Lean Thinking in Software Development : Impacts of Kanban on Projects

The history of software development in a somewhat systematical way has been performed for half a century. Despite this time period, serious failures in software development projects still occur. The pertinent mission of software project management is to continuously achieve more and more successful projects. The application of agile software methods and more recently the integration of Lean practices contribute to this trend of continuous improvement in the software industry. One such area warranting proper empirical evidence is the operational efficiency of projects. In the field of software development, Kanban as a process management method has gained momentum recently, mostly due to its linkages to Lean thinking. However, only a few empirical studies investigate the impacts of Kanban on projects in that particular area. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to improve the understanding of how Kanban impacts on software projects. The research is carried out in the area of Lean thinking, which contains a variety of concepts including Kanban. This article-type thesis conducts a set of case studies expanded with the research strategy of quasi-controlled experiment. The data-gathering techniques of interviews, questionnaires, and different types of observations are used to study the case projects, and thereby to understand the impacts of Kanban on software development projects. The research papers of the thesis are refereed, international journal and conference publications. The results highlight new findings regarding the application of Kanban in the software context. The key findings of the thesis suggest that Kanban is applicable to software development. Despite its several benefits reported in this thesis, the empirical evidence implies that Kanban is not all-encompassing but requires additional practices to keep development projects performing appropriately. Implications for research are given, as well. In addition to these findings, the thesis contributes in the area of plan-driven software development by suggesting implications both for research and practitioners. As a conclusion, Kanban can benefit software development projects but additional practices would increase its potential for the projects.Virtaviivaiseen ajatteluun (Lean thinking) perustuvaa Kanban-tuotannonohjausmenetelmää on alettu soveltaa prosessimallina ohjelmistotuotannossa. Tällä Japanissa kehitetyllä menetelmällä saavutettiin viime vuosisadan puolessa välissä kehittäjämaan autoteollisuudessa merkittävä kilpailuetu länsimaihin verrattuna. Väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan menetelmän soveltuvuutta ohjelmistotuotantoon, joka prosessinäkökulmasta poikkeaa autonvalmistuksesta. Tulosten mukaan Kanban-menetelmä oikein sovellettuna tehostaa ohjelmistotuotantoprosessia. Virtaviivaisen ajattelun hyötyihin lukeutuvat muun muassa arvoa tuottamattoman työn vähentyminen, hyödyttömän odotusajan minimointi sekä vain tarpeellisten ominaisuuksien toteuttaminen lopputuotteeseen. Ohjelmistoprojektin johtamisessa näiden hyötyjen saavuttaminen merkitsee perinteisistä prosessimalleista luopumista. Virtaviivaisuuteen perustuvaa Kanban-tuotannonohjausmenetelmää on alettu hiljattain soveltaa ohjelmistotuotannossa prosessimallina. Vähäisestä tutkimuksesta johtuen Kanbanin vaikutuksia ohjelmistotuotantoon ei toistaiseksi ole kuitenkaan tunnettu. Väitöskirjatutkimuksen mukaan ohjelmistokehittäjät kokivat Kanbanin intuitiiviseksi ja motivoivaksi menetelmäksi, mikä jo sinällään lisää työn tuottavuutta. Kanbanin avulla kyettiin välttämään turhaa työtä, tehostamaan sekä ongelmanratkaisua että päätöksentekoa ja lisäämään kommunikointia. Tulos tarjoaa merkittävän hyödyntämismahdollisuuden nykyiselle ohjelmistokehitykselle, jossa turhan työn määrä ja keskittyminen toissijaisiin asioihin kasvattavat kustannuksia, lisäävät vastoinkäymisiä ja sitä kautta vähentävät työntekijöiden työmotivaatiota. Kanban visualisoi työprosessin, mikä auttaa hallitsemaan projektitoimintaa joustavasti ja koherentisti: projektin tilanne, ongelmakohdat ja resurssien kuormitus nähdään yhdellä silmäyksellä, ja ongelmien korjaamiseen voidaan siirtää resursseja ilman oleellisia haittavaikutuksia. Yksinkertaisena menetelmänä Kanban sisältää vain vähän ohjeistusta, mikä toisaalta sallii resurssien optimoinnin, mutta toisaalta on yksin riittämätön ohjelmistoprojektin hallitsemiseen kokonaisvaltaisesti. Menetelmän tehokas käyttö edellyttää myös kokemust

