Improving IS Functions Step by Step: the Use of Focus Area Maturity Models

With new technologies developing rapidly and becoming more common, organizations need to keep up their IS capabilities. Maturity models are designed as a means to support capability development. The existing literature is strongly dominated by studies of fixed-level maturity models, i.e. maturity models that distinguish a limited set of generic maturity levels, such as the well-known CMM. We argue that, while fixed-level maturity models may be well-suited to assessing the maturity of IS capabilities, another form of maturity model, the focus area maturity model, is better suited to supporting incremental improvement. In this paper we define the concept of focus area maturity model. We use a design-science research method, basing our work on both extensive industry experience and scientific investigation

The Sun also Sets: Ending the Life of a Software Product

Abstract. Sunsetting a software product is a painful and frustrating process, whether it happens in times of crisis or in an organized and planned manner. It is surprising that little information is available on how to perform sunsetting and it appears to be a blind spot in software product management literature. This paper describes the sunsetting method and provides practitioners with a welldefined process of how software products must be taken out of development, maintenance, and finally use. With the sunsetting method, product managers will have as little trouble as possible based on the experiences of others. The process description is elaborated using a method description. Furthermore, three retrospective case studies have been conducted to evaluate the method

COPLAM Description and Evaluation: Method to Support Continuous Planning at the Team Level

Continuous planning refers to the planning process in rapid and parallel cycles in a way that plans evolve according to the events. We present COPLAM (Continuous Planning Adoption Method) which supports continuous planning at the team level of agile software development, which covers release, iteration, and day cycles, according to the organization’s context and projects’ needs. We also present the results of a case study in a software development organization focused on e-commerce.&nbsp

Toward Formulation a Maturity Framework for E-diplomacy

Digital diplomacy (e-Diplomacy), is commonly defined as the use of information and communication technology for the purposes of attaining foreign policy goals. The emerging field of digital diplomacy has been largely neglected in academic research. Also, in practice, this area has been slow to evolve compared to other areas of public service such as e-government, e-education and e-health. This research draws on the existing literature to present a novel conceptual framework that could be used to guide the implementation of e-diplomacy. A new e-diplomacy maturity framework is formulated to address the modern functions of foreign relations in today’s global environment. The e-diplomacy maturity framework is derived from the theory of growth models, the e-government maturity model, the broader literature on diplomacy and the practice of diplomacy. To validate the conceptual framework, a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with diplomats and professionals from the foreign ministries of the USA, the UK and Qatar were conducted. The novelty of this research is based on the development of a conceptual framework of e-diplomacy maturity and implementation that was built around the scaffolding of conjectures that were tested to determine their validity. It can guide research scholars wishing to explore the discipline of digital diplomacy. It will also assist foreign ministries to identify the stage they have reached in deploying ICT in their diplomatic functions. This study should also provide policy makers, diplomats, ICT managers, and practitioners with a greater understanding of the stages and factors that encourage or hinder e-diplomacy implementation and maturity