Software development control panels : concepts, a toolset and experiences

This thesis discusses a concepts, guidelines, a toolset and experiences with defining and implementing on-line visual displays of software development progress, control panels. Control panels group sets of measurement visualizations providing a multi-dimensional, integrated view of development status. Control panels are developed at various organizational levels, serving the information needs of different stakeholders. Navigation between different control panels enables users to drill down to view more detailed information on, e.g., a particular project or on the progress of a particular development activity. In the constructive part of the work, I describe concepts, and a toolset that can be used for defining and implementing control panels. In addition, I provide guidelines for grouping measures into control panels, and discuss how measurement programs can be partitioned into control panels. The toolset, built as a "proof-of-concept" consists of a central measurement database, a visualization client, and a set of data importers that transfer data from external corporate repositories into the measurement database. The empirical part discusses our efforts to define and implement control panels in four high-technology companies in Finland. Framed in the context of "constructive action research", the cases are first described individually, according to the main steps of the action research cycle, then compared in a cross-case analysis. Our results—we succeeded in implementing control panels in only one of four organizations—indicate that the development of control panels requires a substantial investment and commitment by the organization, but that it can be feasible even in small organizations. The main obstacles hindering the implementation were organizational and human in nature, and more related to measurement program implementation in general than to tool support per se. Interestingly, the organizations did not consider measurement definition, i.e., the selection of "metrics" to be problematic. Success factors identified included management commitment, dedicated measurement personnel, and organizational change management. While limited, our experiences with the use of control panels show that they were felt to be more valuable by management than by the collocated project personnel. We thus hypothesise that the usefulness of control panels increases with project size and geographical distance. In the future it would be interesting to develop control panels for distributed software development projects, in which informal status communication is more difficult.reviewe

Investigating new accident causation, risk assessment, and mitigation strategy selection tools in the petroleum industry

The inherent complexity of the processes and the volatile nature of petroleum products compel the petroleum industry to continually seek and develop tools and techniques to identify, evaluate, and mitigate potential risks that can negatively impact their process operations. Additionally, government agencies and nonprofit professional societies guide the petroleum industry with regulatory guidelines, standards, and recommended best practices. The industry and these agencies and societies work to improve operational management, to ensure safe working conditions, and to minimize risk of all kinds, so that if failures occur, damage is contained within tolerable limits (Health and Safety Executives, 2013). The currently used of both qualitative and quantitative risk assessment tools fall short in identifying and ranking potential risks in the petroleum industry and they fail to demonstrate that risks have been reduced as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) (Fitzgerald, 2004, p. 3). Moreover, the tools are limited to large, complex, and expensive studies (Fitzgerald, 2004, p. 3). Because accidents due to both human errors and electromechanical failures still occur and result in various consequences, critics have raised concerns about the petroleum industry\u27s safety and risk mitigation credentials and question its ability to prevent major accidents. The purpose of this research is to introduce new methods that provide more detailed and structure information to decision makers. They are more robust and easier-to-use so that novice engineers can successfully apply them without experts\u27 need. This dissertation employs the publication option, where the research results are reported by presenting the text of five journal-conference publications. --Abstract, page iv

Collected software engineering papers, volume 9

This document is a collection of selected technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) from November 1990 through October 1991. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. This is the ninth such volume of technical papers produced by the SEL. Although these papers cover several topics related to software engineering, they do not encompass the entire scope of SEL activities and interests. For the convenience of this presentation, the eight papers contained here are grouped into three major categories: (1) software models studies; (2) software measurement studies; and (3) Ada technology studies. The first category presents studies on reuse models, including a software reuse model applied to maintenance and a model for an organization to support software reuse. The second category includes experimental research methods and software measurement techniques. The third category presents object-oriented approaches using Ada and object-oriented features proposed for Ada. The SEL is actively working to understand and improve the software development process at GSFC

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

A Framework for Implementing Software Measurement Programs in Small and Medium Enterprises

