Improving globally distributed software development and support processes - A workflow view

We propose a new approach and related indicators for globally distributed software support and development based on a 3-year process improvement project in a globally distributed engineering company. The company develops, delivers and supports a complex software system with tailored hardware components and unique end-customer installations. By applying the domain knowledge from operations management on lead time reduction and its multiple benefits to process performance, the workflows of globally distributed software development and multitier support processes were measured and monitored throughout the company. The results show that the global end-to-end process visibility and centrally managed reporting at all levels of the organization catalyzed a change process toward significantly better performance. Due to the new performance indicators based on lead times and their variation with fixed control procedures, the case company was able to report faster bug-fixing cycle times, improved response times and generally better customer satisfaction in its global operations. In all, lead times to implement new features and to respond to customer issues and requests were reduced by 50%

Melhoria do processo de produção de tecidos metálicos na fabricação de pneus

A melhoria de processos é um tema abordado em diversos setores. Este trabalho concentrou-se na melhoria do processo de produção de tecidos metálicos usados como material de reforço na fabricação de pneus radiais. O estudo foi realizado em uma indústria fabricante de pneus, em uma calandra de configuração Z e teve como objetivo aprofundar os conhecimentos a respeito deste processo identificando oportunidades de melhorias para reduzir perdas causadas por problemas qualitativos. Além disso, buscou melhorar a qualidade percebida pelo cliente interno sem afetar a qualidade do produto final, percebida pelo cliente externo. Para tanto, foi realizado um mapeamento do processo produtivo em questão, seguido de um estudo do efeito das temperaturas neste processo. O mapeamento mostrou que muitas etapas possuem influência direta na qualidade dos tecidos, as oportunidades de melhoria foram destacadas durante e após o mapeamento e estão relacionadas principalmente ao controle das temperaturas da calandra e dos moinhos, à automatização do processo, aos procedimentos operacionais e à instalação de dispositivos de controle e alerta. Uma vez que o controle das temperaturas de toda a linha da calandra resultou ser um fator crítico para o processo, realizou-se um estudo do efeito das temperaturas usadas durante a produção, a partir do uso da metodologia de Projeto de Experimentos com a aplicação de um Projeto Fatorial 25-1 sem repetição Quatro variáveis de resposta foram estudadas: quantidade de grumos pré-vulcanizados, aderência tecido-tecido, reversão de enxofre e adesão borracha-metal. Os fatores controláveis usados foram: temperatura dos moinhos alimentadores, temperatura dos cilindros 1 e 4, temperatura dos cilindros 2 e 3, temperatura dos tambores de resfriamento e temperatura do aquecimento das cordas metálicas. Pela otimização das variáveis de resposta, chegou-se aos valores ótimos para o processo, sendo todos eles no seu nível alto, com exceção da temperatura dos cilindros 2 e 3 que apresentou o melhor valor no nível baixo. Os resultados deste trabalho aprofundaram os conhecimentos num processo que, apesar de muito antigo, ainda possui poucos textos publicados a respeito. Adicionalmente, forneceu uma otimização experimental para as afirmações encontradas na literatura sobre a importância do controle de temperaturas no processo de fabricação de tecidos metálicos.The process improvement is a topic widely used in several sectors. In this work this topic deals with improving the production process of metallic fabrics used as reinforcement material for radial tires. The study was carried out in a tire industry in a Z configuration calender and aims to deepen the knowledge about this process by identifying improvement opportunities to reduce losses caused by quality problems in metallic fabrics. It also seeks to improve the quality perceived by internal costumer without affecting the quality of the final product, perceived by the external customer. Thus, a mapping of the production process in question was made, followed by a study of the effect of temperature in this manufacturing process. The mapping shown that many steps have direct influence on fabric quality, the opportunities for improvement were highlighted during and after the mapping and are related mainly to control the temperature of the calender and mills, to process automation, operational procedures and the installation of devices for control and alert. Since the temperature control of whole calender line proved to be a critical factor in the process, a study of the effect of the temperatures used during the production was performed from the use of the design of experiments methodology with the application of a factorial design 25-1, without replication Four response variables were studied: number of pre vulcanized lumps, tack, sulfur reversion and steel-rubber adhesion. The controllable factors chosen were: feeder mills temperature, temperature of rolls 1 and 4 of the calender, temperature of rolls 2 and 3 of the calender, temperature of cooling drums and heating temperature of steel cords. By the optimization of the response variables, it was reached the optimum values for the process, all of which are in its high level except for the temperature of the rolls 2 and 3 which showed the best value in the low level. These results obtained deepened knowledge in a process which, though very old, still has a few articles published. Additionally, it provided quantitative data to the statements found in the literature about the importance of temperature control in the manufacturing process of metallic fabrics

Improving Bespoke Software Quality: Strategies for Application and Enterprise Architects

