cycle aimed to explain the result from the first round. A grounded action research evaluation of data from focus group discussions, interviews and participants’ memos identified plausible factors for meaningful programming learning in a large class. These factors were use of collaborative and pair programming; alignment of learning and assignment activities; integrated use of e-learning; and use of large class strategies like student mentors and team teaching. A critical realist interpretation of the result of the action research suggested that students can learn programming in large classes, 200+ in this study, with a course and learning environment design that keeps them engaged in learning and assessment activities. The study concludes that improved learning of programming can be possible with the use of students as mentors and changed role-dynamics of instructors, which presupposes adaptation of suitable pedagogical approaches and use of technologies.School of ComputingD. Litt. et Phil. (Information Systems

A review of users adoption of open source software in Africa

In the current world, software is increasingly becoming important in the human activity. It is widely recognised that Open Source software (OSS) is freely available to anyone who needs it. However, loyalty of computer users to proprietary operating systems and general office applications seems to be still high especially in developing countries. OSS has a great potential of saving costs for developing economies in Africa and reducing the cost of doing business and automating operations. The software would be very useful especially in the current period of economic hardships being faced by many developing countries. African governments have also not taken the lead in adopting the OSS software and many do not have policies in place regarding it. A review of literature on studies conducted in Africa on OSS in order to establish the level of user adoption, possible barriers to OSS adoption in developing countries in Africa is done in this paper. The findings are of great value to all stakeholders, namely the software developers, policy makers and computer experts in their endeavour to achieve high user adoption of OSS