The economies of numerous nations, including New Zealand, rely heavily on the contributions of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In the last decade a shift to the provision and use of software services, rather than products, has seen these offerings developed and delivered by multiple parties working in distributed and possibly transient networks, indicating that software SMEs could not only survive but can, in fact, thrive long-term at a small scale. Most research on software success and failure, however, has been conducted in large organizations working on large-scale projects. Given the new work context described above, it is imperative that we also understand the circumstances that enable SMEs to be successful in software development. In general terms, software measurement has been considered to be one of the keys to success. The use of measurement is common in everyday life, such as checking the shortest path to your destination or weighing your luggage before taking a flight. It is also accepted in many science and engineering disciplines such as electrical and mechanical engineering. In spite of its acknowledged importance and rather obvious benefits, the use of measurement in software engineering has been variable. Software measurement is particularly conceived as a complex procedure, and therefore as a challenging and potentially costly endeavour, by software SMEs (SSMEs). The aim of this research is to comprehensively understand and then contribute to more effective planning, deployment, operation and management of measurement programs specifically in the context of SMEs. The research reported in this thesis explores in detail the particular challenges that are encountered by SMEs when they embark on a software measurement initiative. It then proceeds to identify ways in which SMEs could effectively and efficiently implement light-weight software measurement programs (SMPs). In doing so the research combines elements of observation, design, intervention and evaluation under the umbrella of a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. In three DSR the research conducts 1) problem identification through a literature review (via a mapping study) and an industrial review (via practitioners’ interviews), 2) solution design through field studies, and 3) evaluation through a survey. A mix of quantitative and qualitative methods is used as appropriate for each phase. In the first phase, a comprehensive systematic mapping study is first conducted to review prior literature that had addressed SMPI in SMEs, to understand the state-of-the-art. The mapping study leads to the identification of a research gap which is further investigated through an industrial review. In the industrial review, 22 face-to-face interviews are conducted with professionals from SMEs. Hereafter, data analysis methods based on Grounded Theory (GT) enable the development of exploratory frameworks of four aspects of software measurement program implementation – challenges, obstacles, benefits and success factors – which forms one of the primary contributions of this research. Based on these intermediate findings the second phase of this research involves the development of a novel framework which is intended to overcome (or at least reduce the severity of) measurement implementation challenges faced by SMEs. Implementing and sustaining a framework for the efficient planning and management of measurement programs remains a challenge for many software organizations, and particularly SMEs. Therefore, in this research phase, a comprehensive framework is proposed and refined, based on field studies that consider its adequacy in relation to the identified challenges and obstacles. The framework, referred to as the Software Measurement Framework for SMEs (SMF4SME), as developed and enhanced in the field over three cases, is a further novel contribution of this research. The last major research phase validates the SMF4SME by seeking the insights of a sample of software practitioners working in SMEs, with respect to its perceived usefulness. An industrial survey is designed and distributed to potential participants to get their feedback. More than 100 respondents provide favourable indications regarding the coverage and potential utility of the framework in SSMEs. Overall, this research work contributes to both theory and practice by providing an improved understanding of SMPI in SMEs along with a validated SMF4SME intended to overcome (or at least reduce the severity of) measurement implementation challenges in SMEs

Software Engineering Program: Software Process Improvement Guidebook

The purpose of this document is to provide experience-based guidance in implementing a software process improvement program in any NASA software development or maintenance community. This guidebook details how to define, operate, and implement a working software process improvement program. It describes the concept of the software process improvement program and its basic organizational components. It then describes the structure, organization, and operation of the software process improvement program, illustrating all these concepts with specific NASA examples. The information presented in the document is derived from the experiences of several NASA software organizations, including the SEL, the SEAL, and the SORCE. Their experiences reflect many of the elements of software process improvement within NASA. This guidebook presents lessons learned in a form usable by anyone considering establishing a software process improvement program within his or her own environment. This guidebook attempts to balance general and detailed information. It provides material general enough to be usable by NASA organizations whose characteristics do not directly match those of the sources of the information and models presented herein. It also keeps the ideas sufficiently close to the sources of the practical experiences that have generated the models and information

Letters from the War of Ecosystems – An Analysis of Independent Software Vendors in Mobile Application Marketplaces

