A Conceptual Model of Client-driven Agile Requirements Prioritization: Results of a Case Study

ABSTRACT Requirements (re)prioritization is an essential mechanism of agile development approaches to maximize the value for the clients and to accommodate changing requirements. Yet, in the agile Requirements Engineering (RE) literature, very little is known about how agile (re)prioritization happens in practice. Conceptual models about this process are missing, which, in turn, makes it difficult for both practitioners and researchers to reason about requirements decision-making at inter-iteration time. We did a multiple case study on agile requirements prioritization methods to yield a conceptual model for understanding the inter-iteration prioritization process. The model is derived by using interview data from practitioners in 8 development organizations. Such a model makes explicit the concepts that are used tacitly in the agile requirements prioritization practice and can be used for structuring future empirical investigations about this topic, and for analyzing, supporting, and improving the process in real-life projects

Using grounded theory to understand software process improvement: A study of Irish software product companies

Software Process Improvement (SPI) aims to understand the software process as it is used within an organisation and thus drive the implementation of changes to that process to achieve specific goals such as increasing development speed, achieving higher product quality or reducing costs. Accordingly, SPI researchers must be equipped with the methodologies and tools to enable them to look within organisations and understand the state of practice with respect to software process and process improvement initiatives, in addition to investigating the relevant literature. Having examined a number of potentially suitable research methodologies, we have chosen Grounded Theory as a suitable approach to determine what was happening in actual practice in relation to software process and SPI, using the indigenous Irish software product industry as a test-bed. The outcome of this study is a theory, grounded in the field data, that explains when and why SPI is undertaken by the software industry. The objective of this paper is to describe both the selection and usage of grounded theory in this study and evaluate its effectiveness as a research methodology for software process researchers. Accordingly, this paper will focus on the selection and usage of grounded theory, rather than results of the SPI study itself

Construction and validation of a questionnaire to assess student satisfaction with mathematics learning materials

Sixth Edition Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing MulticulturalityMathematics is an essential branch for the scientific development and its study is mandatory in most university degrees. However, currently the level of academic performance and motivation of students to learn this science is not the desired one. The students can use different learning tools inside and outside the math classroom, enhancing the quality of the learning materials that are designed essentially to facilitate the learning of mathematics. The present research project aims to determine the validity and reliability of a measurement instrument that allows theassessment of the satisfaction of the students with the availablelearning materials. To fulfill the objectives of this research, the method of survey was used. A study with a quantitative approach was developed, which led to the design and validation of a questionnaire by a group of 7 experts. The validation closed after applying a pilot study with 728 students. It concluded positively, obtaining nine factors that coincide with the revision of the literature: technological quality, quality of content, visual quality, didactic significance, adequacy of content, relationship between theory and practice, involvement, contribution to learning, relevance and interaction between educational actors. The results of this questionnaire provide to the international scientific community with relevant information for the design, selection, and use of study materials in the classrooms, which will contribute to raising the levels of student engagement, and their academic performance in mathematics, secondaril

User kansei modeling and eco-design

The use of day-to-day life artifacts is a key phase in the lifecycle of products. Indeed it has a great impact on our environment. User centered methods are not yet taken into account in eco-design approaches. These methods are being developed in two ways, by building new user models encompassing complex dimensions such as Kansei and experience, including values and moods, and by integrating the user himself in the design process. This paper deals with setting-up a new theoretical framework associating user-centered design advanced approaches such as experience design, Kansei studies, or participative design and eco-design methods. The final goal is to support product design by providing some guidelines according to environmental issues linked to the users and their abilities