Planning strategically, designing architecturally : a framework for digital library services

In an era of unprecedented technological innovation and evolving user expectations and information seeking behaviour, we are arguably now an online society, with digital services increasingly common and increasingly preferred. As a trusted information provider, libraries are in an advantageous position to respond, but this requires integrated strategic and enterprise architecture planning, for information technology (IT) has evolved from a support role to a strategic role, providing the core management systems, communication networks, and delivery channels of the modern library. Further, IT components do not function in isolation from one another, but are interdependent elements of distributed and multidimensional systems encompassing people, processes, and technologies, which must consider social, economic, legal, organisational, and ergonomic requirements and relationships, as well as being logically sound from a technical perspective. Strategic planning provides direction, while enterprise architecture strategically aligns and holistically integrates business and information system architectures. While challenging, such integrated planning should be regarded as an opportunity for the library to evolve as an enterprise in the digital age, or at minimum, to simply keep pace with societal change and alternative service providers. Without strategy, a library risks being directed by outside forces with independent motivations and inadequate understanding of its broader societal role. Without enterprise architecture, it risks technological disparity, redundancy, and obsolescence. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this conceptual paper provides an integrated framework for strategic and architectural planning of digital library services. The concept of the library as an enterprise is also introduced

Managing risks in virtual-agile it projects: The paradigm of responsiveness

Managing risks in IT projects has always been a critical area of study for many researchers and practitioners. Due to the rapid advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs), there is an increasing number of challenges and issues for the IT organisations. Virtual-Agile IT projects being virtually operated and based on Agile methodology principles are facilitating IT industry having their main application in the software development industry, where entities from diverse backgrounds have varied working practices, languages and culture, and works together for achieving common aims. There have been several benefits integrated with the application of Virtual-Agile IT projects but the intersection of these two unique working concepts (Virtual-Agile) gives rise to several risks and uncertainties which have now become a point of concern for these organisations. The need for minimising the possibility of such evolving risks and uncertainties became the foundation of conducting this study from a theoretical viewpoint, where the researcher aimed to propose a conceptual framework helping organisations meet their business objectives constructively. The study is exploratory in nature which discovers all those appropriate practices, strategies and guidelines which support reducing risk and uncertainties between the distributed stakeholders during the product development phase. The research methodology used is primarily dependent on qualitative methods combined with the grounded theory methodology to gather rich and rigorous information from experienced and professional personnel from different geographical regions. Depending upon the procedures of grounded theory methodology, the data were collected and analysed simultaneously under the principles of constant comparison and theoretical sampling. The procedures helped to determine thought-provoking results and highlighted various dimensions of the phenomenon under investigation. Responsiveness which emerged as the central phenomenon to overcome risks and uncertainties in Virtual-Agile IT project environments proposes for a proactive system which could be able to deal with project uncertainties, thus reducing the likelihood of potential risks, and enhancing opportunities for the organisations. Responsiveness, which is an ability of the system to perceive, reflect and adapt changes in the project environments is dependent upon efficiently management of three major components, i.e. technology, timeliness and communication. Technology which is the most critical element when operating in virtual environments requires standardization and should be extensively used to develop strong networks and integration between various locations around the world. Timeliness is elementary and a pre-requisite for completion of on-going multiple projects in IT organisations Communication which is the utmost component, is required at various levels for evolving synchronisation in the overall system, such as when developing correlation and satisfaction among distributed stakeholders, estimating the level of required competency and ensuring an efficient knowledge transfer process. Responsiveness, which is required throughout the development cycle, also further influences formal risk management practices undertaken at various levels of the project. Risk management planning and implementation of the response strategies are dependent upon Responsiveness i.e. how well, timely and using technical resources the entities communicate for determining a solution to a problem. The paradigm developed, thus reflects industrial practices undertaken in the software development industry to meet project objectives and would support organisations and their prominent stakeholders to overcome risks and uncertainties in the future Virtual-Agile IT projects

Analysis of expert’s opinion on requirements patterns for software product families framework using GQM method

Software product line engineering (SPLE), provides an opportunity to improve reuse of software artifacts through domain engineering and application engineering processes. During the domain engineering process, reuse activities of the product line are well-planned and subsequently executed in the application engineering process. This paper presents an analysis of interview result with experts in requirements engineering (RE) and software development for validating requirements pattern for software product families (RP-SPF) framework. The interview was conducted using goal questions metrics (GQM) method to define a goal and formulate research questions for conducting the interview. During the interview, 6 experts compared RP-SPF approach (systematic) with ad hoc (conventional) approach of reuse and documentation of requirements in terms of suitability, efficiency, and effectiveness in SPLE. The experts also gave their feedback on the perception of the use of RP-SPF tool. The analysis of the interview result shows that RP-SPF approach is suitable in SPLE and more efficient and effective than ad hoc approach of reuse and documentation of requirements

A Framework for Seamless Variant Management and Incremental Migration to a Software Product-Line