Despite over 50 years of software engineering as a formal practice, contemporary developers of bespoke software follow development practices that result in low-quality products with high development and maintenance costs. This qualitative case study sought to identify strategies used by software and enterprise architects for applying architectural best practices to improve bespoke software quality and lower the total cost of ownership. The study population was application and enterprise architects associated with delivering bespoke software for the enterprise architecture team at a large enterprise in the Nashville, Tennessee metropolitan area. Interview data were collected from 7 enterprise or solution architects; in addition, 47 organizational documents were gathered. Guided by the principles of total quality management, thematic analysis was used to identify codes and themes related to management of quality in software solutions. Prominent themes included focusing on customer satisfaction, collaborating and communicating with all stakeholders, and defining boundaries and empowering people within those boundaries. The findings from this research have implications for positive social change, including improved work-life balance, morale, and productivity of software and enterprise architects through streamlining development and maintenance activities

Three essays on major trends in a slow clockspeed industry : the case of industrial automation

The motivation for this research initiated from the abrupt rise and fall of minicomputers which were initially used both for industrial automation and business applications due to their significantly lower cost than their predecessors, the mainframes. Later industrial automation developed its own vertically integrated hardware and software to address the application needs of uninterrupted operations, real-time control and resilience to harsh environmental conditions. This has led to the creation of an independent industry, namely industrial automation used in PLC, DCS, SCADA and robot control systems. This industry employs today over 200'000 people in a profitable slow clockspeed context in contrast to the two mainstream computing industries of information technology (IT) focused on business applications and telecommunications focused on communications networks and hand-held devices. Already in 1990s it was foreseen that IT and communication would merge into one Information and communication industry (ICT). The fundamental question of the thesis is: Could industrial automation leverage a common technology platform with the newly formed ICT industry? Computer systems dominated by complex instruction set computers (CISC) were challenged during 1990s with higher performance reduced instruction set computers (RISC). RISC started to evolve parallel to the constant advancement of Moore's law. These developments created the high performance and low energy consumption System-on-Chip architecture (SoC). Unlike to the CISC processors RISC processor architecture is a separate industry from the RISC chip manufacturing industry. It also has several hardware independent software platforms consisting of integrated operating system, development environment, user interface and application market which enables customers to have more choices due to hardware independent real time capable software applications. An architecture disruption merged and the smartphone and tablet market were formed with new rules and new key players in the ICT industry. Today there are more RISC computer systems running Linux (or other Unix variants) than any other computer system. The astonishing rise of SoC based technologies and related software platforms in smartphones created in unit terms the largest installed base ever seen in the history of computers and is now being further extended by tablets. An underlying additional element of this transition is the increasing role of open source technologies both in software and hardware. This has driven the microprocessor based personal computer industry with few dominating closed operating system platforms into a steep decline. A significant factor in this process has been the separation of processor architecture and processor chip production and operating systems and application development platforms merger into integrated software platforms with proprietary application markets. Furthermore the pay-by-click marketing has changed the way applications development is compensated: Three essays on major trends in a slow clockspeed industry: The case of industrial automation 2014 freeware, ad based or licensed - all at a lower price and used by a wider customer base than ever before. Moreover, the concept of software maintenance contract is very remote in the app world. However, as a slow clockspeed industry, industrial automation has remained intact during the disruptions based on SoC and related software platforms in the ICT industries. Industrial automation incumbents continue to supply systems based on vertically integrated systems consisting of proprietary software and proprietary mainly microprocessor based hardware. They enjoy admirable profitability levels on a very narrow customer base due to strong technology-enabled customer lock-in and customers' high risk leverage as their production is dependent on fault-free operation of the industrial automation systems. When will this balance of power be disrupted? The thesis suggests how industrial automation could join the mainstream ICT industry and create an information, communication and automation (ICAT) industry. Lately the Internet of Things (loT) and weightless networks, a new standard leveraging frequency channels earlier occupied by TV broadcasting, have gradually started to change the rigid world of Machine to Machine (M2M) interaction. It is foreseeable that enough momentum will be created that the industrial automation market will in due course face an architecture disruption empowered by these new trends. This thesis examines the current state of industrial automation subject to the competition between the incumbents firstly through a research on cost competitiveness efforts in captive outsourcing of engineering, research and development and secondly researching process re- engineering in the case of complex system global software support. Thirdly we investigate the industry actors', namely customers, incumbents and newcomers, views on the future direction of industrial automation and conclude with our assessments of the possible routes industrial automation could advance taking into account the looming rise of the Internet of Things (loT) and weightless networks. Industrial automation is an industry dominated by a handful of global players each of them focusing on maintaining their own proprietary solutions. The rise of de facto standards like IBM PC, Unix and Linux and SoC leveraged by IBM, Compaq, Dell, HP, ARM, Apple, Google, Samsung and others have created new markets of personal computers, smartphone and tablets and will eventually also impact industrial automation through game changing commoditization and related control point and business model changes. This trend will inevitably continue, but the transition to a commoditized industrial automation will not happen in the near future