Working Towards Success Factors in Software Development Projects

D.2.9 Management – programming teams, productivity K.6.3 Software Management – software processSoftware projects are born and die but their problems remain. While equipment and tools are more powerful than ever before, the success rates of the projects are still poor. This report addresses project failures and their reasons based on the literature. In addition, key subjects for improving one’s own projects are presented. Awareness of underlying weaknesses in these projects makes it possible to find targets for improvements. The report mainly focuses on software engineering projects. However, the viewpoint can be applied education (e.g. capstone software project) as well as to improve situational awareness in student projects and to recognize problems in early stages of those projects. As a result, this report eases the work of project managers and supervisors by addressing key points of failures and success. With this knowledge, managers and supervisors can tailor a specific questionnaire to find targets of improvements from their projects

Epidemiology of laboratory-confirmed influenza among kidney transplant recipients compared to the general population-A nationwide cohort study

Seasonal influenza causes morbidity and mortality after organ transplantation. We quantified the detection of laboratory-confirmed influenza among kidney transplant recipients compared to the general population in a nationwide cohort. All laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza and hospitalizations due to influenza among all kidney transplant recipients in our country between 1995 and 2017 were captured with database linkage from statutory national registries. Data from the general population of Finland, population 5.5 million, were used for comparisons. Annual incidences of influenza and hospitalizations due to influenza, and standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated. Altogether 3904 kidney transplant recipients with a total follow-up of 37 175 patient-years were included. Incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza was 9.0 per 1000 patient years in 2003-2019, and 18.0 per 1000 patient years during 2015-2019. The risk of laboratory-confirmed influenza was significantly higher among kidney transplant recipients compared to the general population (SIR 5.1, 95% CI 4.5-5.7). SIR for hospitalization due to influenza was 4.4 (95% CI 3.4-4.7). Mortality of the hospitalized patients was 9%, and 5% of the patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Detection of laboratory-confirmed influenza is increased fivefold and risk of hospitalization due to influenza more than fourfold among kidney transplant recipients compared to the general population.Peer reviewe

Kansallinen diabeteslaaturekisteri : Esiselvitys tietosisällöstä ja kehittämispolusta

Diabeteksen hoidon laatua seurataan vaihtelevasti ja eri menettelyin. Sairaanhoitopiiri tai yksityinen palveluntarjoaja on saattanut kehittää organisaatiokohtaisia ratkaisuja. Nykyinen laatutieto ei ole vertailukelpoista. Tulevan sote-uudistuksen myötä korostuu tarve saada kattavasti vertailukelpoista tietoa keskeisten kansantautien kuten diabeteksen hoidon laadun, vaikuttavuuden ja kustannusvaikuttavuuden arviointiin. Tietosisältöihin ja kehittämistarpeisiin rajautuvassa esiselvityksessä esitetään malli kansallisen diabeteslaaturekisterin perustamiselle. Esiselvityksessä tarkastellaan diabetesrekisterien nykytilaa Suomessa ja kansainvälisesti. Samalla kuvataan yhtenäisen kansallisen diabeteslaaturekisterin tavoitetilan periaatteita, kehittämisajureita, tietojen hyödyntämisen ydinprosessit, sidosryhmät, tiedon elinkaari ja tietolähteet. Rekisterin indikaattorit on ryhmitelty seuraavasti: demografiset tiedot, diabetesdiagnoosi, omahoito ja seuranta, ennaltaehkäisy, lisäsairaudet ja komplikaatiot, hoitomuoto, laboratoriokokeet, elämänlaatu ja toimintakyky sekä palveluiden käyttö. Tietolähteinä ovat Kanta-palvelujen tietovarannot. Indikaattorien saatavuutta on arvioitu kolmena ajankohtana: nykytilanteessa, vuonna 2021 (sote-uudistuksen alkuvaihe) ja tietopohjan kehityttyä noin vuonna 2024. Esiselvityksen lopuksi tunnistetaan kansallisen diabeteslaaturekisterin jatkokehittämistarpeita. Niitä ovat mm. omahoitotietojen ja genomitietojen hyödyntäminen. Myös raportointia ja analytiikkaa palvelevia tietomalleja tarvitaan

How do Software Developers Experience Team Performance in Lean and Agile Environments?

