A framework for selecting workflow tools in the context of composite information systems

When an organization faces the need of integrating some workflow-related activities in its information system, it becomes necessary to have at hand some well-defined informational model to be used as a framework for determining the selection criteria onto which the requirements of the organization can be mapped. Some proposals exist that provide such a framework, remarkably the WfMC reference model, but they are designed to be appl icable when workflow tools are selected independently from other software, and departing from a set of well-known requirements. Often this is not the case: workflow facilities are needed as a part of the procurement of a larger, composite information syste m and therefore the general goals of the system have to be analyzed, assigned to its individual components and further detailed. We propose in this paper the MULTSEC method in charge of analyzing the initial goals of the system, determining the types of components that form the system architecture, building quality models for each type and then mapping the goals into detailed requirements which can be measured using quality criteria. We develop in some detail the quality model (compliant with the ISO/IEC 9126-1 quality standard) for the workflow type of tools; we show how the quality model can be used to refine and clarify the requirements in order to guarantee a highly reliable selection result; and we use it to evaluate two particular workflow solutions a- ailable in the market (kept anonymous in the paper). We develop our proposal using a particular selection experience we have recently been involved in, namely the procurement of a document management subsystem to be integrated in an academic data management information system for our university.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Of Taxonomies and Taxonomic Theories

This presentation explores the relationship between taxonomies and taxonomic theories and explores various concerns such as the difference between taxonomy to be a taxonomic theory, the need for a taxonomy to be extended in some way for it to be a theory, and etc

Systematic construction of goal-oriented COTS taxonomies

The use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components is becoming a strategic need because they offer the possibility to build systems at reduced costs and within shorter development time. Having efficient and reliable COTS components selection methods is a key issue not only for exploiting the potential benefits of this technology, but also for facing the problems and risks involved. Searching COTS components requires overcoming several obstacles: the growing size and evolvability of the COTS marketplace, the dependencies from the components to be selected with others, and the type of descriptions currently available for those components. The main goal of this thesis is to provide support for a reliable and comprehensive structuring of a reuse infrastructure for the COTS components marketplace. With this aim, we propose a method for the construction and maintenance of goal-oriented COTS taxonomies based on a solid domain analysis; guiding the gathering of sources of information, modeling requirements and dependency relationship among domains, and organizing knowledge in any segment of the COTS marketplace.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

A review of software project testing

In this article a review of software projects based on a taxonomy project is established, allowing the development team or testing personnel to identify the tests to which the project must be subjected for validation. The taxonomy is focused on identifying software projects according to their technology. To establish the taxonomy, a development method comprised of 5 phases was applied

An investigation into the notion of non-functional requirements

Although Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) are recognized as very important contributors to the success of software projects, studies to date indicate that there is still no general consensus in the software engineering community regarding the notion of NFRs. This paper presents the result of an extensive and systematic analysis of the extant literature over three NFRs dimensions: (1) definition and terminology; (2) types; and (3) relevant NFRs in various types of systems and application domains. Two different perspectives to consider NFRs are described. A comprehensive catalogue of NFRs types as well as the top five NFRs that are frequently considered are presented. This paper also offers a novel classification of NFRs based on types of systems and application domains. This classification could assist software developers in identifying which NFRs are important in a particular application domain and for specific systems. © 2010 ACM

Taxonomy Development in Health-IT

Health-IT is attracting increasing attention in the research community. To understand the relevant constructs and the relationships among them, many authors present taxonomies or typologies for classifying different things in health-IT. Even with much attention to health-IT, there is still limited theoretical knowledge in this field. This may be attributed to our observation that the process of developing taxonomies has not been adequately addressed in the health-IT literature. In this paper we address this challenge by (a) a comprehensive literature survey that shows a high diversity in the field and that the related discussion of the structural nature has largely been ad hoc, (b) presenting methods for developing health-IT taxonomies, and, (c) contributing to the theoretical foundations of the field by a taxonomy for health-IT applications

HEALTHCARE IN THE ERA OF DIGITAL TWINS: TOWARDS A DOMAIN-SPECIFIC TAXONOMY

The pursuit of physical and mental integrity is a fundamental instinct that has accompanied humankind since the dawn of time. Based on the digitalization modern medicine nowadays no longer has only access to self-collected information, but to information from almost all areas of the patients’ lives, which makes it possible to create a digital representation of them. This digital twin opens completely new and until now unthinkable possibilities, not only in the field of monitoring and prevention, moreover it is the key to personalized medicine. However, unlike other domains, the healthcare sector lacks a structured approach to exploit this paradigm. Against this background, based on a systematic literature review and the methodological approach of Nickerson et al. (2013), the paper presents the essential dimension as well as characteristics of digital twins healthcare applications as a taxonomy that has been evaluated against 100 healthcare application

A Cybercrime Taxonomy: Case of the Jamaican Jurisdiction

Cybercrimes over the years have become both increasingly numerous and sophisticated. This paper presents a taxonomy for cybercrimes that can be used for the analysis and categorization of such crimes, as well as providing consistency in language when describing cybercrimes. This taxonomy is designed to be useful to information bodies such as the Jamaican Cybercrime Unit, who have to handle and categorize an ever increasing number of cybercrimes on a daily basis. Additionally, cybercrime investigators could use the taxonomy to communicate more effectively as the taxonomy would provide a common classification scheme. The proposed taxonomy uses the concept of characteristics structure. That is, the taxonomy classifies properties about that which is being classified and not by the object itself. The taxonomy consists of characteristics which provide a holistic taxonomy in order to deal with inherent problems in the cybercrime field

RECONCEPTUALIZING DIGITAL SERVICE QUALITY: A CALL-TO-ACTION AND RESEARCH APPROACH

The nature of services and service delivery has been changing rapidly since the 1980’s when many seminal papers in services research were published. Services are increasingly digital, or have a digital component. Further, a large and heterogeneous literature, with competing and overlapping definitions, many of which are dated and inappropriate to contemporary digital services offerings is impeding progress in digital services research. In this conceptual paper, we offer a critical review of some existing conceptualizations of services and digital services. We argue that an inductive approach to understanding cognition about digital services is required to develop a taxonomy of digital services and a new vocabulary. We argue that this is a pre-requisite to theorizing about digital services, including understanding quality drivers, value propositions, and quality determinants for different digital service types. We propose a research approach for reconceptualising digital services and service quality, and outline methodological approaches and outcomes