A survey of the use of crowdsourcing in software engineering

The term 'crowdsourcing' was initially introduced in 2006 to describe an emerging distributed problem-solving model by online workers. Since then it has been widely studied and practiced to support software engineering. In this paper we provide a comprehensive survey of the use of crowdsourcing in software engineering, seeking to cover all literature on this topic. We first review the definitions of crowdsourcing and derive our definition of Crowdsourcing Software Engineering together with its taxonomy. Then we summarise industrial crowdsourcing practice in software engineering and corresponding case studies. We further analyse the software engineering domains, tasks and applications for crowdsourcing and the platforms and stakeholders involved in realising Crowdsourced Software Engineering solutions. We conclude by exposing trends, open issues and opportunities for future research on Crowdsourced Software Engineering

Collaborating with the Crowd for Software Requirements Engineering: A Literature Review

Requirements engineering (RE) represents a decisive success factor in software development. The novel approach of crowd-based RE seeks to overcome shortcomings of traditional RE practices such as the resource intensiveness and selection bias of stakeholder workshops or interviews. Two streams of research on crowd-based RE can be observed in literature: data-driven approaches that extract requirements from user feedback or analytics data and collaborative approaches in which requirements are collectively developed by a crowd of software users. As yet, research surveying the state of crowd-based RE does not put particular emphasis on collaborative approaches, despite collaborative crowdsourcing being particularly suited for joint ideation and complex problem-solving tasks. Addressing this gap, we conduct a structured literature review to identify the RE activities supported by collaborative crowd-based approaches. Our research provides a systematic overview of the domain of collaborative crowd-based RE and guides researchers and practitioners in increasing user involvement in RE

Knowledge Management as a Strategy & Competitive Advantage: A Strong Influence to Success (A Survey of Knowledge Management Case Studies of Different Organizations)

There has been a great deal of recognition in the business world that information and knowledge management can be vital tools in organizations. Knowledge management can be proven a competitive advantage of any organization. The rationale of this exploratory study is to investigate the link among knowledge management system & techniques and organizational success by using knowledge as completive advantage. It is a qualitative research study of different case studies of the use of knowledge management as competitive advantage in different organization that leads to success. A total of 8 different organizations are studied and results propose that by using knowledge management as strategy and competitive advantage, these organizations earn high profit. And it has a great influence to success. Implication and Directions are also discussed together with limitation and suggestions for future research. Keywords: Knowledge Management, Organization, Tacit Knowledge, Explicit Knowledge, KMS, KM Strategies, KM Technologies, Productivity, Competitive Advantage

Harnessing the Power of Digital Platforms to Accelerate Adoption Rates of Emerging Technologies and Innovations

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumThe recent Overmatch championed Artificial Intelligence and Networks (AINet) Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) demonstrated an alternative all-digital ANTX format enabled by integrated Rapid Innovation Labs (iRILs). This resulted in shortened ANTX planning and execution timelines, increased focus on technologies of interest, earlier integration into naval architectures, sharing of relevant operational data with participants, and meaningful feedback to developers throughout integration phases, informing research and development (R&D) and program acquisitions. An iRIL is a digital environment and an acquisition tool used to address priority Fleet needs, evaluate technologies and prototypes, and inform and influence external partner R&D investments. An all-digital iRIL can facilitate faster, smaller cycles of iterative experimentation of component technologies of interest within representative Fleet architectures and simulated operational environments. Future applications of iRILs could fundamentally change the way we acquire systems. The use of open competitive events such as an ANTX Prize Challenge could yield component level, containerized technologies of interest that are matured throughout the event process and can be assessed as well-behaved. Such well-behaved software containers or component technologies may enter the Overmatch Software Armory (OSA) or Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) pipelines, achieving rapid authorities to operate (ATO), cycling to a ship within days.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

IS NAVAL INFORMATION WARFARE CENTER (NIWC) PACIFIC BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE?

