Accessible and Interactive: New Methods of Data Visualization as Tools for Data Analysis and Information Sharing in Transitional Justice Research

The production and use of datasets is a growing area in transitional justice research. One constant limitation, however, is the way this data is visualized. Relying only on static graphics and tables, many of these datasets are insufficiently explored and analyzed, and remain inaccessible for other researchers. Interactive data visualization tools are an ideal method for overcoming this gap. They are able to adequately present a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data- types, such as geographic, temporal, network, and text data, and their interactive functions allow for a better exploration and understanding of the data. This article examines the visualization needs of transitional justice research, and demonstrates how interactive visualization can facilitate data analysis as well as information sharing. Presenting selected tools for different data types, the article provides hands-on methodological examples for effective handling of transitional justice data using, for example, GIS mapping, Google Motion Charts, and Word Trees

The Impact of Modes, Styles, and Congruence of Control on Agile Teams: Insights from a Multiple Case Study

Agile software development (ASD) strongly relies on social interaction and teamwork. Team processes and agile practices adopted by team members play an important part for the outcome of software development projects. Agile practices promise teams to be able to respond to change by granting them autonomy. Existing studies, however, imply that these projects can benefit from different elements of control. Our objective is to improve our understanding of how to enact control in agile teams and how these control mechanisms influence team autonomy and team performance. In this paper, we present our findings from four case studies conducted within two insurance companies and two software development firms. We found that it is not a question of ‘what’ controls should be exercised, but rather ‘how’ controls are implemented in practice. Our results prompt to the need for further studies on control mechanisms in ASD

“The Second Vice is Lying, the First is Running into Debt.” Antecedents and Mitigating Practices of Social Debt: an Exploratory Study in Distributed Software Development Teams

Although much is known about the concept of technical debt in software development, less is known about its social counterpart, also known as social debt. Social debt refers to future consequences of decisions related to people and their interactions. Omissions in social interactions or reduction of communication can foster social debt – and in turn result in negative outcomes in the long run. In this paper, we explore what factors drive and mitigate social debt in distributed agile software development teams. Utilizing an exploratory case study approach, we derive insights from two case organizations. We present antecedents and mitigating factors of social debt related to communication, collaboration, and coordination

Journey Towards Agility – A Retro- and Prospective Review

After more than 15 years since the Agile Manifesto and extensive research on agile software development (ASD) for nearly three decades, a comprehensive body of knowledge is available and is constantly growing. ASD is considered an effective way for managing software development projects in environments characterized by rapidly changing requirements. This study aims to shed light on the existing knowledge on ASD by applying a structured literature review and computer aided analysis consisting of distinct text mining techniques. We analyzed a sample of 1,376 papers and provide results from articles among relevant information systems research as well as computer science conferences and journals. Based on our approach, we are able to (1) evaluate key articles and journals, (2) analyze the development of ASD research in the last three decades and, most importantly, (3) identify research foci of the past as well as gaps in our knowledge on ASD

Journey towards agility: Three decades of research on agile information systems development

After more than 15 years since the Agile Manifesto and extensive research on agile information systems developmentfor nearly three decades, a comprehensive body of knowledge is available and is constantly growing.Agile information systems developmentis considered an effective way for managing information systems developmentprojects in environments characterized by rapidly changing requirements. This study aims to shed light on the existing knowledge on agile information systems developmentby applying a structured literature review and computer aided analysis consisting of distinct text mining techniques. We analyzed a sample of 775papers and provide results from articles among the Senior Scholars’ Basket, selected information systems conferences,and selected journalsfrom management and computer science. Based on our approach, we are able to (1) evaluate key articles and journals, (2) analyze the development of agile information systems developmentresearch in the last three decades and, most importantly, (3) identify research foci of the past as well asgaps in our knowledge on agile information systems development for further research

Beyond the border: A comparative literature review on communication practices for agile global outsourced software development projects

Software development is increasingly heading in the direction of combining agile software development practices and outsourcingsoftware development to external vendors worldwide. The resultingagile global outsourced software development (AGOSD) projects are characterized by applying agile methods to distributed environments, whichresults in several problems for collaboration and coordination. Specifically, communication between the project participantshas been found to be a major challenge in distributed environment. Therefore, our study investigates the problem of improving communication in distributed settings by identifying suitable communication practicesfor usage within AGOSD projects.Based on an extensive literature review,our study (1) provides an overview of adequate practices for usage in AGOSD and (2) points out differences to traditional communication practices ofagile software development(ASD)projects used in collocated, non-distributed environments

Riociguat treatment in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Final safety data from the EXPERT registry

Objective: The soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat is approved for the treatment of adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable or persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) following Phase

Agile Information Systems Development

Agility in the Balance: Control, Autonomy, and Ambidexterity in Agile Software Development Motivation: Over the past decade, agile approaches to information systems development (ISD) have emerged as a dominant paradigm (Baskerville et al. 2011; Highsmith et al. 2001). A core facet of agile ISD is the principle of team autonomy – providing individual team members and groups the freedom to self-organize and initiate action on their own. Yet extant research paints a conflicted picture of autonomy’s impact on teams. On the one hand, team autonomy has been found to reduce productivity and performance in the context of project teams (Langfred 2004); on the other hand, it has been identified as an important factor in enabling teams to respond to change (Vidgen and Wang 2009). The practical impact of autonomy on performance in agile ISD teams is further complicated by the question of control – understood broadly to mean “any process in which a person or group of persons or organization of persons determines … what another person or group or organization will do” (Tannenbaum 1962, p. 239) As this definition suggests, the exercise of control necessarily implies certain limits on the ideal of team autonomy. Yet, substantial research suggests that control leads to better task performance within a team (Hackman 1987; Zellmer-Bruhn and Gibson 2006), even in agile ISD contexts (Harris et al. 2009a; Kirsch et al. 2002; Persson et al. 2011). Furthermore, the use of agile methods and the exercise of control have been shown to have a positive effect on project quality (Maruping et al. 2009a). Of course, control itself encompasses a range of different mechanisms and forms; most notably, there is a critical distinction between formal and informal modes of control (Kirsch 1997). Disentangling the nuances and effects of varied control modes in the enactment of agile practices may have substantial import for our understanding of effectiveness in agile ISD settings. Despite a range of calls for further research on the impact of control and team autonomy in ISD efforts (Chua et al. 2012; Wiener et al. 2016), the existing evidence remains ambiguous, especially in the field of evolving agile ISD methodologies (Cram and Brohman 2013). Few studies have investigated informal controls and their effects on ISD outcomes, such as software product quality, or their enactment within agile practices (Cram et al. 2016). Goal: Our objective is to improve the understanding of how to enact control through agile practices, and how these practices influence team autonomy and task performance in successful agile ISD projects in terms of project performance and project quality. This is achieved by developing a preliminary research model that is based on a solid theoretical foundation. As a theoretical framework, ISD ambidexterity is employed and extended with context-specific insights from control theory. In consequence, several propositions for future testing are suggested

Journey Towards Agility: Three Decades of Research on Agile Information Systems Development

After more than 15 years since the Agile Manifesto and extensive research on agile information systems development for nearly three decades, a comprehensive body of knowledge is available and is constantly growing. Agile information systems development i