A Model-Driven Approach for Business Process Management

The Business Process Management is a common mechanism recommended by a high number of standards for the management of companies and organizations. In software companies this practice is every day more accepted and companies have to assume it, if they want to be competitive. However, the effective definition of these processes and mainly their maintenance and execution are not always easy tasks. This paper presents an approach based on the Model-Driven paradigm for Business Process Management in software companies. This solution offers a suitable mechanism that was implemented successfully in different companies with a tool case named NDTQ-Framework.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2010-20057-C03-02Junta de Andalucía TIC-578

A Model-Driven Approach for Business Process Management

The Business Process Management is a common mechanism recommended by a high number of standards for the management of companies and organizations. In software companies this practice is every day more accepted and companies have to assume it, if they want to be competitive. However, the effective definition of these processes and mainly their maintenance and execution are not always easy tasks. This paper presents an approach based on the Model-Driven paradigm for Business Process Management in software companies. This solution offers a suitable mechanism that was implemented successfully in different companies with a tool case named NDTQ-Framework.Keywords/Index Terms: Model-Driven Web Engineering, Web Engineering, Web Development Methodologies, Business Process Managemen

An Initial Maturity Model for Information Governance

This report details the maturity model for information governance which will be used to assess the E-ARK Project use cases. The method that guides the application of this maturity model will then be detailed in deliverable 7.5, A Maturity Model consists of a number of entities, including “maturity levels” (often six) which are, from the lowest to the highest, (0) Non Existent, (1) Initial, (2) Basic, (3) Intermediate, (4) Advanced and (5) Optimizing. Each process can have its own Maturity Model, which expresses quantitatively the maturity level of an organization regarding a certain process. A Maturity Model provides also a way for organizations to see clearly what they must accomplish in order to pass to the next maturity level. The use of maturity models is wide spread and accepted, both in industry and academia. There are numerous maturity models, at least one for each of the most trending topics in such areas as Information Technology or Information Systems. Maturity Models are widely used and accepted because of their simplicity and effectiveness. They can easily help understanding the current level of maturity of a certain aspect in a meaningful way, so that stakeholders can clearly identify strengths and weaknesses requiring improvement, and thus prioritise what must be done in order to reach a higher level. This can be used to show the outcomes that will result from that effort, enabling stakeholders to decide if the outcomes justify the effort

A Model for Productivity and Systemic Quality for Systems Development Process

Many authors in the manufacturing industry have affirmed that high quality levels promote high productivity levels . How is it possible to verify this affirmation for the IT sector? How to relate both concepts for the IT sector in a systemic way? The goal of this paper is to establish an initial version of a Characterization Model for the Systemic Quality and Productivity relationship in development systems; based on the Process Effectiveness and/or Efficiency, which is related to the Systemic Quality and Productivity concepts. This model allows the IT sector to access a tool for indicating the expected balance between quality and productivity levels in the development systems process in order to achieve increased market competitiveness. A model was the most important result of this research, which confirmed the initial premise: to offer a quality product with cost reduction it is necessary to increase productivity and strengthen the development process

Contemporary Leadership Project

Company XYZ has many challenging projects and initiatives for 2006 - 2007 as the company strives to meet the goals of operational excellence. Projects completed in 2005 indicate that 30 % of the projects failed. Cummings and Worley\u27s (2005) Eight-Step Action Research Model will be applied to help identify the root causes for the 30 % project failures at the Company and develop an intervention that will reduce project failures. Further, the proposal would demonstrate a thorough literature review for the causes of project failures

An overview of models and standards of processes in the SE, SwE and IS disciplines

This chapter develops a descriptive-conceptual overview of the main models and standards of processes formulated in the systems engineering (SE), software engineering (SwE) and information systems (IS) disciplines. Given the myriad of models and standards reported, the convergence suggested for the SE and SwE models and standards and the increasing complexity of the modern information systems, we argue that these ones become relevant in the information systems discipline. Firstly, we report the ratio- nale for having models and standards of processes in SE, SwE and IS. Secondly, we review their main Overview of Models and Standards of Processes in the SE, SwE, and IS Disciplines characteristics. Thirdly, based on the identified aims and principles, we report and posit the concepts of process, system and service as conceptual building blocks for describing such models and standards. Finally, initial theoretical and practical implications for the information systems discipline of such models and standards are discussed, as well as recommendations for further research are suggested

AIM Triad: A Prioritization Strategy for Public Institutions to Improve Information Security Maturity

In today’s world, private and government organizations are legally obligated to prioritize their information security. They need to provide proof that they are continually improving their cybersecurity compliance. One approach that can help organizations achieve this goal is implementing information security maturity models. These models provide a structured framework for measuring performance and implementing best practices. However, choosing a suitable model can be challenging, requiring cultural, process, and work practice changes. Implementing multiple models can be overwhelming, if possible. This article proposes a prioritization strategy for public institutions that want to improve their information security maturity. We thoroughly analyzed various sources through systematic mapping to identify critical similarities in information security maturity models. Our research led us to create the AIM (Awareness, Infrastructure, and Management) Triad. This triad is a practical guide for organizations to achieve maturity in information security practices.This work received partial support from Proyecto DIUFRO DI21-0079 and Proyecto DIUFRO DI22-0043, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco. Chile

Improving Practices in a Small Software Firm: An Ambidextrous Perspective

Despite documented best practices and specialized tools, software organizations struggle to deliver quality software that is on time, within budget, and meets customer requirements. Managers seeking improved software project outcomes face two dominant software paradigms which differ in their emphasis on upfront planning, customer collaboration, and product documentation: plan-driven and agile. Rather than promoting one approach over the other, this research advocates improving software management practices by developing the organization’s ambidextrous capability. Ambidextrous organizations have the ability to simultaneously succeed at two seemingly contradictory capabilities (e.g. discipline and agility) which leads to enhanced organizational performance. Overall, this study asks the question: How can an ambidextrous perspective facilitate improvement in software practices? Driven by this question, and based on a two year action research study at a small software firm, TelSoft, the objectives of this research are to: 1. Identify dualities involved in improving software practices 2. Design interventions based on these dualities to improve software practices 3. Explore the process of becoming an ambidextrous software organization The resulting dissertation consists of a summary and four papers that each identify and address particular dualities encountered during software process improvement. The first paper asserts that both process-driven and perception-driven inquiry should be used during assessment of software practices, presents a model that shows how this combination can occur, and demonstrates the use of this model at TelSoft. The second paper explicates two theories for understanding and resolving issues in requirements engineering practice – repeat-ability and response-ability – and argues for the need to negotiate between the two. The third paper identifies a tension between managing legacy and current processes and proposes a model for software process reengineering, a systematic process for leveraging legacy processes created during prior SPI efforts. Finally, the fourth paper applies the theoretical lens of ambidexterity to understand the overall change initiative in terms of the tension between alignment and adaptability. The study used a variety of data sources to diagnose software practices, including semi-structured interviews, software process documents, meeting interactions, and workshop discussions. Subsequently, we established, facilitated, and tracked focused improvement teams in the areas of customer relations, requirements management, quality assurance, project portfolio management, and process management. Furthermore, we created and trained two management teams with responsibility for ongoing management of SPI and project portfolio management respectively. We argue that these activities improved software practices at TelSoft and provided a stronger foundation for continuous improvement. Keywords: Ambidexterity, software process improvement (SPI), action research, requirements engineering assessment, action planning, software process reengineering, software management