304 research outputs found
Systematic evaluation of design choices for software development tools
[Abstract]: Most design and evaluation of software tools
is based on the intuition and experience of the designers.
Software tool designers consider themselves typical users
of the tools that they build and tend to subjectively evaluate their products rather than objectively evaluate them using established usability methods. This subjective approach is inadequate if the quality of software tools is to improve and the use of more systematic methods is advocated. This paper summarises a sequence of studies that
show how user interface design choices for software development tools can be evaluated using established usability engineering techniques. The techniques used included guideline review, predictive modelling and experimental studies with users
An evaluation of the RAPID assessment-based process improvement method for small firms
[Abstract]: With increasing interest by the software development community in software process improvement (SPI), it is vital that SPI programs are evaluated and the reports of lessons learned disseminated. This paper presents an evaluation of a program in which low-rigour, one-day SPI assessments were offered at no cost to 22 small Australian software development firms. The assessment model was based on ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE). About twelve months after the assessment, the firms were contacted to arrange a follow-up meeting to determine the extent to which they had implemented the recommendations from the assessment.
Comparison of the process capability levels at the time of assessment and the follow-up meetings revealed that the process improvement program was effective in improving the process capability of many of these small software development firms. Analysis of the assessment and follow-up reports explored important issues relating to SPI: elapsed time from assessment to follow-up meeting, the need for mentoring, the readiness of firms for SPI, the role of the owner/manager, the advice provided by the
assessors, and the need to record costs and benefits. Based on a meta-analysis of the program and its outcomes, advice and recommendations are provided to small firms and assessors. As well as providing validation of the assessment model and method, the outcomes from this research have the potential to better equip practitioners and consultants to undertake software process improvement, hence increasing the success of small software development firms in domestic and global markets
Electronic peer review: a large cohort teaching themselves?
[Abstract]: Electronic peer review can empower lecturers of large courses to produce rapid feedback,
promote social interaction and encourage higher order learning for students. But what are the
payoffs to educators? Do students recognise the benefits of such a system? Foundation
Computing is one of the largest courses at the University of Southern Queensland. A system of
electronic submission and peer reviewing with instructor moderation is now being used in this
course. This system is innovative and unique and delivers benefits to students, lecturers and the
University. This system has been evaluated, proven successful and is being considered for
wider use
itSMF Australia 2009 Conference: summary report of ITSM standards and frameworks survey
[Abstract]:
This report provides a summary of responses from surveys related to adoption of Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) frameworks. The surveys were conducted at the itSMF National Conference in Sydney in 2009. Two surveys were conducted: the Corporate survey for organisations and the other for Consultants and Trainers. For the Corporate survey 65 responses were received but only eight for the Consultant and Trainers survey.
The responses for the Corporate survey came mainly from large organisations representing both the public and private sectors. The vast majority of organisations whose staff responded to the survey have adopted the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and are making substantial progress in implementing this framework. Priority has been given to implementing the service desk function, change management and incident management processes. Some of the processes in v3 which were not in v2 show low levels of awareness and adoption. Many organisations are also advanced in their implementation of Prince 2, Balanced Scorecard, ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security), Government standards and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The strongest motivating factor to implement IT Service Management is to improve the focus on IT service. The maturity level of ITSM processes is generally rated higher than in previous years with many reporting as repeatable (level 2) and defined (level 3). Most of the respondents have completed ITIL foundation training and many have also achieved intermediate and advanced qualifications. Commitment from senior management is identified as the most critical factor for successful ITSM implementation. Almost one half believe ITSM has met or exceeded their expectations although many stated it is too early to tell if ITSM has delivered benefits. There is strong consensus that the major benefit of ITSM is improved customer satisfaction. Many further benefits have been realised including improved response and resolution, clarification of roles and responsibilities, and improved IT service continuity.
