Implementation of Software Process Improvement Through TSPi in Very Small Enterprises

This article shows an experience in a very small enterprise related to improving software quality in terms of test and process productivity. A customized process from the current organizational process based on TSPi was defined and the team was trained on it. The pilot project had schedule and budget constraints. The process began by gathering historical data from previous projects in order to get a measurement repository. Then the project was launched and some metrics were collected. Finally, results were analyzed and the improvements verified

Understanding the Experience of Interprofessional Team Members after Participating in Comprehensive Obstetric Hemorrhage Training

Purpose: The obstetric hemorrhage rate has risen steadily in the U.S. accounting for 11.4% of maternal deaths between 2011 and 2013, and remains a leading cause of maternal morbidity. Improving the quality and safety of care could prevent much of the morbidity and potential mortality associated with obstetric hemorrhages. An interprofessional obstetric team developed, tested, and implemented obstetric hemorrhage and massive transfusion protocols. Multi-modal team training occurred before service-wide implementation of the protocols, including didactic, skills stations, on-line educational modules, and in situ simulation team training. Early quantitative results were promising. Methods: To augment understanding of the quantitative results and to understand the experience of interprofessional team members after participating in obstetric hemorrhage training; an exploratory, medically-focused, ethnographic qualitative study was conducted in a five-year old obstetric service within a large, metropolitan, tertiary, free-standing pediatric hospital. Participants were purposively sampled from interprofessional obstetric team members who cared for obstetric hemorrhage patients and participated in hemorrhage training. Data was generated during field observations, and individual and focus group interviews. Results: Twenty (n = 89 participants) semi-structured interviews were conducted. An inductive, descriptive thematic analysis of the data revealed two central themes: Knowing, and Teaming. Knowing was influenced by training and experience with obstetric hemorrhages, and was further influenced by interactions among members of the interprofessional obstetric team within the complex, non-linear environment. Teaming was reported as a compelling benefit of engaging the interprofessional obstetric team in simulation team training. Simulation training helped the team know how to use the protocols, and improved team functioning during obstetric hemorrhages. Conclusions: Similar to Benner’s model, training and experience influenced the knowing that obstetric team members applied during an obstetric hemorrhage event. Simulation team training promoted teaming, which helped the interprofessional obstetric team to effectively and efficiently manage an obstetric hemorrhage

Improving infinIT Usability at EMC Corporation

The purpose of this MQP was to assist the Client Experience Team at EMC Corporation in redesigning the user experience of a globally used internal portal at EMC. The MQP team conducted two benchmarking and two formative studies to assess the portal’s current state and identify improvement opportunities. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods such as eye-tracking, surveys, and interviews, the results of the bench marking studies were used to propose recommendations for improving the portal’s content, layout, and visual appeal. The results of the formative studies confirmed the effectiveness of the recommendations and provided insight for the next step in the process. This MQP served as an integral part of the User Centric Software Development Life Cycle at EMC IT

A Qualitative Analysis of Student Understanding of Team Function Through the use of the Jefferson Teamwork Observation Guide (JTOG)

Background: Several early IOM reports identified the need to educate medical and health professions students in delivering patient-centered care as members of interprofessional teams (IOM, 2001; IOM, 2003). Evidence shows that conducting interprofessional education during education and training prepares student learners for collaborative practice when they enter the workplace, which in turn helps to achieve the Triple Aim of 1) enhancing the patient experience; 2) improving the health of populations; and 3) decreasing costs (WHO, 2010; Berwick, et al., 2008). One way to prepare students for collaborative practice is to have them observe real teams in action. Thus, the Jefferson Teamwork Observation Guide (JTOG) was created to serve as an educational tool in aiding students to better recognize the characteristics of effective teams. It has since been used to assess teams in the majority of clinical observation, simulation and collaborative practice activities offered by Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Education (JCIPE). The JTOG is a two-part assessment comprised of identifiable characteristics of well-functioning teams drawn from the literature about teamwork. The first part consists of Likert Scale questions (strongly disagree to strongly agree) regarding the behavior of the interprofessional team observed in the domains of Values/Ethics in Interprofessional Practice, Roles/Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communication, Teams and Teamwork, and Leadership (IPEC, 2011; IPEC 2016). The second part includes qualitative questions relating to team-based care, patient-centered care, and teamwork