The recent emergence of a new generation of mobile application marketplaces has changed the business in the mobile ecosystems. The marketplaces have gathered over a million applications by hundreds of thousands of application developers and publishers. Thus, software ecosystems—consisting of developers, consumers and the orchestrator—have emerged as a part of the mobile ecosystem. This dissertation addresses the new challenges faced by mobile application developers in the new ecosystems through empirical methods. By using the theories of two-sided markets and business ecosystems as the basis, the thesis assesses monetization and value creation in the market as well as the impact of electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) and developer multihoming— i. e. contributing for more than one platform—in the ecosystems. The data for the study was collected with web crawling from the three biggest marketplaces: Apple App Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Store. The dissertation consists of six individual articles. The results of the studies show a gap in monetization among the studied applications, while a majority of applications are produced by small or micro-enterprises. The study finds only weak support for the impact of eWOM on the sales of an application in the studied ecosystem. Finally, the study reveals a clear difference in the multi-homing rates between the top application developers and the rest. This has, as discussed in the thesis, an impact on the future market analyses—it seems that the smart device market can sustain several parallel application marketplaces.Muutama vuosi sitten julkistetut uuden sukupolven mobiilisovellusten kauppapaikat ovat muuttaneet mobiiliekosysteemien liiketoimintadynamiikkaa. Nämä uudet markkinapaikat ovat jo onnistuneet houkuttelemaan yli miljoona sovellusta sadoilta tuhansilta ohjelmistokehittäjiltä. Nämä kehittäjät yhdessä markkinapaikan organisoijan sekä loppukäyttäjien kanssa ovat muodostaneet ohjelmistoekosysteemin osaksi laajempaa mobiiliekosysteemiä. Tässä väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan mobiilisovellusten kehittäjien uudenlaisilla kauppapaikoilla kohtaamia haasteita empiiristen tutkimusmenetelmien kautta. Väitöskirjassa arvioidaan sovellusten monetisaatiota ja arvonluontia sekä verkon asiakasarviointien (engl. electronicWord-of-Mouth, eWOM) ja kehittäjien moniliittymisen (engl. multi-homing) — kehittäjä on sitoutunut useammalle kuin yhdelle ekosysteemille — vaikutuksia ekosysteemissä. Työn teoreettinen tausta rakentuu kaksipuolisten markkinapaikkojen ja liiketoimintaekosysteemien päälle. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty kolmelta suurimmalta mobiilisovellusmarkkinapaikalta: Apple App Storesta, Google Playstä ja Windows Phone Storesta. Tämä artikkeliväitöskirja koostuu kuudesta itsenäisestä tutkimuskäsikirjoituksesta. Artikkelien tulokset osoittavat puutteita monetisaatiossa tutkittujen sovellusten joukossa. Merkittävä osa tarkastelluista sovelluksista on pienten yritysten tai yksittäisten kehittäjien julkaisemia. Tutkimuksessa löydettiin vain heikkoa tukea eWOM:in positiiviselle vaikutukselle sovellusten myyntimäärissä. Työssä myös osoitetaan merkittävä ero menestyneimpien sovelluskehittäjien sekä muiden kehittäjien moniliittymiskäyttäytymisen välillä. Tällä havainnolla on merkitystä tuleville markkina-analyyseille ja sen vaikutuksia on käsitelty työssä. Tulokset esimerkiksi viittaavat siihen, että markkinat pystyisivät ylläpitämään useita kilpailevia kauppapaikkoja.Siirretty Doriast

Metrics and Visualizations for Managing Value Creation in Continuous Software Engineering

Digitalized society is built on top of software. The supplier of a software system delivers valuable new features to the users of the system in small increments in a continuous manner. To achieve continuous delivery of new features, new versions of software are delivered in rapid cycles. The goal is to get timely feedback from the stakeholders of the system in order to deliver business value.The development team needs timely information of the process to be able to improve it. A demonstrative overview of the process helps to get better understanding about the development process. Moreover, the development team is often willing to get retrospective information of the process in order to improve it and to maintain the flow of continuous value creation.The team uses various tools in the daily software engineering activities. The tools generate vast amount of data concerning the development process. For instance, issue management and version control systems hold detailed information on the actual development process. Mining software repositories provides a data-driven view to the development process.In this thesis, novel metrics and visualizations were built on top of the data. The developed artifacts help to understand and manage the value creation process. With this novel, demonstrative information, lean continuous improvement of the development process is made possible. With the novel metrics and visualizations, the development organization can get such new information on the process which is not easily available otherwise.The new information the metrics and visualizations provide help to different stakeholders of the project to get insight of the development process. The automatically generated data reflects the actual events in the development. The novel metrics and visualizations provide a practical tool for management purposes and continuous software process improvement

Collected Software Engineering Papers, Volume 10

This document is a collection of selected technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) from Oct. 1991 - Nov. 1992. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. Although these papers cover several topics related to software engineering, they do not encompass the entire scope of SEL activities and interests. Additional information about the SEL and its research efforts may be obtained from the sources listed in the bibliography at the end of this document. For the convenience of this presentation, the 11 papers contained here are grouped into 5 major sections: (1) the Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) software tools studies; (3) software models studies; (4) software measurement studies; and (5) Ada technology studies