Programming in ANSI C

Programming in ANSI

12 steps to successful knowledge management implementation

Knowledge management initiatives often fail to live up to expectations and many result in failure. Unfortunately, many knowledge management initiatives fail because they have been introduced, simply because knowledge management has been recognised by senior management as a “good thing” and something their competitors are undertaking. This can lead to a knowledge manager being appointed without any clear direction and knowledge management initiatives being undertaken without any clear purpose or measurable target criteria. To overcome these problems, a twelve step methodology for knowledge management implementation is presented, illustrated with a series of small case studies. Starting from a problem audit, subsequent steps ensure a baseline measure for improvement is identified, and a comprehensive, costed solution to a recognised problem is designed which is capable of gaining buy-in from both management and the system users. The system is designed with user involvement and must consider the operation of the proposed system as well as the implementation. Subsequent to the implementation, a review process involving the identification of measurable cost-benefits can become the basis for future expansion and roll-out of knowledge management and can become the first steps in the building of a comprehensive knowledge environment. The case studies illustrate the value of each step in the methodology with examples of good and bad practice drawn from the author’s previously published experiences. This paper brings the lessons from these case studies together to form the twelve step methodology which ensures knowledge management is implemented using sound business principles of cost-benefit analysis and return on investment, and established engineering principles of breaking larger projects into smaller projects carried out incrementally with testing carried out at each stage. It is recommended that companies follow these principles and the proposed twelve step methodology in order to achieve successful knowledge management implementation in their own environment

Relational databases: design and use

Relational databases: design and us

Twenty dirty tricks to train software engineers

Many employers find that graduates and sandwich students come to them poorly prepared for the every day problems encountered at the workplace. Although many university students undertake team projects at their institutions, an education environment has limitations that prevent the participants experiencing the full range of problems encountered in the real world. To overcome this, action was taken on courses at the Plessey Telecommunications company and Loughborough University to disrupt the students' software development progress. These actions appear mean and vindictive, and are labeled 'dirty tricks' in this paper, but their value has been appreciated by both the students and their employers. The experiences and learning provided by twenty 'dirty tricks' are described and their contribution towards teaching essential workplace skills is identified. The feedback from both students and employers has been mostly informal but the universally favourable comments received give strong indications that the courses achieved their aim of preparing the students for the workplace. The paper identifies some limitations on the number and types of 'dirty tricks' that can be employed at a university and concludes that companies would benefit if such dirty tricks were employed in company graduate induction programmes as well as in university courses

Can personal development fire the "Silver Bullet" in IT delivery

Do we really understand the true root cause to our IT project failures and why are we unable to replicate our project successes? Often the correction of project failings identifies processes, methodologies or procedures for the answers – the ubiquitous Silver Bullet, and it is on this basis that most University courses in Computer Science and Software Engineering are designed. However, an analysis of literature on software development reveals that in order to create the step change improvement in IT project management delivery, we need to significantly improve the inter-personal skills of the whole IT project management team. The revolution for improved productivity will stem from challenging the typical career paths of technology learning to provide a much greater focus on the softer skills. Project management can be articulated as getting things done through people, so skilful management of team dynamics and effective communications based on an appreciation and understanding of people’s behaviours will significantly improve working relationships to create an environment for success. A large group of over 90 companies represented by E-Skills UK have designed a university course in Information Technology Management for Business which requires a minimum of 20% of students’ time to be spent on personal and inter-personal skills. Graduates of this course at the 18 UK universities where the course has been offered have had a very high employment rate and are much appreciated by the businesses employing them. It is recommended, therefore, that all University Computer Science and Software Engineering courses put a greater focus on personal and inter-personal skills

Classification and selection of tools for quality knowledge management

Abstract Knowledge managers need to select which knowledge management tool to use for any given problem and problem environment. The graphical tool, named the “House of Knowledge Management Tool Selection” is proposed, based on the House of Quality Matrix used in the quality function deployment methodology. A simple case study is described that acts as a proof of concept to show the House of Knowledge Management Tool Selection can systematically evaluate potential tools to solve a knowledge management problem. To help identify the tools to populate the house, an examination was undertaken of how knowledge management tools had previously been listed and classified, but these existing classifications were found to be of little help. No classification existed that categorised the tools in terms of the knowledge problems they helped resolve, yet this classification would seem more useful for knowledge managers. To meet this need, knowledge problems were divided into ten subtypes and the knowledge management tools where then categorised according to their effectiveness at solving each subtype. This new classification was flexible enough to include all types of knowledge management tools and could also change with each problem environment. It was found to give a greater understanding of the knowledge management tools in the context of a particular knowledge problem and it could therefore help populate the house tool. The House of Knowledge Management Tool Selection is a promising development of a tool that should be able to become an essential part of a manager’s decision making toolkit

Management issues regarding e-commerce and the internet: 20 critical questions managers should ask before plunging into e-commerce!

The drivers for electronic commerce are both technological (under the tremendous pressure of innovation) and business oriented. The authors have found technological issues drive most industrialists, with the business drivers being vague. However both technology and business drivers should play an important part. As Cathy Benko (Deloitte consulting) had said, “for more than two centuries the industrial business model has used a single linear approach to change, predict what customers will want, design resources and organize people to serve those wants, then implement according to management’s plan and design. Today this model of Predict-design-implement is no longer viable- in fact, it is dead.” [ 11 This paper will identify managerial issues regarding ecommerce and the Internet. Chan and Swatmann [2] noted that management involvement is imperative for the success of electronic commerce implementation. The size and popularity of the lntemet have grown enormously during the past few years and continue to grow at phenomenal rates. The risk of entering ecommerce is many and it is important that the issues are understood. This paper has identified the issues, which need to be considered and 20 key questions, which need to be addressed before entering into ecommerce

Introducing software engineers to the real world

Most software engineering graduates begin their careers lacking an appreciation of real-world conditions. Do universities have the resources to simulate this environment or must software companies provide such training themselves

Forget statistics - draw graphs instead

This paper describes research carried out at the Rolls-Royce Company in the UK, to develop a tool set to aid planning and decision making regarding the management of a portfolio of IT systems. The research was carried out over three years with one researcher working alongside company employees in teams developing and evaluating the tools. A number of empirical and non-empirical tools were evaluated for their usefulness within the teams for analysing the problems, and for their usefulness in putting the alternative options to senior management. It was found that the most successful tools were the simpler tools where it is easy to understand the output and how it has been derived. Graphical tools depicting non-empirical or simple empirical information were found to be particularly helpful. Statistical analysis, on the other hand, was not found to be useful as the results are generally mistrusted by senior management

Towards a successful software metrics programme

Based on the authors’ 43 years of combined experience in industry, this paper describes a number of ways to ensure a metrics programme is considered successful. Experiences of a number of industries provide lessons on the planning of a metrics programme, the motivation of employees collecting the metrics, embedding metrics collection into everyday processes, presenting the metrics in financial terms and using metrics that already exist. It is acknowledged that metrics collected in industry can prove very little, but they are useful if used with other data or as a pointer for further investigations. The lessons learned from these experiences form guidelines which, if followed, should give valuable assistance in achieving a successful software metrics programme