Building Information Management (BIM) implementation in naval construction

Traditional two-dimensional (2D) delivery systems in the construction industry can hinder the way information is communicated between owners, architects, and contractors. This hindrance exists in all phases of a project, from design and construction to the operation and maintenance of the completed facility. Building Information Management (BIM) is an emerging information technology that promotes a collaborative process for the Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Facilities Management (AECFM) industry; it can aid the exchange of information and provide improved project data accessibility to all stakeholders of a construction project. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), in conjunction with the facility management (FM) chiefs of the other Department of Defense (DoD) agencies, is committed to adopting the standards and technologies used in the private sector that promote efficient and effective business and construction management practices. The AECFM industry shift to BIM is resonating to the public sector and implementation plans to accommodate the shift are being developed by many public agencies at all levels of government. NAVFAC recognizes the need to develop and adopt BIM technologies in order to keep pace with private sector advances and has drafted a BIM Road Map document (NAVFAC, 2009) to provide BIM implementation guidance to the NAVFAC organizations responsible for providing and maintaining facilities and infrastructure to Supported Commanders. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the NAVFAC BIM Road Map, analyze BIM tools and processes currently used in the construction industry, and provide recommendations for best practices and improvements to the NAVFAC BIM Road Map. The methodologies used in this research includes three phases: Phase 1- evaluate the current NAVFAC BIM Road Map, Phase 2: Case Study and Phase 3: Develop recommendations to improve BIM Road Map. The outcome of this research effort will be a set of recommendations that ensure that all parties are clearly aware of the opportunities and responsibilities associated with incorporation of BIM into the organizational workflow for naval construction projects

State of Play of Digital Games for Empowerment and Inclusion: A Review of the Literature and Empirical Cases

This report presents the 'state of play' of knowledge of how digital games can work as empowerment tools to support social inclusion processes and policy. The report brings together for the first time a review of theoretical and empirical research in a variety of disciplines, especially from learning, social inclusion, e-inclusion and innovation studies to build a framework to help understanding of the potential of games for inclusion and empowerment. It uses this framework to analyse seven well-documented case studies from across the spectrum of digital games for empowerment and inclusion to understand between the factors contributing to their success or failure. It draws conclusions as to the principal challenges, identifies knowledge gaps, and recommends potential action by stakeholders to address these challenges.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Digital transformation and business model innovation : a multiple case study of retail chains in Germany

This thesis examines how the digital revolution has affected German grocery stores in particular and the country's retail sector as a whole. This study illuminates the connection between digital transformation and business model innovation in the retail industry using various qualitative research techniques, including expert interviews with Company A and Company B and a thorough literature analysis. The findings draw attention to the enabling elements, which include strong leadership commitment, successful change management, engagement with external partners, availability of resources and competencies, and a customer-centric emphasis. Legacy systems, talent shortages, poor IT infrastructure, and cultural barriers are a few of the reported difficulties. By evaluating these elements, the study offers valuable perceptions and suggestions for retail businesses seeking to negotiate the challenges and take advantage of the advantages of digital transformation and business model innovation. The study adds to the body of knowledge by providing actual data and case studies that deepen the comprehension of how business model innovation in the retail sector interacts with digital transformation. This thesis offers concrete solutions to improve operations and preserve competitiveness in the constantly changing consumer products industry. It is an invaluable resource for retail organizations looking to stimulate business model innovation and drive digital transformation.Esta tese analisa a forma como a revolução digital afectou as mercearias alemãs, em particular, e o sector retalhista do país como um todo. Este estudo ilustra a ligação entre a transformação digital e a inovação do modelo empresarial no sector do retalho, utilizando várias técnicas de investigação qualitativa, incluindo entrevistas a especialistas da Empresa A e da Empresa B e uma análise exaustiva da literatura. As conclusões chamam a atenção para os elementos facilitadores, que incluem um forte empenhamento da liderança, uma gestão da mudança bem sucedida, o envolvimento com parceiros externos, a disponibilidade de recursos e competências e uma ênfase centrada no cliente. Os sistemas herdados, a escassez de talentos, as deficientes infra-estruturas de TI e as barreiras culturais são algumas das dificuldades comunicadas. Ao avaliar estes elementos, o estudo oferece percepções e sugestões valiosas para as empresas de retalho que procuram enfrentar os desafios e tirar partido das vantagens da transformação digital e da inovação do modelo empresarial. O estudo contribui para o corpo de conhecimento ao fornecer dados reais e estudos de caso que aprofundam a compreensão de como a inovação do modelo de negócio no sector do retalho interage com a transformação digital. Esta tese oferece soluções concretas para melhorar as operações e preservar a competitividade na indústria de produtos de consumo em constante mudança. É um recurso inestimável para as organizações de retalho que procuram estimular a inovação do modelo empresarial e impulsionar a transformação digital

Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation in One Government Agency

Ineffective enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation strategies can have a negative impact on business competitive advantage. Business leaders who struggle to maintain global operations and audit readiness are at high risk of failure. Grounded in the general systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies business leaders used to promote an awareness of the effects of performance on competitive advantage. The participants comprised of 22 business leaders on a military base in the state of Washington who effectively used ERP systems to increase global operations, audit readiness, and maximize competitive advantage. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, observer-as-participant observations, and company documents. Yin’s five step process was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged: crucial ERP project planning, ERP system implementation strategies, senior business leader support, and ineffective strategies affecting ERP system performance. Based on the findings of this study, a key recommendation is business leaders should tailor their ERP system implementation strategies to include a cost-benefit analysis for hiring professional ERP systems trainers. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide business leaders with an in-depth understanding of ERP system implementation strategies to effectively tailor their specific implementation strategies and support the economic stability of their employees