This paper will draw upon program management principles such as requirements collection/management and successful KM to assess whether NIWC PAC’s approach will meet the evolving organizational needs of a highly specialized environment. The analysis will also attempt to answer the question of whether NIWC PAC is trending in a positive direction to establish a comprehensive and scalable KM framework to allow for streamlined processes, data collection, and rigor to ensure the sharing of relevant content. NIWC PAC is a diverse organization with an array of partners and customers. The organization itself is compartmentalized into departments, each specializing in its own area of practice with methods of conducting business unique to their customer base in support of the Navy’s C4ISR mission. The challenge at NIWC PAC is to capture, maintain, and share organizational knowledge and information, some of which include the lack of a refined search functionality, inadvertently creating stove-piped environments, not identifying a centralized repository for business-related products, establishing disparate platforms to share duplicative information, and a lack of rigor to ensure information is accessible to the appropriate audience. Adding to the issues was the workforce’s reluctance to change after previous efforts repeatedly introduced various Content Management Systems (CMS) that forced users to relearn how to use new platforms, which left them fatigued, confused, and skeptical.Civilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Waking Up a Sleeping Giant: Lessons from Two Extended Pilots to Transform Public Organizations by Internal Crowdsourcing

Digital transformation is a main driver for change, evolution, and disruption in organizations. As digital transformation is not solely determined by technological advancements, public environments necessitate changes in organizational practice and culture alike. A mechanism that seeks to realize employee engagement to adopt innovative modes of problem-solving is internal crowdsourcing, which flips the mode of operation from top-down to bottom-up. This concept is thus disrupting public organizations, as it heavily builds on IT-enabled engagement platforms that overcome the barriers of functional expertise and routine processes. Within this paper, we reflect on two design science projects that were piloted for six months within public organizations. We derive insights on the sociotechnical effects of internal crowdsourcing on organizational culture, social control, individual resources, motivation, and empowerment. Furthermore, using social cognitive theory, we propose design propositions for internal crowdsourcing, that guide future research and practice-oriented approaches to enable innovation in public organizations

A Blueprint for Knowledge Management in the Biopharmaceutical Sector

This research examined current industry Knowledge Management (KM) methodologies and capabilities in order to gain insights into the level of maturity and understanding of KM within the biopharmaceutical sector. In addition, the researcher has developed models, tools and processes that can assist the sector to gain greater clarity of the value and merits that KM can offer to organizations. The researcher proposes that a systematic KM program can be used to “unlock” the knowledge and organizational capabilities necessary to convey real competitive advantage, but more importantly for the patient, to enable organizations to successfully develop and deliver the next generation of advanced therapeutics. The research questions asked; What are the current levels of adoption of KM within the biopharmaceutical sector? How is ‘critical knowledge’ defined within organizations? What might represent the core elements of a Pharma KM Blueprint to better enable knowledge flow within organizations? The research approach adopted a pragmatic worldview which is most suited to a research topic that is both real world practice orientated and problemcentered and sought to examine the consequences of actions within the biopharmaceutical sector when knowledge is not managed effectively. There were three primary phases of inquiry employed in the thesis and a mixed methods approach was used to explore the problems addressed. The first phase involved quantitative and qualitative data analysis of relevant literature sources, including available international KM benchmarking data. The second phase involved a biopharmaceutical industry consultation phase comprising of focus groups, polls and philosophical dialogues with KM experts, sector KM practitioners and knowledge workers. The third and final phase of inquiry involved the adaptation and development of the Pharma KM Blueprint including practical KM tools, frameworks and models for use within the biopharmaceutical sector. This phase also included a detailed case study executed within one large biopharmaceutical organization of a KM diagnostic tool and process developed as part of this research. The research findings have established a core principle that knowledge must be valued and managed as a critical asset within an organization, in the same manner as physical assets. In addition, the research identified that in order to realize the ambitions of ICH Q10, stated as, ‘enhance the quality and availability of medicines around the world in the interest of public health’, (ICH Q10, 2008), there is a crucial need to enhance the effective and efficient flow of knowledge across the product lifecycle within organizations. The research finds that in order to extract value from this organizational knowledge there must be practical, integrated and systematic KM approaches implemented for the identification, capture, curation and visibility of the critical knowledge assets before the matter of enhancing the flow of knowledge can be addressed. The research indicates that while these concepts are important to any business within the traditional biopharmaceutical sector planning on remaining competitive, they represent a “game changer” (or “game over”) opportunity for any organization planning to develop, manufacture or market advanced therapeutic products, personalized medicines or next generation products. A key output of the research is the Pharma KM Blueprint that illustrates the holistic integration of core KM principles, models and tools to deliver the real benefits to the patients and the business