The Alignment Between Business Objectives Clarity and Software Objectives

This paper aims to highlight a very important concept and plays a key role in the success of software development, which is the alignment between business objectives and software objectives. In this research we refer to most of the literature that dealt with this subject. The researcher designed a questionnaire and conducted field interviews with software project managers. This study concluded with a set of recommendations and found that the alignment between business objectives and software goals plays a prominent role in software development and has a positive impact on the success of the software. Keywords: business objective, software objective, software development, alignment DOI: 10.7176/CEIS/10-2-04 Publication date:March 31st 201

DETERMINING THE IMPACT OF BUSINESS STRATEGIES USING PRINCIPLES FROM GOAL-ORIENTED MEASUREMENT

In practice, the success or failure of business strategies is often determined by management as a gut feeling without taking into account quantitative information. If data is collected, it is often unclear how the data contributes to higher-level goals of the organization. GQM+Strategies® provides mechanisms for explicitly linking measurement goals to higher-level goals, and also to goals and strategies at the level of the entire business. It is based on experiences with software-related organizations, but is intended to be applicable in all kinds of businesses. This article gives an overview of the basic concepts and presents a practical case

A Deployment Process for Strategic Measurement Systems

Explicitly linking software-related activities to an organisation's higher-level goals has been shown to be critical for organizational success. GQM+Strategies provides mechanisms for explicitly linking goals and strategies, based on goal-oriented strategic measurement systems. Deploying such strategic measurement systems in an organization is highly challenging. Experience has shown that a clear deployment strategy is needed for achieving sustainable success. In particular, an adequate deployment process as well as corresponding tool support can facilitate the deployment. This paper introduces the systematical GQM+Strategies deployment process and gives an overview of GQM+Strategies modelling and associated tool support. Additionally, it provides an overview of industrial applications and describes success factors and benefits for the usage of GQM+Strategies.Comment: 12 pages. Proceedings of the 8th Software Measurement European Forum (SMEF 2011

How Decision Makers Learn to Choose Organizational Performance Measures

This study, framed by decision making, program theory, and performance measurement theory, explored the knowledge and experience that enable decision makers to identify organizational performance measures. It used a mixed method, exploratory sequential research design to discover the experience, knowledge, and skills (EKS) senior decision makers felt were important in learning to choose organizational performance measures. From the analyzed interviews, a survey was designed to measure the importance of the EKS characteristics. Qualitative analysis identified 55 life, work, or educational experience; knowledge; or skill characteristics and 23 effective measure characteristics. Regression analysis and PCA were used to extract 6 components. One-way ANOVA found no significant differences in these factors between gender groups, age groups, and process complexity levels, but found differences for decision-making tenure. MANOVA found no significant differences by the same dimensions. The limited sample size and high number of variables confounded component extraction. Further research with a suitable sample size is required before findings can be generalized

Enfoque integrado de medición, evaluación y mejora de calidad con soporte a metas de negocio y de necesidad de información: aplicación de estrategias a partir de patrones de estrategia

En toda organización de software madura, se debe asegurar la mejora continua de la calidad de los productos, servicios, procesos y recursos. Para ello, no solo es necesario contar con actividades de medición y evaluación que permitan conocer la situación real o estimada de una entidad, analizando y detectando debilidades y vulnerabilidades; sino que también es preciso contar con actividades que permitan introducir cambios orientados a la mejora. Un modo ingenieril de organizar las actividades y recursos involucrados es mediante la gestión de proyectos de medición, evaluación y/o cambio. Estos proyectos operacionalizan metas de necesidad de información de medición y evaluación. Por ejemplo, una meta de este tipo puede ser “comprender el estado actual de una aplicación móvil respecto a la característica usabilidad”. Estas metas constituyen un tipo de meta de necesidad de información que da soporte a metas de negocio operativas, las cuales debieran estar alineadas con metas de negocio estratégicas. A su vez, una estrategia integrada ayuda a alcanzar las metas de un proyecto mediante sus actividades y métodos bien establecidos. En especial, la aplicación de dichas estrategias para llevar a cabo metas de necesidad de información de medición y evaluación, se puede realizar a partir de la instanciación de patrones de estrategia. La presente tesis doctoral se centra en definir un Enfoque Multinivel y Multipropósito de Evaluación de la Calidad que permita establecer metas de necesidad de información de medición y evaluación vinculadas con metas de negocio a distintos niveles organizacionales. Promueve además, la utilización de estrategias integradas específicas para llevar a cabo dichas metas, por medio de la instanciación de patrones de estrategia, como modo de proveer soluciones reusables a problemas recurrentes en la instanciación de estrategias integradas empleadas en proyectos de medición, evaluación y/o cambio.Facultad de Informátic

The SMPI model : a stepwise process model to facilitate software measurement process improvement along the measurement paradigms

Software engineering, software measurement, software process engineering, capability, maturityMagdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2007René Braungarte

Introducing the goal-based information framework (GbIF): Documentation and evaluation of information flow in the low maturity organisation

Purpose of the Research: To introduce and evaluate a new method, the Goal-based Information Framework (GbIF), to model and contextualise information flow in a multi-channel, multi-source, environment. This research presents a derivative of the goal-question-metric (GQM) methodology for use in information retrieval and exchange scenarios, paying particular attention to information needs of low maturity organisations. Methodology/Approach: Following a review of the GQM literature, this iterative case-based research first presents a reference model based on experiences at an e- commerce business. The reference model is used as a baseline in two further case studies. The primary case study looks at multi-channel, multi-source, information retrieval challenges within the support department of a European software company. The second case study presents the GbIF in an information exchange context within a software integration project. A comparative study of the reference model and case- based iterations is presented in the conclusion. Findings: The research indicates that the GbIF has value in documenting and evaluating organisational information flow. For information retrieval, the goal-based information framework is a descriptive and evaluative construct, rather than a prescriptive process model. That is, the framework is useful for describing and evaluating an organisation’s static information needs, not in guiding it through an information-retrieval process. For information retrieval needs, the value to the organisation is the resulting documented information flow from goal to information source. However, the complexity and expansiveness of the GbIF may make maintenance (adding and documenting new/additional needs) challenging for the low maturity organisation. This factor could make the GbIF more relevant for one-off or static information needs. The research also presents the theoretical application of the GbIF in information exchange scenarios. Research limitations: The case-based findings could be specific to the observed organisations and could only be valid under similar conditions. Future field and scenario based testing of the framework is required to further understand its strengths and limitations. A complete specification of the framework will need to be authored prior to wide adoption. Practical implications: Much of the previous work on goal-based methodologies has been confined to software measurement or business strategy contexts in larger organisations with well-established information processes. This research expands on a well-documented heritage to present an entirely new method of modelling and documenting information flow in a much wider context. The research also specifically identifies and investigates the challenges of using goal-based methodologies in a low maturity environment