Non-functional requirements for locomotives : a South African rail study

M.Ing. (Engineering Management)Abstract: A South African freight rail company aims to become one of the top 5 railway companies in the world. In the 2012/13 financial year, the company set aside over R7.5 billion for the procurement of new locomotives and rolling stock. This is the largest procurement event that the company has ever undertaken (Molefe, 2012; Crompton, et al., 2016). The requirements development process of the locomotives had to be done as detailed as possible so that they can be designed and built for purpose. Errors made in determining requirements can be costly in terms of revenue, time, system performance, reputation and even survival (Beecham, et al., 2005). When a specification for a new locomotive is being developed, the non-functional requirements are not always identified and defined. This can cause reliability issues once the locomotive is commissioned for operation. Railway companies do not use a standardized non-functional requirements classification model for the development of their locomotives. The examined literature indicated that there are numerous non-functional requirement classification models dating as far back as 1978. However, throughout the development and evolution of these classification models, none of them is a “fit all situations”. 84 unique non-functional requirements were identified in literature and these were compared to what is being specified in locomotive specifications. The findings from the literature review along with the specifications from railway companies was then collated into a format that could be used in research. The study undertook a quantitative research approach whereby the research methodology is descriptive and a questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. The questionnaire was administered to employees of a South African freight railway company in order to determine their view regarding which non-functional requirements are being considered by this organisation when it develops locomotives. The findings of the study showed that the most important non-functional requirements are reliability, maintainability, usability, stability, functionality, fault tolerance, efficiency, performance, predictability and testability. These non-functional requirements are also found in industry and also are dominant in literature. In addition, the results showed that these non-functional requirements should not be observed in isolation, other activities such as adherence to maintenance schedules, quality of..

Pengembangan Model Penilaian Kesiapan Implementasi Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Pada Usaha Kecil Menengah (UKM)

Pertumbuhan Usaha Kecil dan Menengah (UKM) di Indonesia terus mengalami peningkatan setiap tahunnya. Dengan adanya kompetisi yang ketat di masa depan antara UKM dan perusahaan besar, UKM harus memiliki nilai-nilai yang bermanfaat yang memungkinkan mereka untuk meminimalkan biaya dan memaksimalkan keuntungan. Salah satu pilihan untuk kasus ini adalah dengan menerapkan ERP, namun dalam mengadopsi ERP sangatlah rawan terhadap kegagalan, sehingga diperlukan persiapan yang matang terutama dalam fase pre-implementation. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan untuk melakukan penilaian kesiapan terhadap organisasi sebelum mengimplementasikan ERP, sehingga nantinya dapat mengetahui kondisi terkini dari organisasi tersebut dan dapat menjadi patokan sebelum pengambilan keputusan untuk mengimplementasikan ERP di organisasinya. Penelitian ini mengembangkan model penilaian kesiapan dari implementasi Enterprise Resource Planning dengan menggunakan dimensi dari McKinsey 7s yang divalidasi langsung oleh implementator ERP yang menghilangkan tiga sub factor yang tidak diperlukan yaitu vision and mission, CIO position, dan human resource management. Model yang dibangun kemudian dilakukan pengujian kepada UKM yang telah memiliki tujuan untuk implementasi ERP. Setelah dilakukan proses penilaian dari dua perusahaan didapatkan hasil bahwa kedua perusahaan menerapkan prosedur dan aturan beserta proses bisnis yang sangat baik, namun keduanya lemah pada area training and education, dimana kedua perusahaan belum menetapkan perencanaan dan kebutuhan terhadap pelatihan yang diperlukan. ======================================================================================= The growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia continues to increase every year. Given the tight business competition in the future, SMEs must have useful values that enable them to minimize costs and maximize profits. One of the options for this case is to apply ERP. However, ERP implementing is very prone to failure, so a good preparation especially is needed. It is necessary to conduct an organizational readiness assessment before implementing ERP, so the current condition of the organization ais known and can become a guideline before the decision to implement ERP in the organization, is taken. This study develops a readiness assessment model of Enterprise Resource Planning implementation using the dimensions of McKinsey 7s. the model is validated directly by the ERP implementer, that eliminates three unnecessary sub factors ie vision and mission, CIO position, and human resource management. The model that was built then tested to two SMEs that have a goal for ERP implementation. After the assessment process of the two companies it was found that both companies implemented procedures and rules along with excellent business processes, but both were weak in the training and education area, where the two companies had not set the planning and requirement for the required training