Specification of a debureaucratization model in teaching: case study

Trabalho apresentado em ELEC 2018 – European Lean Educator Conference, 14-15 novembro 2018, Braga, PortugalNowadays data is crucial for any organization and its success depends on how it is managed. The management´s information process of the education system in general, and of an education institution, in particular, is a complex and bureaucratic process, where occurs information´s fragmentation. In order to counter this reality, people should be encouraged to simplify procedures by adopting a culture of continuous improvement. On the other hand, it is suggested an appropriate infrastructure that enables not only data integration but potentiates its transformation into knowledge. The data simplification and computerization will remove the bureaucracy associated with the management of processes, streamlining and translating them into the creation of value in the education sector. It should be noted, however, the importance of ensuring that the proposed solution is based on the needs and characteristics of each education institution, and the education system, in general. There is also the need for the involvement of all participants, as well as the recognition of their perceptions because these are influential factors in the successful implementation of the change process.N/

Towards an Improved Software Project Monitoring Task Model of Agile Kanban Method

Agile Kanban method recently is gaining increasing attention and popularity in software development organizations (SDOs). This method has numerous advantages that make it performs better than other Agile methods in terms of managing software projects. However, different studies revealed that this method has significant challenges that negatively impact the scheduling of the development process. Therefore, late delivery of software projects may occur, thus the rate of projects failures will be increased. In response, this paper aims to explicate the current challenges in progress monitoring task of Agile Kanban method. Accordingly, the results gave insights to bridge that gap by developing an improved software project monitoring task model of Agile Kanban method. To do so, we identified the components and criteria that affect software project monitoring task, and then an initial model has proposed. The initial model consists of three main components, which are (1) extending progress tracking, (2) generating optimum WIP limits, and (3) visualizing useful insights for workflow. Further research can be focused on developing and evaluating the proposed model through discussion with the knowledge and domain experts

Systematic Literature Review of Lean Tools Applied to Software Development

Currently, the predominance of Agile frameworks in software development means that Lean applications in the IT sector are incipient or very little known. However, several authors argue that the application of Lean in software has more advantages than Agile could have, due to the scalability of the procedures. The objective of this research is to know the state of the art of the application of Lean in software development through a systematic literature review. After reviewing 19 articles, it was found that the most common Lean waste with the greatest impact on software development is waiting. The main barriers that hinder the application of Lean correspond to attitudinal components of people such as low understanding of Lean concepts. The most applied Lean tool is Kanban and the main advantage of applying Lean in software development is the improvement of team performance

Assessing the Impact of Empirical Process Control Metrics in Agile Software Development - A Framework based on Improvement Capability

Empirical process control is an integral part of agile software development. A multitude of development metrics has been proposed to implement it. However, the efficacy of control metrics has remained unclear and empirical evidence of their impact is scarce. Methods for assessing whether and how a proposed metric stimulates the improvement of a development process are not yet available. We conduct a design science approach to develop an artifact that assesses the impact of development metrics and we identify their contribution for process improvement at a global software vendor. We draw on the theoretical construct of improvement capability to outline design principles of a measurement framework. Our evaluation of five large-scale agile development projects demonstrates that our framework facilitates to implement development metrics more effectively. The framework has the potential to improve large-scale agile software development and it serves as a useful basis for future empirical research on development metrics

Building lean thinking in a telecom software development organization: strengths and challenges.

The potential shown by Lean in different domains has aroused interest in the software industry. However, it remains unclear how Lean can be effectively applied in a domain such as software development that is fundamentally different from manufacturing. This study explores how Lean principles are implemented in software development companies and the challenges that arise when applying Lean Software Development. For that, a case study was conducted at Ericsson R&D Finland, which successfully adopted Scrum in 2009 and subsequently started a comprehensible transition to Lean in 2010. Focus groups were conducted with company representatives to help devise a questionnaire supporting the creation of a Lean mindset in the company (Team Amplifier). Afterwards, the questionnaire was used in 16 teams based in Finland, Hungary and China to evaluate the status of the transformation. By using Lean thinking, Ericsson R&D Finland has made important improvements to the quality of its products, customer satisfaction and transparency within the organization. Moreover, build times have been reduced over ten times and the number of commits per day has increased roughly five times.The study makes two main contributions to research. First, the main factors that have enabled Ericsson R&D?s achievements are analysed. Elements such as ?network of product owners?, ?continuous integration?, ?work in progress limits? and ?communities of practice? have been identified as being of fundamental importance. Second, three categories of challenges in using Lean Software Development were identified: ?achieving flow?, ?transparency? and ?creating a learning culture

The Use of Kanban to Alleviate Collaboration and Communication Challenges of Global Software Development

Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to describe how various Kanban elements can help alleviate two prominent types of challenges, communication and collaboration in Global Software Development (GSD). Background: Iterative and Lean development methodologies like Kanban have gained significance in the software development industry, both in the co-located and globally distributed contexts. However, little is known on how such methodologies can help mitigate various challenges in that occur in a globally distributed software development context. Methodology: The study was conducted using a single-case study based on a general inductive approach to analysis and theory development. Through the literature review, collaboration and communication challenges that GSD teams face were identified. Data collected through semi-structured interviews was then inductively analyzed to describe how the case-study teams employed various Kanban elements to mitigate communication and collaboration challenges they face during GSD. Findings: The study found that some Kanban elements, when properly employed, can help alleviate collaboration and communication challenges that occur within GSD teams. These relate to Inclusion Criteria, Reverse Items, Kanban Board, Policies, Avatars, and Backlog. Contribution: The paper contributes to knowledge by proposing two simple concept maps that detail the specific types of communication and collaboration challenges which can be alleviated by the aforementioned Kanban elements in GSD. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper is relevant to GSD teams who are seeking ways to enhance their team collaboration and communication as these are the most important elements that contribute to GSD project success. It is recommended that relevant Kanban elements be used to that effect, depending on the challenges that they aim to alleviate. Future Research: Future research can investigate the same research questions (or similar ones) using a quantitative approach

An Integrated Lean Supply Chain Framework for U.S. Hospitals

We apply a lean supply chain framework to the healthcare industry in the U.S., drawing support from lean systems philosophy. We conceptualize a view of the U.S. healthcare ecosystem that places a hospital and its admitted patients at the center and describes how all entities inside and outside the hospital work can implement lean principles to improve patients\u27 quality care. This application depicts how a holistic consideration of hospital resources available in both the internal and external supply chain would increase the optimal use of such resources and ultimately serve patients. We offer propositions suggesting that an integrated supply chain perspective would be helpful for delivering high quality of care to patients admitted to the hospital. This perspective suggests that hospitals need to streamline the three types of flows– physical product, information and financial–with elements in the internal supply chain and maintain collaborative relations with entities in their external supply chain. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our research