7P. A Preliminary Study of the Use of Software Process Improvement Initiatives in Jamaica

Despite the acknowledged strides that information and communications technologies (ICT) have made, the information systems (IS) community has been plagued with the delivery of low quality information systems (IS). This phenomenon gave rise to a variety of software process improvement (SPI) interventions, aimed at reducing variability in the software production process, as a precursor to improving IS quality. However, SPI initiatives have targeted fairly large organizations and SPI research has been conducted mainly in developed countries, and very little in developing countries and smaller organizations such as those in Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean. We sought in this research to ascertain the level of awareness and intention to use SPI programs in Jamaican software development firms. Preliminary indications of our study revealed that a large majority of these firms are not aware of SPI programs; neither do they intend to adopt any form of SPI effort in the near future. Our findings provided the basis to support the claim for future research to explore the underlying causes for this lack of awareness and non-adoption of SPI programs among Jamaican firms

Key influencing factors of information systems quality and success in Jamaican organizations

Despite major strides in information technology, the Information Systems (IS) community generally continues to suffer fromthe delivery of low quality and failed systems. The situation in the English-speaking Caribbean and in Jamaica in particular,is even more stark because interventions such as software process improvement (SPI) processes are neither well known norused. There is therefore a glaring need to understand the fundamentals of quality determinants in this domain to be able toprovide useful insights for improvement. A recent study has indicated that Jamaican developers are unaware of SPIapproaches and consequently the potential impact and role of process and people on IS quality. We have also included theperception of quality as a probable determinant of the success of even high quality IS. In this research in progress, we havedeveloped and proposed a research model and propositions to explore the impact of process, people and perception on ISquality and success. We hope to use it in Caribbean studies to provide much needed insights

Identifying Key Software Development Practices in the English-Speaking Caribbean Using the Nominal Group Technique

This paper explains how a simplified process improvement framework was developed with practices from the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) model using the nominal group technique (NGT). The NGT was used to generate consensus on key software process improvement practices that are likely to lead to the improvement of the quality of information systems (IS) in the English-speaking Caribbean (ESC). We present the approach taken, the results derived, and the benefits of using this approach. NGT sessions, involving 30 IS professionals were conducted in four ESC territories to reduce and finalize a list of key software development practices that would be more suitable for ESC nations to focus on

Empirical evaluation of the impact of resilience and sustainability on firms’ performance

The concepts of resilience and sustainability appear multi‐dimensional and correlated, depending on the context. Operational sustainability practices can enhance the resilience of a firm, and support its growth. This study aims at analyzing the impact of a sustainability strategy, measured by means of a sustainability maturity index (SMI), on the financial performance of a company. Since the SMI is strictly correlated to resilience capabilities, the performed analysis represents a first level integration of the sustainability and resilience indicators in a common framework. A data sample from 53 organizations was collected through structured interviews and analyzed to identify possible relationships between the SMI and the financial performance indexes. The analysis does not support commonly reported arguments: we show that profitability does not show a significant relationship with sustainable strategic intent. Interestingly, firm country of origin, size of the organization, and market focus, likewise, do not have a significant relationship with SMI. Arguably, multi‐dimensional company performance, including both financial and non‐financial measures, should be considered to assess the impact of sustainability practices. Moreover, further investigations are needed to capture firms’ nonfinancial indicators of performance that are related to sustainability and resilience, for building up a unified framework enabling trade‐off analysis

SOFTWARE PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: AWARENESS, USE, AND BENEFITS IN CANADIAN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FIRMS

Since 1982, the software development community has been concerned with the delivery of quality systems. Software process improvement (SPI) is an initiative to avoid the delivery of low quality systems. However, the awareness and adoption of SPI is low. Thus, this study examines the rate of awareness, use, and benefits of SPI initiatives in Canadian software development firms. Using SPSS as the analytical tool, this study found that 59% of Canadian software development firms are aware of SPI programs and 43% of employees use a form of SPI programs to develop software products. Although the sample size is small and the results cannot be generalized, the sample firms that use SPI programs reported an improvement in software product quality as the greatest benefit. These findings confirm the importance of SPI programs as a means of producing higher-quality software products, which can increase the likelihood of software companies winning global contracts

Police-initiated diversion for youth to prevent future delinquent behavior: a systematic review

BackgroundOverly punitive responses to youth misconduct may have the unintended consequence ofincreasing the likelihood of future delinquency; yet, overly lenient responses may fail to serveas a corrective for the misbehavior. Police diversion schemes are a collection of strategiespolice can apply as an alternative to court processing of youth. Police-initiated diversionschemes aim to reduce reoffending by steering youth away from deeper penetration into thecriminal justice system and by providing an alternative intervention that can help youthaddress psychosocial development or other needs that contribute to their problem behavior.ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of pre-courtinterventions involving police warning or counseling and release, and cautioning schemes inreducing delinquent behavior.Search methodsA combination of 26 databases and websites were searched. References of relevant reviewswere also scanned to identify studies. We also consulted with experts in the field. Searcheswere executed by two reviewers and conducted between August 2016 and January 2017.Selection criteriaOnly experimental and quasi-experimental designs were eligible for this review. All quasiexperimentaldesigns must have had a comparison group similar to the police diversionintervention group with respect to demographic characteristics and prior involvement indelinquent behavior (i.e., at similar risk for future delinquent behavior). Additionally, studiesmust have included youth participants between 12 and 17 years of age who either underwenttraditional system processing or were diverted from court processing through a police-leddiversion program. Studies were also eligible if delinquency-related outcomes, includingofficial and non-official (self-report or third-party reporting) measures of delinquency werereported.Data collection and analysisThis study used meta-analysis to synthesize results across studies. This method involvedsystematic coding of study features and conversion of study findings into effect sizesreflecting the direction and magnitude of any police-led diversion effect. There were 19independent evaluations across the 14 primary documents coded for this review. From this,we coded 67 effect sizes of delinquent behavior post diversion across 31 diversion-traditionalprocessing comparisons. We analyzed these comparisons using two approaches. The firstapproach selected a single effect size per comparison based on a decision rule and the secondused all 67 effect sizes, nesting these within comparison condition and evaluation design.ResultsThe general pattern of evidence is positive, suggesting that police-led diversion modestlyreduces future delinquent behavior of low-risk youth relative to traditional processing.Authors’ conclusionsThe findings from this systematic review support the use of police-led diversion for low-riskyouth with limited or no prior involvement with the juvenile justice system. Thus, policedepartments and policy-makers should consider diversionary programs as part of the mix ofsolutions for addressing youth crime

Developing a model of IS quality and success in Developing countries

The success of information systems (IS) projects continues to be low despite many initiatives to address the issue. Given the importance of IS for organizations, it is a key imperative for software development firms to understand what is needed to deploy high-quality and successful systems. This is systems that are adopted and used, which by extension can contribute to goal satisfaction and business value. The notion of successful systems is even more important for developing regions, such as the English-speaking Caribbean (ESC), as such regions have far less capacity to absorb these failures (when compared to software development firms in developed countries). Understanding the factors that impact the quality outcomes of IS projects (i.e. antecedents of IS success), is considered key to the success of these projects. This study therefore aims to provide a research model that identifies key factors impacting IS project quality and success, while taking into account the unique characteristics of developing countries (in this case, the ESC region)