Software development roles: a multi-project empirical investigation

In our earlier research work, we developed a conceptual framework that identifies the different types of roles that can exist in contemporary software development projects (including both agile and traditional software development approaches). The purpose of the framework is to assist software project managers when tuning software development project roles to the demands of individual projects, with our previous research indicating that there is a need to tailor software development roles to individual projects. In this work, we extend the earlier research through the use of a series of semi-structured interviews within seven Turkish software companies. The results, which are consistent with previous findings, offer further evidence of the usefulness of the framework, while also identifying possible areas for future work in this space

Developing front-end Web 2.0 technologies to access services, content and things in the future Internet

The future Internet is expected to be composed of a mesh of interoperable web services accessible from all over the web. This approach has not yet caught on since global user?service interaction is still an open issue. This paper states one vision with regard to next-generation front-end Web 2.0 technology that will enable integrated access to services, contents and things in the future Internet. In this paper, we illustrate how front-ends that wrap traditional services and resources can be tailored to the needs of end users, converting end users into prosumers (creators and consumers of service-based applications). To do this, we propose an architecture that end users without programming skills can use to create front-ends, consult catalogues of resources tailored to their needs, easily integrate and coordinate front-ends and create composite applications to orchestrate services in their back-end. The paper includes a case study illustrating that current user-centred web development tools are at a very early stage of evolution. We provide statistical data on how the proposed architecture improves these tools. This paper is based on research conducted by the Service Front End (SFE) Open Alliance initiative

Understanding the Benefits of Agile Software Development in Regulated Environments

Agile software development has become increasingly popular in recent years. Applying agile methods, companies expect flexible planning, early delivery of the software product, and a continuous improvement of the development process itself. However, in regulated environments the use of agile development is not yet common practice. In such environments, various regulatory requirements apply which affect the software development process. This paper examines the use of agile software development in the regulated medical device industry and explores reasons for using agile methods although their use is limited. We interviewed agile software development teams in three different companies using semi-structured interviews. Using grounded theory methodology, we identify reasons why companies are using agile methods, even though problems and barriers exist. Our main achievement is the development of four categories, which describe the benefit of agile software development in regulated environments. These categories are master complexity, reduce effort, improve usability, and promote collaboration

Modeling of system knowledge for efficient agile manufacturing : tool evaluation, selection and implementation scenario in SMEs

In the manufacturing world, knowledge is fundamental in order to achieve effective and efficient real time decision making. In order to make manufacturing system knowledge available to the decision maker it has to be first captured and then modelled. Therefore tools that provide a suitable means for capturing and representation of manufacturing system knowledge are required in several types of industrial sectors and types of company’s (large, SME). A literature review about best practice for capturing requirements for simulation development and system knowledge modeling has been conducted. The aim of this study was to select the best tool for manufacturing system knowledge modelling in an open-source environment. In order to select this tool, different criteria were selected, based on which several tools were analyzed and rated. An exemplary use case was then developed using the selected tool, Systems Modeling Language (SysML). Therefore, the best practice has been studied, evaluated, selected and then applied to two industrial use cases by the use of a selected opens source tool.peer-reviewe

Journey towards agility: Three decades of research on agile information systems development

After more than 15 years since the Agile Manifesto and extensive research on agile information systems developmentfor nearly three decades, a comprehensive body of knowledge is available and is constantly growing.Agile information systems developmentis considered an effective way for managing information systems developmentprojects in environments characterized by rapidly changing requirements. This study aims to shed light on the existing knowledge on agile information systems developmentby applying a structured literature review and computer aided analysis consisting of distinct text mining techniques. We analyzed a sample of 775papers and provide results from articles among the Senior Scholars’ Basket, selected information systems conferences,and selected journalsfrom management and computer science. Based on our approach, we are able to (1) evaluate key articles and journals, (2) analyze the development of agile information systems developmentresearch in the last three decades and, most importantly, (3) identify research foci of the past as well asgaps in our knowledge on agile information systems development for further research

Agile user stories enriched with usability

Usability is a critical quality factor. Therefore, like traditional software teams, agile teams have to address usability to properly catch their users experience. There exists an interesting debate in the agile and usability communities about how to achieve this integration. Our aim is to contribute to this debate by discussing the incorporation of particular usability recommendations into user stories, one of the most popular artifacts for communicating agile requirements. In this paper, we explore the implications of usability for both the structure of and the process for defining user stories. We discuss what changes the incorporation of particular usability issues may introduce in a user story. Although our findings require more empirical validation, we think that they are a good starting point for further research on this line