Metrics for agile requirements definition and management

“You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure” (Origin unknown) was the starting point for this research. The goal of this research was to define metrics to support and monitor the requirements defi-nition and management in the Alusta P2P Invoice automation and Procurement product de-velopment in the target organization. The research was conducted as a constructive research including document analysis, inter-views and facilitated workshop and it was done during June 2016-December 2016. Theory around agile software development, agile requirements definition and management and metrics was gathered to support the construct. First the research defined the requirements definition and management process for the target organization to mirror the metrics against it. The most important measure found during the research was whether the feature is validated with users and enhanced accordingly before implementation or not. With this metric or gate keeper it would be possible to use the customer acceptance as the key measure and in-crease the validated learning about customers as lean movement suggests. Minimum mar-ketable feature sets could be validated with users too. In the target organization it would be important to deploy the new design process well in use. To monitor the success, completing the steps on feature level could be measured to view the trend of improvement and it’s impact to the feature quality and efficiency. Enhancing the data analytics of the service production data would improve both the RDM process and the product quality and cost-efficiency. Through following the feature quality, it would be possible to explore and find the lean, waste-less way to do the discovery of the requirements via comparing the used RDM techniques and completed process phases to the quality of the outcome of the feature. Defining the RDM specific objectives against the current KPI’s could help to achieve better results with them. Evaluating business value and measuring organizational learning were left as areas of future research.“Et voi johtaa sitä mitä et mittaa” (Alkuperä tuntematon) oli tämän tutkimuksen lähtökohta. Tutkimuksen tavoite oli määritellä mittareita tukemaan ja tarkkailemaan vaatimusmäärittelyä ja vaatimusten hallingaa Alusta P2P Laskuautomaation ja Hankintojen hallinnan tuotekehityksessä kohdeorganisaatiossa. Tutkimus on konstruktiivinen ja se on toteutetttu dokumenttianalyysien, haastattelujen ja fasilitoidun työpajan avulla. Tutkimus on tehty Kesäkuun 2016 ja Joulukuun 2016 välillä. Teoriaa konstruktia tukemaan on kerätty ketterän sovelluskehityksen, ketterän vaatimusmäärittelyn ja vaatimusten hallinnan ja mittareiden alueelta. Aluksi tutkimus määritti vaatimusmäärittelyn ja -hallinnan prosessin kohdeyritykselle, jotta mittareita olisi helppo peilata sitä vasten. Tärkein tutkimuksen aikana löydetty mittari on onko toiminto vahvistettu käyttäjien kanssa ja tarvittavat korjaukset tehty ennen kehittämisen aloitusta. Tällä mittarilla tai portinvartijalla voidaan saavutaa asiakashyväksyntä tärkeimpänä mittarina ja lisätä leanin ehdottamaa vahvistettua asiakkaista oppimista. Pienimmät markkinotavat toimintokokonaisuudet (Minimum marketable feature) voitaisiin myös vahvistaa käyttäjien kanssa. Kohdeorganisaatiossa tärkeä kehityskohde olisi jalkauttaa uusi prosessi hyvin. Prosessin vaiheiden toteutumista voitaisiin seurata toimintokokonaisuuksien tasolla ja seurata kehitysvaiheiden suoritustason vaikutusta toimintojen laatuun ja tekemisen tehokkuuteen. Palvelun käyttödatan analysoinnin kehittäminen parantaisis vaatimuusmäärityksen ja vaatimsuten hallinnan prosessia ja tuotteen laatua ja tekemisen tehokkutta. Toimintokokoonaisuuksien laadun seuraamisen avulla olisi mahdollista etsiä ja löytää lean, hukaton tapa tehdä vaatimusten löytämisvaihetta vertaamalla käytettyjä vaatimusmäärittelyn ja -hallinnan tekniikoita saavutettuun tuloksen laatuun. Vaatimusmäärittelyn ja hallinnan päämäärät voitaisiin määrittää tarkemmin nykyisiä KPI:tä vastaan ja näin saavuttaa mittareiden parempi laatu. Liiketoiminnan tuottaman arvon määrittäminen ja organisatorisen oppimisen mittaaminen on jätetty jatkotutkimuksen aiheiksi

