Collaborative improvement as an inspiration for supply chain collaboration

The battlefield of competition is today moving from the level of\ud individual firms to the one of the extended enterprises, that is, networks of customers and their suppliers. This paper discusses how learning and continuous improvement today take place in processes based on daily collaboration at intercompany level, i.e. Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EMEs). The purpose of the paper is to present a preliminary theory on Collaborative Improvement (CoI), i.e. continuous improvement at the EME level. Based on a literature review on Supply Networks, and Continuous Improvement and on evidence from two explorative case studies, the paper proposes a model for Collaborative Improvement in EMEs and discusses a research approach based on Action Research and Action Learning to further develop preliminary theory and actionable knowledge on how to foster and sustain CoI in EMEs

Discovering Strategies to Improve Business Value in Outsourcing Projects

This paper deals with the problem of leveraging client business value in a software development outsourcing relationship. We have observed software development projects from two different Dutch IT outsourcing companies and studied the approach they apply in their (successful) projects. The results show that they create a role dedicated to facilitate communication. This arrangement has the potential to put team members in a better position to communicate, facilitating the transfer of information supporting the rationale behind design decisions. Teams are thus better equipped to anticipate change and to react faster in solving everyday problems. This paper describes our observations and the practical implications we expect, such as the improvement of re-buy intention on the client's side

Validating adequacy and suitability of business-IT alignment criteria in an inter-enterprise maturity model

Aligning requirements of a business with its information technology is currently a major issue in enterprise computing. Existing literature indicates important criteria to judge the level of alignment between business and IT within a single enterprise. However, identifying such criteria in an inter-enterprise setting – or re-thinking the existing ones – is hardly addressed at all. Business-IT alignment in such settings poses new challenges, as in inter-enterprise collaborations, alignment is driven by economic processes instead of centralized decision-making processes. In our research, we develop a maturity model for business-IT alignment in inter-enterprise settings that takes this difference into account. In this paper, we report on a multi-method approach we devised to confront the validation of the business-IT alignment criteria that we included in the maturity model. As independent feedback is critical for our validation, we used a focus group session and a case study as instruments to take the first step in validating the business-IT alignment criteria. We present how we applied our approach, what we learnt, and what the implications were for our model

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Success factors in IT Outsourcing

Abstract. To survive and respond to the everchanging business world companies are seeking new ways to concentrate and improve core competencies, as well as improve their competitive status against the market. Companies are exploring how to exploit the core competencies of other companies. The goals of the partnership might differ depending on the scope of the partnership. The goal might be one or many of the following: cost reduction, access to higher quality service, access to technology and/or know-how. Even if the first IT outsourcing was done around 30 years ago by Eastman Kodak and General Dynamics and the area has been studied quite heavily, the topic seems to be still difficult for companies to grasp the wanted benefits. As the IT outsourcing is widely used option in the business world and the results are not firm, I feel the topic is still relevant to study. The research question for the study is: “What factors affect the success of IT outsourcing relationship?” The research question is answered through the literature review. From the literature review eleven high level success factors can be identified. In some cases, some factors are combined. The success factors are Cost and Quality, Trust, Alignment to business strategy, Culture, Communication, Contracts, Strategic Partnership, Governance, Management support, Infrastructure, and Know-how. How important each individual factors are in outsourcing engagement in question depends on the sort of the partnership. The theoretical implications are very limited, but the practical implications regarding communication, trust and governance should be considered when companies enter IT outsourcing partnerships. Putting an emphasis on setting up proper governance functions and people who are good at communicating with the other party will pay the efforts back in success of the relationship

Success factors in IT outsourcing:vendor’s view

Abstract. The world is getting smaller and thus competition gets fiercer. Therefore, companies are seeking new ways to utilize other companies core competencies by partnering with them. The success of these partnerships is important for both parties. Success factors of an IT outsourcing relationship has been studied quite a bit since the first ones took place in 1990’s. However, due to nature of IT, the outsourcing has been seen cumbersome and thus, it is an appealing topic to investigate. The topic of the thesis was to investigate the definition of success and success factors of an IT outsourcing relationship from vendor’s point of view. Consequently, the research questions are: RQ1: What constitutes a successful IT outsourcing relationship from vendor’s point of view? RQ2: Which factors affect IT outsourcing relationship success from vendor’s point of view? The research questions are answered based on the literature review and data produced in semi-structured interviews, utilizing qualitative research methods. In RQ1 the data analysis method was deductive. The RQ2 answer is conducted from factors identified in literature review, and the factors that were listed as success factors, from vendor’s point of view, in the interviews are counted as success factors in this study. RQ1 answer: The successful IT outsourcing relationship from vendor’s point of view is achieved when the pre-set goals are met. The most fundamental goal is to make business. More precisely, the goals usually are mainly monetary, but they can also be related to developing vendor’s capabilities, or other strategic objectives. RQ2 answer: The success factors identified are communication, trust, strategic partners, governance, contract, competence, culture, and management support as well as personal relationships and chemistry. Combined factors affecting the success are information sharing, business understanding, benefit/risk sharing, interdependence, commitment, coordination, and conflict management, and social competence. The factors might be connected to each other, but their connection and importance depends on the nature and situation of the relationship. This research is done from vendor’s point of view, even if the literature review is originally done from both parties’ point of view. None of the success factors directly affect the IT outsourcing relationship to be successful. They however improve the likelihood of longer relationship and make the relationship more reliable source of income. The study introduces two new success factors 1) social competence, 2) personal relationships and chemistry. The practitioners should ensure that the goals are defined before entering into the relationship. The vendor should also make sure that the vendors’ personnel interacting with customers have high social competence, as well as production and technology related competence is sufficient, and the contract suits the delivery

Towards a business-IT alignment maturity model for collaborative networked organizations

Aligning business and IT in networked organizations is a complex endeavor because in such settings, business-IT alignment is driven by economic processes instead of by centralized decision-making processes. In order to facilitate managing business-IT alignment in networked organizations, we need a maturity model that allows collaborating organizations to assess the current state of alignment and take appropriate action to improve it where needed. In this paper we propose the first version of such a model, which we derive from various alignment models and theories