Unfortunately, most of the consultants and trainers who attended the conference as delegates or exhibitors did not complete the questionnaire, therefore the analysis of the eight responses may not be representative and care should be exercised in interpreting the results. Generally, the views expressed by the Consultants echoed those of the Corporate respondents and confirmed the strong move towards ITIL V3, as well as growing interest in ISO/IEC 20000 certification. The success factors favoured by the Consultants varied compared to those of the Corporate respondents. Compared to the responses to the Corporate survey, the Consultants and Trainers gave a higher ranking to the importance of sufficient funding for ITSM initiatives and documentation and integration of processes. Another difference was in the Consultants’ perceptions of the effectiveness of ITSM wherein the Corporate respondents gave a more positive view that ITSM met or exceeded expectations. As for the benefits from ITSM, only two of the top benefits reported by the Consultants were in the top five in the Corporate survey
Extended RBAC with role attributes
Though RBAC has been researched for many years as a current dominant access control technology, there are few researches to be done to address the further extension of the role which is the fundamental entity of RBAC. This paper tries to extend the role to a further level, the role attributes. Through the attributes, the function and operation on the role can be enhanced and extended. Through the attributes, ANSI RBAC is significantly extended. In the inheritance of hierarchical role, the privacy of its parental role can be kept by using HA (Hidden Attribute)
E-Business Processes and Factors of Influence: One Model does not Fit All
This empirical study of organisational e-business adoption, utilising both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, examines four major factors influencing adoption in multiple e-business process domains. Support is found for the proposition that factors influencing e-business adoption behaviour have different levels of impact across different ebusiness process domains. Different combinations of factors influence different e-business processes and for the most part this occurs independently of organisation size/resource capacity. Governments and powerful supply chain organisations have strong influence over some e-business strategy. In particular, e-government influence is strong with regard to use of e-mail and external web sites due to government’s regulatory compliance power, but weak with regard to operation of an organisation’s web sites. The implication of this research is that frameworks and models for e-business adoption will have greater relevance if they are developed for specific process domains rather than attempting to fit all areas of e-business
Building the bridge between academia and practice
Debate has persisted over the raison d\u27être of the Information Systems (IS) discipline. There are many facets to this complex issue, including two closely related ones, namely rigour and relevance in IS research, and the relationship between IS academics and practitioners. The aim of this paper is to further explore and affirm the practitioner perspective of relevance, and to develop a shared understanding of improved models of the academic-practitioner relationship. This understanding develops through a series of three perspectives, viz: the literature, the practitioners, and the academics\u27 reflection. Mixed methods are employed for the data collection, including structured interviews, a focus group and a survey. The findings highlight the important role that stakeholders play, with both practitioners and academics desirous of a closer association. The medical model appears to have the most promise in bridging the gap in the relationship
Implementing centralised IT service management: drawing lessons from the public sector
[Abstract]: The IT service management model represents a paradigm shift for IT organisations as it deemphasizes the
management of IT assets and focuses on the provision of quality end-to-end IT services. This paper presents part
of an in-depth study that examines the experience of a government agency, Queensland Health, in the
implementation of a centralised IT service management model based on the ITIL framework. The paper sheds
light on the challenges and breakthroughs, distils a set of critical success factors and offers a learning
opportunity for other organisations. Outsourcing some activities and tool requirements to vendors was seen as
one contributor to success although ensuring effective technology transfer to in-house staff was also necessary.
Another success factor was centralisation of IT services. Commitment of senior management was also crucial as
was a recognition of the need for effective change management to transform the organisational culture to a
service-oriented focus
IT service management: towards a contingency theory of performance measurement
Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) focuses on IT service creation, design, delivery and maintenance. Measurement is one of the basic underlying elements of service science and this paper contributes to service science by focussing on the selection of performance metrics for ITSM. Contingency theory is used to provide a theoretical foundation for the study. Content analysis of interviews of ITSM managers at six organisations revealed that selection of metrics is influenced by a discrete set of factors. Three categories of factors were identified: external environment, parent organisationand IS organisation. For individual cases, selection of metrics was contingent on factors such as organisation culture, management philosophy and perspectives, legislation, industry sector, and customers, although a common set of four factors influenced selection of metrics across all organisations. A strong link was identified between the use of a corporate performance framework and clearly articulated ITSM metrics
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