Web information systems: A study of maintenance, change and flexibility

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Information Systems (IS’s) have provided organisations with huge efficiency gains and benefits over the years; however an outstanding problem that is yet to be successfully tackled is that of the troublesome maintenance phase. Consuming vast resources and thwarting business progression in a competitive global market place, system maintenance has been recognised as one of the key areas where IS is failing organisations. Organisations are too often faced with the dilemma of either replacement or the continual upkeep of an unwieldy system. The ability for IS’s to be able to adapt to exogenous influences is even more acute today than at any time in the past. This is due to IS’s namely, Web Information Systems (WIS’s) increasingly and continually having to accommodate the needs of organisations to interconnect with a plethora of additional systems as well as supporting evolving business models. The richness of the interconnectivity, functionalities and services WIS’s now offer are shaping social, cultural and economic behaviour on a truly global scale, making the maintenance of such systems and evermore pertinent issue. The growth and proliferation of WIS’s shows no sign of abating which leads to the conclusion that what some have termed as the ‘maintenance iceberg’ should not be ignored. The quandary that commercial organisations face is typically driven by two key aspects; firstly, systems are built on the cultural premise of using fixed requirements, with not enough thought or attention being paid to systems abilities to deviate from these requirements. Secondly, systems do not generally cope well with adapting to unpredictable change arising from outside of the organisations environment. Over the recent past, different paradigms, approaches and methods have attempted to make software development more predictable, controllable and adaptable, however, the benefits of such measures in relation to the maintenance dilemma have been limited. The concept of flexible systems that are able to cope with such change in an efficient manner is currently an objective that few can claim to have realised successfully. The primary focus of the thesis was to examine WIS post-development change in order to empirically substantiate and understand the nature of the maintenance phase. This was done with the intention to determine exactly ‘where’ and ‘how’ flexibility could be targeted to address these changes. This study uses an emergent analytical approach to identify and catalogue the nature of change occurring within WIS maintenance. However, the research framework design underwent a significant revision as the initial results indicated that a greater emphasis and refocus was required to achieve the research objective. To study WIS’s in an appropriate and detailed context, a single case study was conducted in a web development software house. In total the case study approach was used to collect empirical evidence from four projects that investigated post-development change requests in order to identify areas of the system susceptible to change. The maintenance phases of three WIS projects were considered in-depth, resulting in the collection of over four hundred change requests. The fourth project served as a validation case. The results are presented and the findings are used to identify key trends and characteristics that depict WIS maintenance change. The analytical information derived from the change requests is consolidated and shown diagrammatically for the key areas of change using profile models developed in this thesis. Based on the results, the thesis concludes and contributes to the ongoing debate that there is a discernable difference when considering WIS maintenance change compared to that of traditional IS maintenance. The detailed characteristics displayed in the profile models are then used to map specific flexibility criteria that ultimately are required to facilitate change. This is achieved using the Flexibility Matrix of Change (FMoC) tool which was developed within the remit of this research. This tool is a qualitative measurement scheme that aligns WIS maintenance changes to a reciprocal flexibility attribute. Thus, the wider aim of this thesis is to also expand the awareness of flexibility and its importance as a key component of the WIS lifecycle

Perspective study: governance for C2C

This perspective study will serve as frame of reference for follow-up activities and exchanges both within and outside the Cradle to Cradle Network (C2CN) and it aims to reflect the current challenges and opportunities associated with implementing a Cradle to Cradle approach. In total, four perspective studies have been written, in the areas on industry, area spatial development, governance and on the build theme

