10 research outputs found
Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming
This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2022, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2022. XP is the premier agile software development conference combining research and practice. It is a unique forum where agile researchers, practitioners, thought leaders, coaches, and trainers get together to present and discuss their most recent innovations, research results, experiences, concerns, challenges, and trends. XP conferences provide an informal environment to learn and trigger discussions and welcome both people new to agile and seasoned agile practitioners. This year’s conference was held with the theme “Agile in the Era of Hybrid Work”. The 13 full papers and 1 short paper presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 40 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: agile practices; agile processes; and agile in the large
A Framework for Evaluating and Improving University-Industry Collaboration
University-Industry Collaboration (UIC) has been a topic of interest for decades and has gained additional attention in recent times as the educational, research, industry, economic, and social benefits of such collaboration are increasingly recognized. While there are continuing efforts both globally and locally within Australia to encourage such collaboration, establishing successful UIC remains a challenge. The poor ranking of Australia against Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) comparators in most business-to-research collaboration indicators confirms that collaboration is an ongoing concern and that there is a lot more work to be done to improve collaborations, particularly in Australia.
The research presented in this thesis addresses this problem by developing a framework for evaluation and improvement of UIC. This was achieved using a Design Science Research (DSR) approach.
The proposed UIC Framework comprises a set of newly developed tools based on a literature review and initial qualitative research. These tools can be used in conjunction with the Cynefin sense-making framework to understand, evaluate and improve UIC of various types and complexity. The first tool is a UIC Systems Model, which will help users to analyse and gain a better understanding of a UIC. The second tool is a comprehensive UIC Practices Framework that can be used to improve the effectiveness of a UIC. The final tool is a UIC Maturity Model (UICMM), which can be used to assess the UIC maturity of an organisation, and guide improvements.
By using this Systems Model, Practices Framework, and Maturity Model in conjunction with the Cynefin sense-making framework, stakeholders will be able to better understand their UIC activities, make improvements through informed decision-making, and evaluate the impact of such improvements.
The developed UIC Framework has been evaluated using descriptive and expert evaluations. These evaluations demonstrate the utility and applicability of the framework. A strategy for continuous real-world evaluation and improvement of the framework has also been developed and documented in this thesis. This strategy is being piloted with two industry partners and will be used for future improvement of the UIC Framework
Evaluation of the usability of a new ITG instrument to measure hard and soft governance maturity
IT governance (ITG) has stayed a challenging matter for years. Research suggests the existence of a gap between theoretical frameworks and practice. Although current ITG research is largely focused on hard governance (structure, processes), soft governance (behavior, collaboration) is equally important and might be crucial to close the gap. The goal of this study is to evaluate the usability of a new ITG maturity instrument that covers hard and soft ITG in detail. We conducted ten case studies and evaluated the instrument positively on usability; but feedback also revealed that the assessment questions needed improvements. We demonstrate that combining the instrument with structured interviews results in an enhanced and usable instrument to determine an organization’s current level of hard and soft ITG. We conclude that this new instrument demonstrates a way to reduce the mismatch between ITG maturity theory and practice
Hard and soft IT governance maturity
The goal of the research in this thesis is to determine how the IT governance (ITG) of an organisation can grow in maturity to become more effective. ITG are “the structures, process, cultures and systems that engender the successful operation of the IT of the (complete) organization”. ITG is thus not restricted to the IT organisation. The research presented here follows the stream in which ITG is considered an integral part of corporate governance, focusing on the performance perspective. The proposition is that improving “ITG maturity” results in improving ITG. Given that ITG is an integral part of corporate governance, the assumption is that improving ITG results in improving corporate governance and thus, improving organisational performance. The research methodology is based on design science and a combination of systematic literature studies, Delphi workshops and case studies. Organisations can be defined as social units of people that are structured and managed to pursue collective goals. ITG can be seen from two perspectives: - An organisational perspective referred to as “hard governance”; - A social perspective referred to as “soft governance”. This research is grounded in the assumption that in order to advance in maturity, organisations should pay attention to both the hard and soft sides of ITG. In order to improve ITG, a maturity model for hard and soft ITG was designed. The end result was a model consisting of three parts: soft governance, hard governance and the context. The thesis provides a detailed description of the design process between 2014 and 2017. Another literature review demonstrated that all 12 focus areas of the MIG model are also covered by the corporate governance literature. The assessment instrument was used in case studies conducted by students and the researchers. Between 2015 and 2017, 28 case studies were conducted using three versions of the instrument. The evaluations revealed that combining the instrument with semi-structured interviews results in an enhanced and usable instrument for determining the current level of hard and soft ITG of an organisation
