Process assessment for use in very small enterprises: the NOEMI assess-ment methodology

This paper relates to the development and the experimentation of an IT process assessment methodology especially designed to be used in very small enterprises (VSEs). This methodology, called NOEMI , has been developed as a critical part of a public research project of the Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor (Luxembourg). Initially the main objective of the NOEMI process assessment methodology was to contribute directly to the implementation of a collaborative IT-sourcing model, developed in the same re-search project. The process portfolio aims at a whole coverage of the usual IT-practices in VSEs. It is business value-driven and designed in five process areas: infrastructure, service support, management, security, and documentation. The processes themselves are based on a combined approach of ISO/IEC 15504 and the IT Infrastructure Library. The capability model defined in the NOEMI methodology explores the gap between level 0 and level 1 of ISO/IEC 15504 in order to match in a more accurate manner with the reality of VSEs. The capability profile has four levels and is performed for the process areas and not for the processes themselves, so allowing easy comparison between VSEs. We are now performing the seventh experimentation of the NOEMI assessment methodology. Each case has been a success according to the feedback of the VSEs. And we are considering the transfer of our methodology to French and Belgian partners through dissemination projects. It leads us to promote the NOEMI assessment methodology as a public package tool especially designed for use in a VSE context, which aims to enhance business value through IT. This paper introduces the methodology and considerations based on case studies.Assessment methodology, capability model, process portfolio, very small enterprise, service management, SPICE, improvement program, ITIL.

NOEMI, a collaborative management for ICT process improvement in SME: experience report

This paper relates to an R&D project – called NOEMI – aiming to propose to SME’s a collaborative management of their respective information systems in terms of quality, reliability and cost. The targeted SME are those without IT dedicated internal staff. The model developed in the project focuses on the usual IT activities of the SME’s, which are classified in five domains: infrastructure, support, management, security, and documentation. The NOEMI model has been successfully experimented with PME partners for validation pur-pose. This paper insists on the experimentation of the NOEMI model. The results are discussed and compared with other classical solutions usually encountered within IT practices of SME’s. The last part of the paper draws the perspectives opened with the model according to the results of its experimentation.IT Service Management, collaborative management, SME, process assessment, process improvement.

Développement et expérimentation d'un modèle de gestion collaborative des pratiques informatiques à l'usage des petites et moyennes entreprises

This paper relates to the experimental draft of the model of collaborative management of ICT practices for use in SME, developed as part of a project of the Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor. This model aims to propose to SME an optimized management of their respective information system in terms of quality, reliability and cost. It is currently being experimented with SME partners. The results are promising and should allow at the end of the project to validate the model in its final release

The Stefan-Boltzmann law in a small box and the pressure deficit in hot SU(N) lattice gauge theory

The blackbody radiation in a box L^3 with periodic boundary conditions in thermal equilibrium at a temperature T is affected by finite-size effects. These bring about modifications of the thermodynamic functions which can be expressed in a closed form in terms of the dimensionless parameter LT. For instance, when LT~4 - corresponding to the value where the most reliable SU(N) gauge lattice simulations have been performed above the deconfining temperature T_c - the deviation of the free energy density from its thermodynamic limit is about 5%. This may account for almost half of the pressure deficit observed in lattice simulations at T~ 4 T_c.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures v2:a side remark on the final result and references adde

NOEMI, a collaborative management for ICT process improvement in SME: experience report

This paper relates to an R&D project – called NOEMI – aiming to propose to SME’s a collaborative management of their respective information systems in terms of quality, reliability and cost. The targeted SME are those without IT dedicated internal staff. The model developed in the project focuses on the usual IT activities of the SME’s, which are classified in five domains: infrastructure, support, management, security, and documentation. The NOEMI model has been successfully experimented with PME partners for validation pur-pose. This paper insists on the experimentation of the NOEMI model. The results are discussed and compared with other classical solutions usually encountered within IT practices of SME’s. The last part of the paper draws the perspectives opened with the model according to the results of its experimentation

NOEMI, a collaborative management for ICT process improvement in SME: experience report

This paper relates to an R&D project – called NOEMI – aiming to propose to SME’s a collaborative management of their respective information systems in terms of quality, reliability and cost. The targeted SME are those without IT dedicated internal staff. The model developed in the project focuses on the usual IT activities of the SME’s, which are classified in five domains: infrastructure, support, management, security, and documentation. The NOEMI model has been successfully experimented with PME partners for validation pur-pose. This paper insists on the experimentation of the NOEMI model. The results are discussed and compared with other classical solutions usually encountered within IT practices of SME’s. The last part of the paper draws the perspectives opened with the model according to the results of its experimentation