Building information modelling: protocols for collaborative design processes

Numerous frameworks and protocols are being developed to facilitate BIM understanding and implementation. A BIM framework is a structured theoretical construct that can assist in organizing BIM domains of knowledge and facilitate the creation of new knowledge. BIM Protocols explain or simplify aspects of the BIM implementation by providing detailed steps or conditions (e.g. workflows, plans, manuals, etc.) to reach a measurable outcome. Currently available BIM protocols lack the level of details and the inclusion of implementation variables and complexities present at project levels. This research aims to propose protocols for BIM collaborative design that can be utilized at project level by an entire supply chain to increase the efficiency and consistency of information flow and BIM deliverables. A grounded theory approach was adopted due to its particular emphasis on providing explicit strategies for defining and studying processes. The proposed protocols consist of flowcharts, diagrams and matrices that guide the processes of BIM implementation for collaborative design among lead architects, engineering consultants, clients and contractors. A top-level model of the protocols, representing the main elements of the protocols, the relations between elements, the underpinning methodology and a gate decision for technology, process and policy approval, is presented as an abstraction of the content of the protocols. The testing of the protocols in two international design competitions, using a mixed quantitative-qualitative, demonstrated their potential in improving the quality and quantity of information delivered to stakeholders involved in the design process. There are primary and secondary contributions that stemmed from this research. The primary contribution is represented by both the methodology for development and testing and the proposed protocols for BIM collaborative design. The secondary contribution derives from the classification and review of BIM frameworks and the demonstration of the influence of the BIM project physical environment on the performance of teams

Implementing ERPII in customer facing organisations, an investigation of critical success factors

There has been a growing trend for customer facing organisations (CFOs) to turn to highly demanding information systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) in order to improve their interaction with customers. ERPII has the specific capabilities to deliver extended enterprise opportunities; however there have been widespread accounts of implementation failure leading to costly delays and even on occasion, bankruptcy. There is a lack of research available to business practitioners in terms of how to deliver a successful implementation in these situations and this research aims to address this issue. To achieve this, research has been undertaken using critical success factor (CSF) analysis. A case study was undertaken comprising of a project team placement within an ERPII implementation environment and follow-up interviews with the project team members were undertaken. In addition, a third piece of empirical research was undertaken consisting of interviews with consultant practitioners of supplier organisations. This research shows that CFOs implementing ERPII require specific CSFs to be addressed at different points within the implementation lifecycle. ‘Critical pathway steps’ have been recommended which emphasise the importance of post implementation training

A Review of Funding and Financing Models for Infrastructure Corridor Megaprojects, and Implications for the Canadian Northern Corridor

The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy (SPP) is co-ordinating a national research program examining the feasibility of a proposed nation-building multi-use infrastructure corridor megaproject called the Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC).The objectives of this research paper are to contribute to the SPP’s research program by conducting an examination of the financing and funding models employed in similar megaprojects elsewhere in the world, and to extract knowledge that would be useful to help complete the feasibility analysis

Advances in Pharma Business Management and Research

This open access book presents a unique collection of practical examples from the field of pharma business management and research. It covers a wide range of topics such as: 'Brexit and its Impact on pharmaceutical Law - Implications for Global Pharma Companies', 'Implementation of Measures and Sustainable Actions to Improve Employee's Engagement', 'Global Medical Clinical and Regulatory Affairs (GMCRA)', and 'A Quality Management System for R&D Project and Portfolio Management in a Pharmaceutical Company'. The chapters are summaries of master’s theses by "high potential" Pharma MBA students from the Goethe Business School, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, with 8-10 years of work experience and are based on scientific know-how and real-world experience. The authors applied their interdisciplinary knowledge gained in 22 months of studies in the MBA program to selected practical themes drawn from their daily business