Context: Software systems often need to exist in many variants in order to satisfy varying customer requirements and operate under varying software and hardware environments. These variant-rich systems are most commonly realized using cloning, a convenient approach to create new variants by reusing existing ones. Cloning is readily available, however, the non-systematic reuse leads to difficult maintenance. An alternative strategy is adopting platform-oriented development approaches, such as Software Product-Line Engineering (SPLE). SPLE offers systematic reuse, and provides centralized control, and thus, easier maintenance. However, adopting SPLE is a risky and expensive endeavor, often relying on significant developer intervention. Researchers have attempted to devise strategies to synchronize variants (change propagation) and migrate from clone&own to an SPL, however, they are limited in accuracy and applicability. Additionally, the process models for SPLE in literature, as we will discuss, are obsolete, and only partially reflect how adoption is approached in industry. Despite many agile practices prescribing feature-oriented software development, features are still rarely documented and incorporated during actual development, making SPL-migration risky and error-prone.Objective: The overarching goal of this PhD is to bridge the gap between clone&own and software product-line engineering in a risk-free, smooth, and accurate manner. Consequently, in the first part of the PhD, we focus on the conceptualization, formalization, and implementation of a framework for migrating from a lean architecture to a platform-based one.Method: Our objectives are met by means of (i) understanding the literature relevant to variant-management and product-line migration and determining the research gaps (ii) surveying the dominant process models for SPLE and comparing them against the contemporary industrial practices, (iii) devising a framework for incremental SPL adoption, and (iv) investigating the benefit of using features beyond PL migration; facilitating model comprehension.Results: Four main results emerge from this thesis. First, we present a qualitative analysis of the state-of-the-art frameworks for change propagation and product-line migration. Second, we compare the contemporary industrial practices with the ones prescribed in the process models for SPL adoption, and provide an updated process model that unifies the two to accurately reflect the real practices and guide future practitioners. Third, we devise a framework for incremental migration of variants into a fully integrated platform by exploiting explicitly recorded metadata pertaining to clone and feature-to-asset traceability. Last, we investigate the impact of using different variability mechanisms on the comprehensibility of various model-related tasks.Future work: As ongoing and future work, we aim to integrate our framework with existing IDEs and conduct a developer study to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of using our framework. We also aim to incorporate safe-evolution in our operators

THE IMPACT OF REMOTE WORK ON HR PRACTICES: NAVIGATING CHALLENGES, EMBRACING OPPORTUNITIES

The COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced the rise of remote work, revolutionized organizational operations, and significantly impacted human resources (HR) practices. This paper explores the profound effects of remote work on HR functions, addressing both challenges and opportunities in this new paradigm. The shift to remote work has increased flexibility for the workforce and opened access to a global talent pool. However, it has not been without its challenges for HR professionals. They now face hurdles in engaging employees, managing performance effectively, and promoting team collaboration. Ensuring a unified organizational culture and cultivating a solid connection among remote workers have become pressing concerns. This research emphasizes the significance of HR departments adapting to the realities of remote work. It proposes a need for redefining talent acquisition, training, performance evaluation, and employee engagement strategies. By analyzing real-world case studies and expert insights, this study offers valuable guidance to HR leaders and practitioners in effectively navigating challenges and optimizing remote work arrangements. Embracing remote work provides clear advantages for organizations that enhance resilience and attract top talent. In this regard, HR professionals must proactively adopt technology and acquire new skill sets to optimize remote work environments. As organizations navigate the challenges of remote work, the HR function plays a fundamental role in shaping work's future and nurturing a thriving workforce. This study offers valuable insights, empowering HR practitioners to position their organizations for success amid this evolving landscape.  Article visualizations

Distributed Knowledge Coordination across Virtual Organizational Boundaries

This paper examines boundary-spanning knowledge-coordination in the definition of information systems by the e-Commerce systems group for a global service consultancy. We report on the findings of an eighteen-month field study to investigate distributed and virtual knowledge coordination across organizational boundaries. Our study reveals multiple ways in which knowledge is coordinated by means of a web of functional and domain-expert roles, distributed knowledge-resources, and imposed or negotiated procedures. We identify a “problem- coordination distance” that relates to the organizational-span of coordination and the type of problems to be resolved. We observe that different forms of group memory are used to manage boundary-spanning collaboration according to three degrees of problem-coordination-distance. These findings are related to the potential use of knowledge management systems to support boundary-spanning coordination for enterprise managers in virtual organizations

Establishing a Relationship Model of Project Finance Factors Influencing Economic Development: Case Study of Abu Dhabi Economic Department

Project finance plays a key role in supporting UAE's infrastructure projects, driving economic growth and job creation. This financing approach isolates project funding from a sponsor's corporate debt, simplifying investment tracking and reducing the risk of underinvestment due to excessive debt. Nevertheless, it faces challenges from government regulations, political factors, environmental concerns, and complex procedures. Thus, this paper presents a study to investigate the relationship between project finance factors and economic development indicators. The relationship is translated to a PLS-SEM model development and assessment. To develop the model, the study adopted quantitative research approach where the data for the model was collected through a questionnaire survey using judgmental sampling for convenience. The sample size for the model is from 269 respondents, who are the employees in the Economic Department workforce in Abu Dhabi. The model's development and evaluation were conducted using SmartPLS software. The evaluation encompassed two stages: measurement and structural components, with the model successfully meeting all evaluation criteria. The results of hypothesis testing revealed that the relationships between Project Scope and Identifying Risk constructs with Economic Development construct are statistically significant with the strength 0f 0.520 and 0.227 respectively. Unfortunately, the relationships between Market Entry Strategy and Origination Capabilities with Economic Development are not statistically significant. In terms of model’s goodness of fit, the model demonstrated a substantial overall explanatory power with GoF values of 0.667. While, the model’s predictive relevancy with Q² value is 0.443, indicating how well the model can forecast economic development. In suggesting that the model explains approximately 44.3% of the variability in economic development. The findings of this study hold potential benefits for Economic Department employees dealing with project finance challenge