A data governance maturity evaluation model to enhance data management in Eastern Cape government departments
The governance of data assets has become a topical issue in the public sector. Government departments are faced with increasingly complex data and information arising from multiple projects, different departments, divisions and several stakeholders seeking data for divergent end uses. However, an exploratory study of the literature regarding data governance in government departments of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa suggest that there are no clear data governance processes in place within the departments. The research question “How can a data governance maturity evaluation model enhance data governance processes in the Eastern Cape government departments” was derived as a result of a perceived need for government departments of the province to manage their critical data assets in a manner which promotes accurate, verifiable and relevant fiscal and strategic planning. Following the review of current literature in the data governance domain, a conceptual data governance evaluation maturity model was developed and produced. The conceptual model was influenced by the IBM data governance maturity model (2007) and it was aimed at addressing the gaps in the reference model to suit the context of the Eastern Cape government departments and the governance of their data assets. A qualitative phase of empirical data collection was conducted to test the components of the conceptual model. A quantitative instrument, derived from the findings of the qualitative study, as well as the components of the refined model was administered to 50 participants in the same departments where qualitative data was collected, with additional participants being drawn from three other departments. Pragmatism was the guiding philosophy for the research. The Contingency and Institutional theories form the theoretical grounding for the study. Design Science guidelines by Hevner et al (2004), Peffers et al’s (2008) Six Steps in Design Science and Drechsler & Hevner’s (2016) Fourth Cycle of Design Science were employed to construct, improve, validate and evaluate the final artefact. Findings confirmed the literature that data governance is lacking in government departments. It is asserted that the implementation of this model will improve the way data assets are recorded, used, archived and disposed in government departments of the Eastern Cape. The outcome of this research was the development and production of a data governance maturity evaluation model as well as a process document which gives a roadmap of how to move from one maturity level to another
IT Governance Maturity: Developing a Maturity Model Using the Delphi Method
To advance in maturity, organizations should pay attention to both the hard and soft sides of IT governance (ITG). The hard side is related to processes and structure, the soft side to social aspects like behavior and organizational culture. This paper describes a study to develop an ITG maturity model (MM) that includes both. Our research method is based on literature study, the Delphi method and makes use of a Group Decision Support System. We chose to design a focus area MM. In this type of MM maturity is determined by a set of focus areas. The study reveals one MM as being appropriate for hard ITG. For soft ITG we found no single model appropriate. Soft governance needs more specific capabilities defined for each focus area individually. Based on knowledge from literature and experts we selected models for each focus area. Three alternatives for informal organization need further research
Avaliação da maturidade da gestão do conhecimento na administração pública
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-graduação em Engenharia e Gestão do Conhecimento, Florianópolis, 2015O presente trabalho de tese de doutorado aborda a questão da maturidade da gestão do conhecimento em organizações públicas. Para o seu desenvolvimento, a partir de uma busca sistemática de literatura, procurou-se identificar modelos referenciais já desenvolvidos, de avaliação da maturidade da gestão do conhecimento em organizações públicas, que pudessem servir de base para a concepção de um framework , adaptado à realidade brasileira, o qual foi submetido à uma verificação de consistência e de aplicabilidade em múltiplos estudos de caso. Nesse sentido, formulou-se o seguinte pergunta de pesquisa:  Como avaliar a maturidade da gestão do conhecimento em organizações públicas ? Para responder a este problema de pesquisa foi realizada, preliminarmente, uma fundamentação teórica, alicerçada em três temas: (i) Administração Pública (principais abordagens e Administração Pública brasileira); (ii) Gestão do Conhecimento na Administração Pública (conhecimento organizacional e modelos de gestão do conhecimento); e, (iii) Maturidade de Gestão do Conhecimento na Administração