127,142 research outputs found
Looking for Reasons behind Success in Dealing with Requirements Change
During development, requirements of software systems are subject to change. Unfortunately, managing changing requirements can take a lot of time and effort. Yet some companies show a better management of changes in requirements than others. Why? What is it that makes some projects deal with changing requirements better than others? We pursue the long term goal of understanding the mechanisms used to successfully deal with change in requirements. In this paper we gather knowledge about the state-of-the-art and the state-of-practice. We studied eight software development projects in four different companies --large and small, inclined toward structured and toward agile principles of development--, interviewing their project managers and analyzing their answers. Our findings include a list of practical (rather than theoretical) factors affecting the ability to cope with small changes in requirements. Results suggest a central role of size as a factor determining the flexibility showed either by the organization or by the software development team. We report the research method used and validate our results via expert interviews, who could relate to our findings
Electronic information sharing in local government authorities: Factors influencing the decision-making process
This is the post-print version of the final paper published in International Journal of Information Management. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are mainly characterised as information-intensive organisations. To satisfy their information requirements, effective information sharing within and among LGAs is necessary. Nevertheless, the dilemma of Inter-Organisational Information Sharing (IOIS) has been regarded as an inevitable issue for the public sector. Despite a decade of active research and practice, the field lacks a comprehensive framework to examine the factors influencing Electronic Information Sharing (EIS) among LGAs. The research presented in this paper contributes towards resolving this problem by developing a conceptual framework of factors influencing EIS in Government-to-Government (G2G) collaboration. By presenting this model, we attempt to clarify that EIS in LGAs is affected by a combination of environmental, organisational, business process, and technological factors and that it should not be scrutinised merely from a technical perspective. To validate the conceptual rationale, multiple case study based research strategy was selected. From an analysis of the empirical data from two case organisations, this paper exemplifies the importance (i.e. prioritisation) of these factors in influencing EIS by utilising the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The intent herein is to offer LGA decision-makers with a systematic decision-making process in realising the importance (i.e. from most important to least important) of EIS influential factors. This systematic process will also assist LGA decision-makers in better interpreting EIS and its underlying problems. The research reported herein should be of interest to both academics and practitioners who are involved in IOIS, in general, and collaborative e-Government, in particular
Determination of flow resistance coefficient for vegetation in open channel: laboratory study
This study focused on determination of flow resistances coefficient for grass in an open channel. Laboratory works were conducted to examine the effects of varying of roughness elements on the flume to determine flow resistance coefficient and also to determine the optimum flow resistance with five different flow rate, Q. Laboratory study with two type of vegetation which are Cow Grass and Pearl Grass were implementing to the bed of a flume. The roughness coefficient, n value is determine using Manning’s equation while Soil Conservation Services (SCS) method was used to determine the surface resistance. From the experiment, the flow resistance coefficient for Cow Grass in range 0.0008 - 0.0039 while Pearl Grass value for the flow resistance coefficient are in between 0.0013 - 0.0054. As a conclusion the vegetation roughness value in open channel are depends on density, distribution type of vegetation used and physical characteristic of the vegetation itsel
Solar Energy Cost Efficiency: A Simulated Case Study in the Egyptian Context
In Egypt, electric energy coming from fossil fuels represents around 85% of total electricity requirements. However, the supply of energy in the Arab world is expected to run dry in the coming 30-50 years. With the increase in energy needs, rise in fossil fuel prices, and the swelling of green house gas emissions, the use of renewable and more environment-friendly energy sources to supply power is gaining increased attention. Being a country on the Sunbelt, Egypt has great potential in utilizing solar energy to generate energy products and electricity. However, solar energy is still abandoned in Egypt due to its high costs. This paper first aims to examine the relative significance of several accounting and economic related variables to reduce solar energy costs. To be more specific, the paper seeks to examine the effect of using accounting and finance-based factors, related to depreciation schemes and financing options, to decrease solar energy costs. These factors are considered as a substitute for direct subsidies which are difficult to implement because of the narrow financial scope of the Egyptian government. The results of the study provide a number of policy implications that can be applied to make solar energy closer to cost-competitiveness and contribute to solve the energy problem in Egypt.Solar Energy, Cost Efficiency, Government Incentives
Discovering Strategies to Improve Business Value in Outsourcing Projects
This paper deals with the problem of leveraging client business value in a software development outsourcing relationship. We have observed software development projects from two different Dutch IT outsourcing companies and studied the approach they apply in their (successful) projects. The results show that they create a role dedicated to facilitate communication. This arrangement has the potential to put team members in a better position to communicate, facilitating the transfer of information supporting the rationale behind design decisions. Teams are thus better equipped to anticipate change and to react faster in solving everyday problems. This paper describes our observations and the practical implications we expect, such as the improvement of re-buy intention on the client's side
Increasing the value of research: a comparison of the literature on critical success factors for projects, IT projects and enterprise resource planning projects
Since the beginning of modern project management in the 1960s, academic researchers have sought to identify a definitive list of Critical Success Factors (CSFs), the key things that project managers must get right in order to deliver a successful product. With the advent of Information Technology (IT) projects and, more recently, projects to deliver Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, attention has turned to identifying definitive lists of CSFs for these more specific project types. The purpose of this paper is to take stock of this research effort by examining how thinking about each type of project has evolved over time, before producing a consolidated list of CSFs for each as a basis for comparison. This process reveals a high degree of similarity, leading to the conclusion that the goal of identifying a generic list of CSFs for project management has been achieved. Therefore, rather than continuing to describe lists of CSFs, researchers could increase the value of their contribution by taking a step forward and focusing on why, despite this apparent knowledge of how to ensure their success, ERP projects continue to fai
The development of a portable optical system for telemonitoring of skin blood oxygen level
Oxygen is one of the keys parameters required for tissues metabolism to ensure life sustainability. Without it, human’s health would suffer and eventually result in fatal. Cells consume oxygen to break down sugar to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during cellular respiration [1]. ATPs are the main source of energy for metabolic functions [2] and every cell in the body, especially muscles cell, for its ability to store and use energy; muscle would not contract or relax without ATP. Cell is not able to function well under the condition of low oxygen level, thus it would lead to hypoxemia. If left untreated, severe hypoxemia can be fatal [3]
A model of case implementation and an experience of unsuccessful case adoption
Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) is a revolutionary technology that seeks to automate the software development process. Current literature reports on many successes of CASE adoption Despite of such successes, many organisations are experiencing difficulties in implementing CASE technology . Even many powerful CASE tools have become 'shelfware'. It is argued that the benefits of CASE are unlikely to be realised, unless it is introduced based on a sound implementation plan This article presents a conceptual model to introduce CASE technology within a MIS department Such a plan faciliiaus change in software culture and management practice and enables management to deal with confusion and skepticism prior to its occurrence. Furthermore, a case study is described that focuses on a CASE implementation that failed to achieve its purpose The reasons for the failure are critically examined and explained in the light of the model
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