A discovery and analysis of influencing factors of pair programming

The exploration into the underlying psychosocial links of pair programming. a new and unorthodox programming paradigm in which two programmers share one keyboard and monitor during real-time programming sessions, is undertaken. These complex psychosocial relationships, along with cognitive process exchanges, ultimately mold the programming output as well as determine the level of communication, satisfaction. confidence and compatibility. Laying the framework for this research, a through review of traditional and contemporary paradigms with a special focus on their limitations and a list of current software development problems are presented. Next, a detailed summary of pair programming and related agile software paradigms, such as extreme programming, which lists pair programming as one of its twelve principles, is given. From earlier pair programming studies, a number of programming benefits have been unveiled and these are listed and discussed. However, a lack of formal studies pertaining to the psychosocial aspects of pair programming exists. Given this void, a field survey is administered to a group of professional programmers and a resulting list of influencing factors on pair programming emerges. From the list, the most popular factor, personality, and two other factors, communication and gender, have been selected in order to study their impact on pair programming product outcome and the level of communication, satisfaction, confidence and compatibility. An experiment focusing on these factors is designed and implemented. From the experimental findings, the personality of the two partners in pair programming is found to have a significant impact on the pair programming output. Also, it is discovered that same gender pairs exhibited an unusually high level of communication, satisfaction and compatibility between each other, especially among female-female pairs. A detailed statistical experiment result based on research hypotheses is reported

Condition-Based Maintenance Implementation and Potential in USMC Ground Transport

NPS NRP Technical ReportCondition-Based Maintenance (CBM) has been successfully implemented in private-sector operations to reduce maintenance costs and asset downtime. USMC is currently transitioning to a CBM+ approach to maintenance, addressing its unique organizational and operating environment. This project identifies private-sector best practices and lessons learned most applicable to USMC as well as important hurdles for USMC adoption. It identifies maintenance and readiness metrics changes that may be relevant in future USMC and joint sustainment operations, taking into account both CBM and maintenance in an expeditionary environment.HQMC Installations and Logistics (I&L)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Information Sharing Solutions for Nato Headquarters

NATO is an Alliance of 26 nations that operates on a consensus basis, not a majority basis. Thorough and timely information exchange between nations is fundamental to the Business Process. Current technology and practices at NATO HQ are inadequate to meet modern-day requirements despite the availability of demonstrated and accredited Cross-Domain technology solutions. This lack of integration between networks is getting more complicated with time, as nations continue to invest in IT and ignore the requirements for inter-networked gateways. This contributes to inefficiencies, fostering an atmosphere where shortcuts are taken in order to get the job done. The author recommends that NATO HQ should improve its presence on the Internet, building on the desired tenets of availability and security

Policy and policy formulation considerations for incorporation of secure mobile devices in USMC ground combat units

Modern information technology evolves at a rapid pace, and the U.S.Marine Corps ground combat units require cutting-edge capabilities in order to maintain a competitive advantage. The advent and military application of smartphones and smartphone applications provide a plethora of advantages that these forces seek to leverage, yet the very rapidity of their development presents a host of network security problems. This thesis examines the conceptual risk framework for incorporating smartphones into ground combat units, and uses a cutting-edge smartphone capability, the Field Information Support Tool, as a case study. Furthermore, the comparatively slow policy-making process of the DOD ensures that policy requirements will lag behind the emerging technologies and the novel threats these technologies introduce. This thesis conducts a policy review of existing DOD policies that apply to smartphones and network security, as well as examines and models the policy formulation process in an effort to reform it in a way more conducive to the incorporation of fast-growing capabilities.http://archive.org/details/policyndpolicyfo1094543908Outstanding ThesisCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Managing application software suppliers in information system development projects

Information system development (ISD) projects have been associated with the "software crisis" for over three decades. A set of common "root causes" has often been cited in literature with corresponding "solutions". Yet the overall project success rate has remained low, resulting in a paradox of many solutions and little progress over the years. This study examines the management of application software acquisition from external suppliers in ISD projects. Three case studies are documented based on participant observation with complete membership roles. After within-case analyses highlighting issues in individual cases, crosscase analyses are conducted, first to identify a pattern of ISD project challenges and then to search for their explanations. Concepts from agency theory, contract theory and product development literature are used in the process of diagnosing root causes behind the observations. The proposed explanation is that the Traditional Systems Development Framework (TSDF), characterized by competitive-bidding-monopolized-development, underlies the identified root causes. Accordingly, competitive development is suggested as an alternative approach. Following the "Inference to the Best Explanation" (IBE) analytical strategy, the suggested approach is subject to two contrastive analyses, first with the prepackaged software development and then with the construction industry, to demonstrate that the suggestion is a "warranted inference". Further analogical analyses illustrate the feasibility of development competition for software product development. A Performance-Based Systems Development Framework (PBSDF) is outlined as a tentative implementation of the suggested competitive development approach for ISD projects supported by risk-sharing supplier contract and a relative product evaluation approach. A number of future research implications are described as a result of this study after summarizing the research contributions