Pública (maturidade da gestão do conhecimento e revisão dos modelos de maturidade). Da mesma forma, foi delineado um procedimento metodológico, baseado nas seguintes perspectivas: (i) Quanto a lógica de pesquisa: em uma perspectiva indutiva; (ii) Quanto a abordagem: em uma perspectiva mista (qualitativa e quantitativa); (iii) Quanto aos objetivos: considera-se exploratória e descritiva; e, (iv) Quanto aos procedimentos técnicos: trata-se de um estudo multicaso com pesquisa empírica em onze organizações públicas: ANAC, ITA, DCTA, IPEA, Correios, SEPLAG-MG, Secretaria da Educação-MG, Polícia Militar-MG e Polícia Civil-MG, FIOCRUZ nas unidades: Vice Presidência de Ensino, Informação e Comunicação; Diretoria de Recursos Humanos; Bio-Manguinhos e Casa Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério público de Goiás, Os resultados alcançados evidenciaram os seguintes aspectos: (i) As barreiras e os facilitadores de implantação da gestão do conhecimento, de cada organização; (ii) os fatores críticos de sucesso da implantação da GC em cada organização; e (iii) o framework para a Avaliação da Maturidade da Gestão do Conhecimento na Administração Pública Brasileira; e, sobretudo, (iii) A importância da gestão do conhecimento para o desenvolvimento das organizações públicas brasileiras.Abstract : This doctorate thesis approaches the question of the knowledge management maturity in public organizations. For its development, from a systematic search of literature, it sought to identify the referential models already developed for evaluating the knowledge management maturity in public organizations that could serve as grounds for the conception of a model adapted to the Brazilian reality, which was submitted to a verification of consistency and of applicability in some case studies. In this sense, the following research problem was formulated:  How to assess the knowledge management maturity in public organizations? To answer this research problem, it was conducted, primarily, a theoretical foundation grounded in three themes: (i) Public Administration (main approaches and Brazilian Public Administration); (ii) Knowledge Management in Public Administration (organizational knowledge and models of knowledge management); and, (iii) Knowledge Management Maturity in public Administration (Knowledge Management Maturity and review of maturity models). In the same way, a methodological procedure was outlined, based on the following perspectives: (i) Regarding the research logic: in an inductive perspective; (ii) Regarding the approach: in a mixed perspective (both qualitative and quantitative); (iii) Regarding the objectives: it is considered to be exploratory and descriptive; and, (iv) Regarding the technical procedures: it is a multi-case study with empirical research in eleven public organizations: ANAC (National Agency of Civil Aviation), Ita, DCTA, IPEA (Institute of Applied Economic Research), Correios (Brazilian National Post Office Agency), SEPLAG-MG (Secretariat of State, Planning and Management of the State of Minas Gerais) Secretaria da Educação-MG (Education Secretariat of the State of Minas Gerais), Polícia Militar-MG (Military Police of the State of Minas Gerais) and Polícia Civil-MG (Civilian Police of the State of Minas Gerais), FIOCRUZ nas unidades: Vice Presidência de Ensino, Informação e Comunicação; Diretoria de Recursos Humanos; Bio-Manguinhos e Casa Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério Público de Goiás, The obtained results demonstrated the following aspects: (i) The barriers and the facilitators for implementing the knowledge management of each organization; (ii) That the study of every dimension (People, Leadership, Technology, Processes and Structure) allowed us to conceive an  Assessment Model of Knowledge Management Maturity in Public Administration; and, especially, (iii) The importance of knowledge management for the development of Brazilian public organizations
Digital collaboration in the wood-based construction industry: deployment of Building Information Modeling
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is intended to promote efficiency in building design and serves as a design space where multiple actors engage in collaborative work. BIM is both a new technology and a new way of working, providing a common environment for all information defining a building, facility, or asset, together with its common parts and activities (Pittard, 2013). This thesis explores the deployment of BIM technology in the Norwegian wood-based building industry and contributes to understanding how BIM can be applied to improve collaborative work in this sector. The dissertation is interdisciplinary in nature, and offers contributions to the fields of information systems (IS), construction informatics (CI), and construction management. It builds on and extends the discourse on BIM deployment in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. The motivation for undertaking this study is that BIM systems provide the opportunity for increased effectiveness in the process of construction. BIM systems promise to deliver integration across the people, groups, and organizations working in the construction supply chain. The anticipated benefits of BIM include performance gains, increased clarity in information sharing, and a reduction in errors during construction design. BIM systems open up a number of possibilities for the wood-based building industry, such as increasing automation and prefabrication. Higher levels of automation will become possible once project teams have succeeded in collaboratively creating digital BIM models that are sophisticated enough to be turned into machine-readable files