Goals/questions/metrics method and SAP implementation projects

During the last years some researchers have studied the critical success factors (CSFs) in ERP implementations. However, until now, no one has studied how these CSFs should be put in practice to help organizations achieve success in ERP implementations. This technical research report attempts to define the usage of Goals/Questions/Metrics (GQM) approach in the definition of a measurement system for ERP implementation projects. GQM approach is a mechanism for defining and interpreting operational, measurable goals. Lately, because of its intuitive nature the approach has gained widespread appeal. We present a metrics overview and a description of GQM approach. Then we provide an example of GQM application for monitoring sustained management support in ERP implementations. Sustained management support is the most cited critical success factor in ERP implementation projects.Postprint (published version

Measuring Software Process: A Systematic Mapping Study

Context: Measurement is essential to reach predictable performance and high capability processes. It provides support for better understanding, evaluation, management, and control of the development process and project, as well as the resulting product. It also enables organizations to improve and predict its process’s performance, which places organizations in better positions to make appropriate decisions. Objective: This study aims to understand the measurement of the software development process, to identify studies, create a classification scheme based on the identified studies, and then to map such studies into the scheme to answer the research questions. Method: Systematic mapping is the selected research methodology for this study. Results: A total of 462 studies are included and classified into four topics with respect to their focus and into three groups based on the publishing date. Five abstractions and 64 attributes were identified, 25 methods/models and 17 contexts were distinguished. Conclusion: capability and performance were the most measured process attributes, while effort and performance were the most measured project attributes. Goal Question Metric and Capability Maturity Model Integration were the main methods and models used in the studies, whereas agile/lean development and small/medium-size enterprise were the most frequently identified research contexts.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2016-76956-C3-2- RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015-71938-RED

V-GQM: a feed-back approach to validation of a GQM study

The Goal/Question/Metric paradigm is used for empirical studies on software projects. Support is given on how to define and execute a study. However, the support for running several subsequent studies is poor. V-GQM introduces a life-cycle perspective, creating a process, spanning several GQM studies. After the GQM study has been completed, an analysis step of the plan is initiated. The metrics are analysed to investigate if they comply with the plan or has extended it, and also to investigate if the metrics collected answer more questions than posed in the plan. The questions derived from metrics are then used to form the goal for the next GQM study, effectively introducing a feed-back loop. By introducing the bottom-up approach, a structured analysis of the GQM study is possible when constructing several consecutive GQM studies. A case study, using V-GQM, is performed in an industrial setting

A service-oriented approach to modeling and performance analysis of Port Community Systems:

A Port Community System (PCS) is an electronic platform that links the multiple systems operated by private and public organizations. Accordingly, PCSs can be interpreted as complex service system networks that coproduce services. The study proposes a three levels top-down methodology which aims to interpret existing PCS in order to: provide a formal description of this system network based on the enterprise architecture concepts of a PCS; illustrate how each actor of a PCS offers or requires services; and present a new approach to the measurement of services based on the Goal-Question-Metric paradigm

Measurements Should Generate Value, Rather than Data,

Success factors for measurement programs as identified in the literature typically focus on the `internals' of the measurement program: incremental implementation, support from management, a well-planned metrics framework, and so on. However, for a measurement program to be successful within its larger organizational context, it has to generate value for the organization. This implies that attention should also be given to the proper mapping of some identifiable organizational problem onto the measurement program, as well as the translation back of measurement results to organizational actions. In this paper, we present a generic process model for measurement-based improvement, which does cover the latter issues as well. We describe a number of common uses for measurement programs in software organizations, from which we derive additional `external' success factors. In addition, we propose a number of activities that organizations can use to implement value-generating measurement programs

Tools Integration for Supporting Software Measurement: A Systematic Literature Review

Software measurement (SM) is a key area to support process quality improvement and project management. Due to the nature of the measurement activities, tool support is essential. Tools can be combined to support the SM process and provide necessary information for decision making. However, tools are usually developed without concern for integration. As a result, organizations have to deal with integration issues to enable communication between tools. Aiming at investigating studies in the literature that report initiatives involving tool integration for supporting SM, we performed a systematic literature review. Twelve initiatives were found. This paper presents the results of the systematic review and discusses the main findings

Visualizing the customization endeavor in product-based-evolving software product lines: a case of action design research

[EN] Software Product Lines (SPLs) aim at systematically reusing software assets, and deriving products (a.k.a., variants) out of those assets. However, it is not always possible to handle SPL evolution directly through these reusable assets. Time-to-market pressure, expedited bug fixes, or product specifics lead to the evolution to first happen at the product level, and to be later merged back into the SPL platform where the core assets reside. This is referred to as product-based evolution. In this scenario, deciding when and what should go into the next SPL release is far from trivial. Distinct questions arise. How much effort are developers spending on product customization? Which are the most customized core assets? To which extent is the core asset code being reused for a given product? We refer to this endeavor as Customization Analysis, i.e., understanding the functional increments in adjusting products from the last SPL platform release. The scale of the SPLs' code-base calls for customization analysis to be conducted through Visual Analytics tools. This work addresses the design principles for such tools through a joint effort between academia and industry, specifically, Danfoss Drives, a company division in charge of the P400 SPL. Accordingly, we adopt an Action Design Research approach where answers are sought by interacting with the practitioners in the studied situations. We contribute by providing informed goals for customization analysis as well as an intervention in terms of a visual analytics tool. We conclude by discussing to what extent this experience can be generalized to product-based evolving SPL organizations other than Danfoss Drives.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities grant number RTI2018099818-B-I00 and MCIU-AEI TIN2017-90644-REDT (TASOVA). ONEKIN enjoys support from the program 'Grupos de Investigacion del Sistema Univesitario Vasco 2019-2021' under contract IT1235-19. Raul Medeiros enjoys a doctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation