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Monitoring-Based Commissioning: Tracking the Evolution and Adoption of a Paradigm-Shifting Approach to Retro-Commissioning
Proceedings of the 2012 ACEEE Summer Study (Panel 4, Paper 1130). Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) emphasizes permanent energy performance metering and trending—for diagnosis of energy waste, for savings accounting, and to enable persistence of savings. Emphasis on monitoring represents a paradigm shift for the retro-commissioning (RCx) industry, which has traditionally relied upon test protocols and modeled savings estimates. Since 2004, a major monitoring-based commissioning program at twenty-five California university campuses has evolved to meet the changing needs of university and utility partners. More recently the monitoring-based approach has been adopted by third-party programs in California. We present information on the progression of program design and results for the multiple phases of the original program, along with a look at third-party and other programs adopting similar program features
Technical Debt Prioritization: State of the Art. A Systematic Literature Review
Background. Software companies need to manage and refactor Technical Debt
issues. Therefore, it is necessary to understand if and when refactoring
Technical Debt should be prioritized with respect to developing features or
fixing bugs. Objective. The goal of this study is to investigate the existing
body of knowledge in software engineering to understand what Technical Debt
prioritization approaches have been proposed in research and industry. Method.
We conducted a Systematic Literature Review among 384 unique papers published
until 2018, following a consolidated methodology applied in Software
Engineering. We included 38 primary studies. Results. Different approaches have
been proposed for Technical Debt prioritization, all having different goals and
optimizing on different criteria. The proposed measures capture only a small
part of the plethora of factors used to prioritize Technical Debt qualitatively
in practice. We report an impact map of such factors. However, there is a lack
of empirical and validated set of tools. Conclusion. We observed that technical
Debt prioritization research is preliminary and there is no consensus on what
are the important factors and how to measure them. Consequently, we cannot
consider current research conclusive and in this paper, we outline different
directions for necessary future investigations
Project portfolio evaluation and selection using mathematical programming and optimization methods
Project portfolio selection is an essential process for portfolio management and plays an important role in accomplishing organizational goals. This research explores the feasibility of developing a project portfolio selection tool by using mathematical programming and optimization models, specifically 0-1 integer programming (one objective portfolio) and goal programming (multiple objectives portfolio). These methods select the set of projects which deliver the maximum benefit (e.g., net present value, profit, etc.) represented for objective functions subjected to a series of constraints (e.g., technical requirements and/or resources availability) considering the scheduling of selected projects in a planning horizon, interdependence relationship among projects (e.g., complementary projects and mutually exclusive projects) and especial cases like mandatory and ongoing projects. ^ Based on the proposed model, a Decision Support System (DSS) will be developed and tested for accuracy, flexibility and ease of use. This computational tool will be designed for decision makers and users that are not familiar with mathematical programming models
CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform - Plan of Work and Budget 2020
At the end of 2019, all CGIAR centers had submitted improvement plans based on an EiB template and in close collaboration with EiB staff while – in a parallel process with breeding programs, funders and private sector representatives – a vision for breeding program modernization was developed and presented to CGIAR breeding leadership at the EiB Annual Meeting. This vision represents an evolution of EiB in the context of the Crops to End Hunger Initiative (CtEH) beyond the initial scope of providing tools, services and expert advice, and serves as a guide for Center leadership to drive changes with EiB support. In addition, EiB has taken the role of managing and disbursing funding, made available by Funders via CtEH to modernize breeding and enable CGIAR breeding programs to implement the vision provided by EiB
Assessing partnership alternatives in an IT network employing analytical methods
One of the main critical success factors for the companies is their ability to build and maintain an effective collaborative network. This is more critical in the IT industry where the development of sustainable competitive advantage requires an integration of various resources, platforms, and capabilities provided by various actors. Employing such a collaborative network will dramatically change the operations management and promote flexibility and agility. Despite its importance, there is a lack of an analytical tool on collaborative network building process. In this paper, we propose an optimization model employing AHP and multiobjective programming for collaborative network building process based on two interorganizational relationships’ theories, namely, (i) transaction cost theory and (ii) resource-based view, which are representative of short-term and long-term considerations. The five different methods were employed to solve the formulation and their performances were compared. The model is implemented in an IT company who was in process of developing a large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The results show that the collaborative network formed through this selection process was more efficient in terms of cost, time, and development speed. The framework offers novel theoretical underpinning and analytical solutions and can be used as an effective tool in selecting network alternatives
Management Tools for RetD Project Portfolios in Complex Organizations – the case of an international pharmaceutical firm
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is a growing issue in both professional and academic circles. The typology of Cooper et al. (1998) has pictured the variety of PPM formalized approaches into four types (financial, strategic, scoring and “bubble diagram”). While the use of formalized methods by top performers is clearly attested, the choice of a specific approach and the precise benefits and limits of different instruments are still in debate. The present paper formalizes more precise contingency hypotheses between PPM practices and organizational variables such as R&D strategy, the structure and history of a firm's development, partnership policy and learning track in the project domain. Where managerial implications are concerned, the paper puts forward an analytical framework for the adjustment of portfolio instruments to fit specific situations and develops the conclusions of that framework for an international pharmaceutical group, Merck Lipha. The research underlying this paper adopts an interactive and experimental case-based methodology which has been on-going since 1997.Project; portfolios; pharmaceuticals; decision; processes; interactive research
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