Smart Deployment of Demonstrators into Successful Commercial Solutions

AbstractProduct or service concepts based on emerging technologies are usually results of research projects, be they performed by academic groups or by research departments of companies. Many times, the prototypes or demonstrators that result from such projects are supposed to evolve into commercial products or services, but – at least in the first stage - there are more focus on proving key features of a technology, or the effectiveness / efficiency / applicability of various concepts or algorithms. However, evolving into commercial products is many times at least as challenging as building the prototypes. In case of software-based projects, this means changes in architecture, a lot of code rewriting and important usability improvements. This paper introduces a software-concept product design algorithm which aims to minimize the effort required in turning a demonstrator into a commercial product. This is done by generating two functionality sets: a pure demonstrator and a pure commercial one, then generating a hybrid functionality set with the corresponding architecture, and then assessing each functionality for the demonstrator and the commercial version in terms of development and improvement effort. Through iterations, in which the original functionality sets are improved, the difference between the two perspectives will be reduced until it gets below a reasonable limit in terms of effort. The paper presents a case study in which the algorithm is applied for planning a software platform for supporting SMEs in their innovation processes

Scrum Abandonment in Distributed Teams: A Revelatory Case

The last decade has witnessed substantial growth in the adoption of both Agile and distributed software development. However, combining Agile practices, which emphasize regular informal communication, with geographically and temporally distributed sites, which hinder regular informal communication, presents numerous challenges. Proponents of Agile, especially the Scrum project management framework, have published several case studies of successful Scrum implementations in distributed environments. However, few empirical studies examine failed or abandoned Scrum implementations. Consequently, this paper presents a revelatory case study of a geographically and temporally distributed software development team that abandoned its attempted transition to Scrum. Two factors associated with the team’s decision to abandon Scrum are identified – degradation of Scrum practices due to distribution and the undermining of the ScrumMaster’s credibility. Based on this analysis the paper proposes that task/team familiarity, group cohesion and transactive memory may be combined to understand the relationship between geotemporal distribution, process and performance

The dimensions of software engineering success

Software engineering research and practice are hampered by the lack of a well-understood, top-level dependent variable. Recent initiatives on General Theory of Software Engineering suggest a multifaceted variable – Software Engineering Success. However, its exact dimensions are unknown. This paper investigates the dimensions (not causes) of software engineering success. An interdisciplinary sample of 191 design professionals (68 in the software industry) were interviewed concerning their perceptions of success. Non-software designers (e.g. architects) were included to increase the breadth of ideas and facilitate comparative analysis. Transcripts were subjected to supervised, semi-automated semantic content analysis, including a software developer vs. other professionals comparison. Findings suggest that participants view their work as time-constrained projects with explicit clients and other stakeholders. Success depends on stakeholder impacts – financial, social, physical and emotional – and is understood through feedback. Concern with meeting explicit requirements is peculiar to software engineering and design is not equated with aesthetics in many other fields. Software engineering success is a complex multifaceted variable, which cannot sufficiently be explained by traditional dimensions including user satisfaction, profitability or meeting requirements, budgets and schedules. A proto-theory of success is proposed, which models success as the net impact on a particular stakeholder at a particular time. Stakeholder impacts are driven by project efficiency, artifact quality and market performance. Success is not additive, e.g., ‘low’ success for clients does not average with ‘high’ success for developers to make ‘moderate’ success overall; rather, a project may be simultaneously successful and unsuccessful from different perspectives

The user concept in the space industry and how this frames satellite missions, with a focus on social development in Africa

Space-derived data lies untouched in data vaults, while many potential use cases for space applications are not exploited by the space industry. This gap may exist because the conceptualisation of the user in the satellite industry is too narrow, and yet influences the architecture and thence outcomes of a satellite mission. Assumptions about users and markets are not made on the basis of data and market research, in itself typically difficult to obtain, especially in Africa. This results in a lack of understanding of the end user and their social and economic context which feeds back to inadequately scoped requirements in satellite design. The reasons for this are not solely the limited imaginations and culture of practice of satellite engineers, but the structure of the space industry itself and its design frameworks. This limitation has impact especially for developing country applications, where the user and beneficiary concept elide in often unexamined and unchallenged ways. The satellite industry, part of the wider space industry, could borrow usefully from the IT industry in its relationship to the user and methods of deriving user requirements; in fact could consider itself part of the IT/data industry. This study explores the relationship between satellite design and the users of space-derived data, and how this is being affected by new disruptors to the traditional space industry. The implications for potential users in Africa are considered

DETERMINING HOW TEAM COMMUNICATION AND PROJECT OUTCOMES EVOLVE IN A MIDWESTERN HEALTHCARE COMPANY: A CASE STUDY APPROACH

The purpose of the study was to determine the perspective of the Business Operation team and IT team during project team communication and interaction towards an awareness of the critical business processes and systems needed to ensure project success. For companies to remain competitive, a catalyst for growth through software development projects is required. Impediments to successful software project outcomes include inefficient communication, onesided team communication, siloed team interaction, lack of business knowledge, lack of information sharing, and insufficient training resources. This study was a Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Design with survey questions for the quantitative component and open-ended questions for the qualitative part. The mixed methods research study included an in-depth review of the Business Operation teams' and IT teams' perspectives concerning team communication and interaction. An Independent Samples T-test was conducted to understand the differences between the Business Operation team and the IT team regarding General Communication, Team Communication, Team Interaction, and Project Outcomes. The T-test results indicated a difference in the perspective between the groups with General Communication but no difference in the perspective of Team Communication, Team Interaction, and Project Outcomes. The themes emerging from the qualitative component indicated an opportunity for training to acquire the knowledge and skills required to understand the underlying business process to facilitate a software project discussion