5 research outputs found
An evolutionary software project management maturity model for developing countries
The evidence of project management is known for centuries as can be
observed from the construction of the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of
China. In the modern age, project-based approaches are increasingly being
adopted in almost all areas of product development. Project management has
emerged as a specialised discipline since the importance of completing projects
within time, cost and quality constraints is crucial for organisations to continue
to survive in the competitive world.
Project Management, in general, has been developed under the assumption of
economic, political, cultural and social rationality. Little is known about
indigenous project management in developing countries. The concepts and
principles put forward in Western/European countries have been applied to
developing countries without much prior studies. Developing nations are
struggling constantly to maintain their projects within the constraints of time,
cost and quality. Software development companies have found it difficult to
adopt methodologies/models/standards that have shown evidence of success in
the developed world.
This thesis comprises the study of software project management in developing
countries. Mauritius, as an instance of developing countries, with problems
related to social, economic, cultural and political conditions are discussed.
However, these conditions differ from country to country. It is believed that
adjustments are required in a software project management framework to fit the
requirements of a country.
An evolutionary software project management maturity model is proposed for
managing software development in developing countries. This model adopts an
evolutionary approach, whereby areas of interest (called key process areas)
progressively attain maturity. Three levels of maturity are defined along with
key process areas that are applicable over all the maturity levels (called the
i
continuous process improvement group of KPAs). The model is also applied to
two software projects in Mauritius to test its effectiveness. Given the studies
carried out and its successful application to the Mauritian context, this model for
software project management is expected to contribute towards a higher
software project success rate. Notwithstanding the application in the Mauritian
context, it is plausible that other developing countries may also customise this
model as similar problems occur across these countries.ComputingD.Phil. (Computer Science
EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MAURITIUS
Naturalresources are depleting rapidly, the bio-sphere is being affected. To counter those disasters, the concept ofsustainable development (SD) has seen light and as a result of it, educationfor sustainable development (ESD), since SD cannot be achieved withouteducation. Educators play a pivotal role in the basic education of youngstersand they are considered as the change agents responsible to carry out anychanges in the education sector. Theirperceptions of the changes occurring in their teaching are primordial sincethey help situate any possible flaws. This study attempts at examining State Secondary Educators’ perceptionsabout the integration of ESD in secondary education. The possible barriers to its implementationare in addition highlighted. Moreover,remedies to counter those barriers are also brought forward. The study confirms the key role of Educatorsin mainstreaming ESD in secondary schools. ESD has also been seen to positively contribute to the overalldevelopment of students, making them responsible citizens and developingessential skills in them. In additionthe study reveals that the Mauritian educational system is still lagging behindsince it is still very traditional concentrating on dissemination of knowledgeand targeting exams instead of developing lifelong learning skills to face anddeal with future challenges.KEYWORDS:Education, sustainable development, ICT, Mauritius, state secondary schools
Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology An Assessment of Software Project Management Maturity in Mauritius
Abstract It is sometimes very difficult for an organization to adopt a specific software project management methodology in a short space of time. It requires sufficient time, adequate financial support and skilled human resources in order to start with a comprehensive methodology. It is, however, often more appropriate to use a maturity model so as to progress from one maturity level to the next. Assessment of the maturity level of an organization provides a good benchmark to rate the success of its operations. One such exercise was carried out in South Africa in 2003, and the overall average project management maturity was found to be 2.92 (Sonnekus & Labuschagne, 2004) on a scale of 1 to 5. The maturity level was found to be closely linked to the success rate of projects. In this paper we report on a similar exercise conducted in Mauritius regarding the maturity level of software development projects. The average maturity of software development companies in Mauritius can provide a useful indication of, among others, the current status of software project management with a view of bringing about improvement in this sector. Given that Mauritian software development companies are making use of European/Western software project management methodologies, this study has been carried out and a preliminary attempt was made to also assess their ability to deal with factors related to cultural, social, economic and political situation within the local context. These factors, when incorporated into existing project management methodologies, can bridge the gap between developing and developed countries and also contribute towards the globalization of software project management
Accommodating soft skills in software project management
Software project management probably is a sector that has witnessed the highest rate of project
failure in the world. This is not the case with project management concerned with other disciplines
due to better management of their inherent strengths and weaknesses.
Hard skills, often described as a science and comprising processes, tools and techniques applied
to projects are the main focus of many project management methodologies. Extensive research
has been carried out in the project management domain with greater focus on hard skills. Soft
skills described as an art, are very often ignored during software project management. Such skills,
acquired through experience, are concerned with managing and working with people, ensuring
customer satisfaction and creating a conducive environment for the project team to deliver high
quality products within budget and on time and exceeding stakeholder expectations.
This paper summarizes the soft skills that can possibly improve the success rate of software projects.
These projects, if not managed properly can lead to escalation of budget and time schedules
beyond expectations. Deterioration of quality may be inevitable while deploying efforts to deal
with cost overrun and schedule extension.
Research in the field of soft skills required has been carried out at the University of Arkansas.
The results show that IT organizations are conscious of the need for soft skills. Furthermore, a
number of organizations, like Polaris, Sun Microsystems and Mastek have found it necessary to
include soft skills in their training agenda.School of Computin