An exploratory case study on reusing architecture decisions in software-intensive system projects

Reusing architecture decisions from previous projects promises to support architects when taking decisions. However, little is known about the state of art of decision-reuse and the benefits and challenges associated with reusing decisions. Therefore, we study how software architects reuse architecture decisions, the stakeholders and their concerns related to decision-reuse, and how architects perceive the ideal future state of decision-reuse. We conducted a qualitative explorative case study in the software-intensive systems industry. The study has shown that architects frequently reuse decisions but are confined to decisions they already know or have heard about. The results also suggest that architects reuse decisions in an ad-hoc manner. Moreover this study presents a conceptual model of decision-reuse and lists stakeholder concerns with regards to decision-reuse. The results of this study indicate that improving the documentation and discoverability of decisions holds a large potential to increase reuse of decisions and that decision documentation is not only important for system understanding or in the context of architecture reviews but also to support architects in upcoming projects

A Contemporary Examination of the Miles and Snow Strategic Typology Through the Lenses of Dynamic Capabilities and Ambidexterity

This study’s focuses on the examination of the Miles and Snow typology through the lenses of dynamic capabilities with a particular emphasis on ambidexterity. While each element of the typology has received varying degrees of study in both the management and marketing literature, to date, no study has examined the typology, as first proposed by Miles and Snow under the influence of either dynamic capabilities or ambidexterity. This study proposes to examine the alignment of the three elements of the typology with each other and the four strategic archetypes identified by Miles and Snow. It was Hambrick’s observation in his 2003 commentary “On the staying power of defenders, analyzers and prospectors” that served as the impetus of this study. From both a managerial and research perspective, the proposed study furthers the understanding of the strategic archetypes and important drivers of a sustained competitive advantage. The study of 503 diverse firms specifically finds that how an organization addresses it’s entrepreneurial, engineering, and administrative domains influences and helps to explain its resulting strategic archetype. Additionally, the study supports the position that consistency matters. Organizations that are consistent in their approach to the various domains outperform those whose approach is less consistent. Contributing to the on-going discussion around strategy and structure, the results support the contention that defining the business focus, or the entrepreneurial domain, is the primary determinant of the organization’s strategic archetype. It further shows that the decisions regarding how, the engineering domain, impacts the business focus decision tempers the ultimate strategic archetype. In general, the analysis demonstrates the enduring value of the Miles and Snow typology, and how the lenses of dynamic capabilities and ambidexterity further the explanatory power of the typology

Smart Industry - Better Management

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online. Smart industry requires better management. As industrial and production systems are future-proofed, becoming smart and interconnected through use of new manufacturing and product technologies, work is advancing on improving product needs, volume, timing, resource efficiency, and cost, optimally using supply chains. Presenting innovative, evidence-based, and cutting-edge case studies, with new conceptualizations and viewpoints on management, Smart Industry, Better Management explores concepts in product systems, use of cyber physical systems, digitization, interconnectivity, and new manufacturing and product technologies. Contributions to this volume highlight the high degree of flexibility in people management, production, including product needs, volume, timing, resource efficiency and cost in being able to finely adjust to customer needs and make full use of supply chains for value creation. Smart Industry, Better Management illustrates how industry can enabled by a more network-centric approach, making use of the value of information and the latest available proven manufacturing techniques

The Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (DGO2022) Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens June 15-17, 2022

The 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research theme is “Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens”. Data and computational algorithms make systems smarter, but should result in smarter government and citizens. Intelligence and smartness affect all kinds of public values - such as fairness, inclusion, equity, transparency, privacy, security, trust, etc., and is not well-understood. These technologies provide immense opportunities and should be used in the light of public values. Society and technology co-evolve and we are looking for new ways to balance between them. Specifically, the conference aims to advance research and practice in this field. The keynotes, presentations, posters and workshops show that the conference theme is very well-chosen and more actual than ever. The challenges posed by new technology have underscored the need to grasp the potential. Digital government brings into focus the realization of public values to improve our society at all levels of government. The conference again shows the importance of the digital government society, which brings together scholars in this field. Dg.o 2022 is fully online and enables to connect to scholars and practitioners around the globe and facilitate global conversations and exchanges via the use of digital technologies. This conference is primarily a live conference for full engagement, keynotes, presentations of research papers, workshops, panels and posters and provides engaging exchange throughout the entire duration of the conference

Shared Understanding Within Large Information Systems Projects

This research responds to calls for practice-based research in the field of project management. Undertaken during the development of a sizable public information systems project, it examines the extent to which the professionals engaged in the project shared a common understanding of important matters such as its goals, structure and clients. The literature review examines the history of project management and its methodologies, the reasons that information systems projects fail, the concept of uncertainty and shared understanding, and risk associated with the development of large scale information systems. The fieldwork was conducted in 2010. The research adopts an interpretive position and the methodology centred on two series of structured interviews held some eight months apart. Analysis of responses found a low level of shared understanding about all matters investigated amongst the professionals developing the IS. The overall conclusion of the research is that no evidence was found that the participants in a programme or project have a common, shared understanding of current endeavours and the future envisaged end state. Therefore any project activity that depends on a single shared understanding such as the definition of deliverables and management of the business case, may be ill-founded. Further research into the topic of shared understanding in the context of IS programmes and projects is recommended