Using foresight in business ecosystems and innovation ecosystems

In the even faster changing and increasingly uncertain environment in which corporates, star-ups, public sector players and governmental institutions operate, the importance of ecosystems as a form of organization is growing and will further grow in the future. Ecosystems are an emerging research topic. Due to the very complex composition, structure and dynamics of ecosystems, the challenges of foresight in ecosystems multiply in comparison to foresight in more simple types of organization. This research explores how foresight can contribute to the design, orchestration and development of business ecosystems and innovation ecosystems, and how it could be utilized in a more effective and impactful way. The main objective is to add to the body of empirical research of foresight in business ecosystems and innovation ecosystems and to contribute with insights to further development of foresight in this novel, complex and challenging collaboration environment. The study is qualitative. Secondary data has been collected through a literature analysis of academic research articles, books and existing case studies. Based on that analysis semi-structured theme interviews were designed and conducted with highly qualified researchers and practitioners in order to gather primary empiric data. The data has been analyzed and interpreted with aid of relevant ecosystem theory and foresight theory. The results of this research emphasize the benefits of foresight along the lifecycle of business ecosystems and innovation ecosystems, from their design to their development and transformation. Moreover challenges and best practices of foresight related to foresight design for ecosystems, limited foresight capabilities, ecosystem complexity, ecosystem-specific business aspects and ecosystem dynamics are discussed. It can be concluded that ecosystems demand from foresight a high degree of customization and understanding of the context, structure, players, dynamics and lifecycle phases of the particular ecosystem. To improve the credibility of foresight and foresight capabilities as well, more empiric research and case studies of successful foresight in ecosystems are required.Nykypäivänä yritykset, startup-yritykset, julkisen sektorin toimijat, sekä hallituksen alaiset instituutiot toimivat yhä nopeammin muuttuvassa ja epävarmemmassa ympäristössä. Sen seurauksena ekosysteemien merkitys organisaatiomuotona kasvaa, ja tulee yhä kasvamaan tulevaisuudessa. Ekosysteemit ovat nouseva tutkimusaihe. Ekosysteemien koostumus, rakenne ja dynamiikka ovat hyvin monimutkaisia ja tämä johtaa siihen, että ennakoinnin haasteet ekosysteemeissä moninkertaistuvat. Tämä Pro gradu-tutkielma käsittelee ennakoinnin mahdollisia hyötyjä liiketoiminta- ja innovaatioekosysteemien suunnittelussa, johtamisessa ja kehittämisessä. Sen lisäksi se tutkii, miten ennakointia voidaan käyttää tehokkaammin ja sen vaikuttavuus voidaan maksimoida. Päätavoitteena on myötävaikuttaa empiiriseen tutkimukseen alueella ennakointi liiketoiminta- ja innovaatioekosysteemeissä, sekä tuoda esille oivalluksia, joista on hyötyä kehittäessä ennakointia tässä uudessa, kompleksisessa ja haastavassa yhteistyöympäristössä. Tutkielma on luonteeltaan kvalitatiivinen. Sekundaaridata on kerätty akateemisten artikkeleiden, kirjojen ja olemassa olevien esimerkkitapausten kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla. Sekundaaridatan analyysin perustella on suunniteltu ja toteutettu teemahaastatteluja hyvin pätevien tutkijoiden ja ammattilaisten kanssa primaaridatan keräämiseen. Data on analysoitu ja tulkittu relevanttien ekosysteemiteorioiden ja ennakointiteorian avulla. Tutkimustulokset korostavat ennakoinnin hyödyt liiketoiminta- ja innovaatioekosysteemien elinkaaren aikana, niiden suunnittelusta niiden kehittämiseen ja muuntamiseen. Tutkielma tuo esille myös ennakoinnin erityyppisiä haasteita ja parhaita käytäntöjä liiketoiminta- ja innovaatioekosysteemeissä liittyen ennakoinnin suunnitteluun, ennakointiosaamisen puutteisiin, monimutkaisuuteen, liiketoimintaan ja dynamiikkaan. Tutkielman loppupäätelmä on, että ekosysteemi edellyttää ennakoinnin räätälöintiä ja sitä varten ekosysteemin kontekstin, rakenteen, toimijoiden, dynamiikan ja elinkaaren ymmärtämistä. Ennakointiosaamisen ja ennakoinnin uskottavuuden parantamiseen tarvitaan lisää empiiristä tutkimusta ja esimerkkitapauksia onnistuneesta ennakoinnista ekosysteemeissä