Context: Companies increasingly strive to adapt to market and ecosystem changes in real time. Evaluating team performance in such changing environments presents a major challenge. Objective: This paper aims to understand how software developers experience performance in a highly volatile environment. This understanding could be used as a basis for guiding formation and maintenance of high-performing teams. Method: A qualitative multiple-case study using thematic interviews was conducted with 16 experienced practitioners in five organisations. Results: We found 33 major categories of performance factors, arranged as a theoretical structure that explains how the subjects experience software team performance. Conclusions: Based on our study, software teams are engaged in a constant cycle of interpreting their performance and aligning it with other stakeholders. Enhancing performance experiences requires integration of soft factors, such as communication, team spirit, and team identity, into the overall development process.Peer reviewe

Performance Alignment Work : How software developers experience the continuous adaptation of team performance in Lean and Agile environments

Context: Companies increasingly strive to adapt to market and ecosystem changes in real time. Gauging and understanding team performance in such changing environments present a major challenge. Objective: This paper aims to understand how software developers experience the continuous adaptation of performance in a modern, highly volatile environment using Lean and Agile software development methodology. This understanding can be used as a basis for guiding formation and maintenance of high-performing teams, to inform performance improvement initiatives, and to improve working conditions for software developers. Method: A qualitative multiple-case study using thematic interviews was conducted with 16 experienced practitioners in five organisations. Results: We generated a grounded theory, Performance Alignment Work, showing how software developers experience performance. We found 33 major categories of performance factors and relationships between the factors. A cross-case comparison revealed similarities and differences between different kinds and different sizes of organisations. Conclusions: Based on our study, software teams are engaged in a constant cycle of interpreting their own performance and negotiating its alignment with other stakeholders. While differences across organisational sizes exist, a common set of performance experiences is present despite differences in context variables. Enhancing performance experiences requires integration of soft factors, such as communication, team spirit, team identity, and values, into the overall development process. Our findings suggest a view of software development and software team performance that centres around behavioural and social sciences.Peer reviewe

Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus placebo surgery for a degenerative meniscus tear : a 2-year follow-up of the randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess if arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) is superior to placebo surgery in the treatment of patients with degenerative tear of the medial meniscus. Methods In this multicentre, randomised, participant-blinded and outcome assessor-blinded, placebo-surgery controlled trial, 146 adults, aged 35-65 years, with knee symptoms consistent with degenerative medial meniscus tear and no knee osteoarthritis were randomised to APM or placebo surgery. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the change from baseline in the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) and Lysholm knee scores and knee pain after exercise at 24 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the frequency of unblinding of the treatment-group allocation, participants' satisfaction, impression of change, return to normal activities, the incidence of serious adverse events and the presence of meniscal symptoms in clinical examination. Two subgroup analyses, assessing the outcome on those with mechanical symptoms and those with unstable meniscus tears, were also carried out. Results In the intention-to-treat analysis, there were no significant between-group differences in the mean changes from baseline to 24 months in WOMET score: 27.3 in the APM group as compared with 31.6 in the placebo-surgery group (between-group difference, -4.3; 95% CI, -11.3 to 2.6); Lysholm knee score: 23.1 and 26.3, respectively (-3.2; -8.9 to 2.4) or knee pain after exercise, 3.5 and 3.9, respectively (-0.4; -1.3 to 0.5). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in any of the secondary outcomes or within the analysed subgroups. Conclusions In this 2-year follow-up of patients without knee osteoarthritis but with symptoms of a degenerative medial meniscus tear, the outcomes after APM were no better than those after placebo surgery. No evidence could be found to support the prevailing ideas that patients with presence of mechanical symptoms or certain meniscus tear characteristics or those who have failed initial conservative treatment are more likely to benefit from APM.Peer reviewe