A QUESTION OF METHODOLOGY – CREATING A CUSTOMIZED ROLLOUT-METHOD FOR A COLLABORATION PORTAL IN A DISTRIBUTED ENVIRONMENT

Cassidian Electronics, a globally operating business unit of EADS, aimed to implement a collaborative portal for its quality management department. After conducting a successful pilot phase producing a prototype for a small number of users it soon became apparent that a large scale roll-out would not be feasible without proper methodological support. As no methodology was available to be used directly, an evaluation process was started and two champion methodologies (PADEM of Fraunhofer Institut and G&K - Großman and Koschek) were identified. A framework was developed to transparently compare the merits of each methodology and G&K selected as the most suitable. This paper presents the selection process as well as the case study describing the adaption mechanism and subsequent application of G&K for the roll-out of a large scale distributed collaboration portal in a high quality environment. A key lesson learned is the strong benefit of an agile method for portal implementations and roll-outs to ensure high user satisfaction and technology acceptance leading to measurable financial benefits

System Engineer Account Logistics Dashboard (SEALD)

The absence of a standard method to track sales assistance requests lead to wasted resources, collaboration road blocks, and an inability to track key metrics in Cisco. This project aimed to alleviate such issues by implementing dashboards and reports in Cisco\u27s Salesforce.com portal, using agile development methodology. The project concluded with interviews with end users, the results of which provided useful insights for a better system adoption

Insights from the Inventory of Smart Grid Projects in Europe: 2012 Update

By the end of 2010 the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission’s in-house science service, launched the first comprehensive inventory of smart grid projects in Europe1. The final catalogue was published in July 2011 and included 219 smart grid and smart metering projects from the EU-28 member states, Switzerland and Norway. The participation of the project coordinators and the reception of the report by the smart grid community were extremely positive. Due to its success, the European Commission decided that the project inventory would be carried out on a regular basis so as to constantly update the picture of smart grid developments in Europe and keep track of lessons learnt and of challenges and opportunities. For this, a new on-line questionnaire was launched in March 2012 and information on projects collected up to September 2012. At the same time an extensive search of project information on the internet and through cooperation links with other European research organizations was conducted. The resulting final database is the most up to date and comprehensive inventory of smart grids and smart metering projects in Europe, including a total of 281 smart grid projects and 90 smart metering pilot projects and rollouts from the same 30 countries that were included in the 2011 inventory database. Projects surveyed were classified into three categories: R&D, demonstration or pre-deployment) and deployment, and for the first time a distinction between smart grid and smart metering projects was made. The following is an insight into the 2012 report.JRC.F.3-Energy securit

Joining the Department of Defense Enterprise Resource Planning Team: The Air Force\u27s Role in the Enterprise

Over time, the Air Force (AF) built customized legacy logistics data and information systems, which have evolved into an inflexible network of obsolete systems that are costly to maintain and upgrade, and struggle to share data in a timely and coherent manner. The Department of Defense (DoD), to include the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the US AF, the US Army, and the US Navy, have all recognized the need to modernize and integrate their legacy systems to improve warfighter support. The DLA, the US Army, and the US Navy all see Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology as a commercial best practice, and consequently as the best way to replace their legacy systems. They are all in the process of implementing ERP pilot tests. The AF has adopted a watch and learn\u27 position on ERP, while continuing to upgrade its legacy systems piecemeal

Three IT-Business Alignment Profiles: Technical Resource, Business Enabler, and Strategic Weapon

There is a growing recognition among alignment researchers and IT professionals that one size does not fit all. In this article, we provide an important extension of alignment research that shows three profiles linking IT to different business objectives. We address the need to identify the appropriate types of IT alignment by using a multi-method study including interviews and cases. Two dimensions define the three alignment profiles: internal IT-business integration and external market engagement. The technical resource profile calls for low levels of IT-business integration and IT-market engagement. The business enabler profile deploys IT in some business processes and begins engaging IT with customers and suppliers. The strategic weapon profile uses IT to mobilize and extend the enterprise, which requires extensive IT deployment, both internally and externally. Each profile differs in strategies, criteria, capabilities, and mental models. Importantly, IT decision-makers should not adopt stage-model thinking which assumes that technical resource profiles naturally progress up the chain. Rather, successful use of IT requires specifying the requisite alignment profile as an initial design decision so that appropriate levels of resource allocation and management involvement occur

UTP ALUMNI WEB PORTAL

The alumni web portal is develop in order to give the opportunity for the alumni to communicate with each other much more easily. However, that is not the only things it can do. The portal will also create more opportunity in knowledge gaining, career opportunity and this portal open more communication network within the boundaries. The literature review indicates analysis and result based on three main issues that is the definition for the project, the industrial point of view and the review from the past project. These analyses help to provide more idea and knowledge to ensure the project will be better within its usability and functionality. Waterfall Model had been chose as the method in developing the portal. This is because the method is easy to understand and globally use by the professional in developing a project. Factsfinding will also be constructed as information is the greatest resources and this will help when analysis and comparison is being conducted. For the basic findings, based on the analysis that had been done, normal features or functionality that is usually use is being identified. From the analysis based on the journal and the web portal itself, a few elements will be prioritized in order to differentiate the project better than any other current website. Hopefully, the project will be a good prospect for the institution and hopefully the alumni can make a full use of the project when it is done

Analysis of Current Supplier Relationship Management Practices: A Solution Proposal

The work contributes with the existing literature by investigating current SRM practices. Based on the research, the author has designed an information system framework, which provides companies with an innovative SRM solution to manage their indirect material purchasing process through an environment that supports companies entire plan-to-order activities, including functionalities such as central data management, spend data management, e-sourcing and the usual e-procurement features