A process for post-implementation IT benchmarking

Post-implementation learning involves continuing improvements in how effectively information technology (IT) is utilized. This kind of IT learning is a core competency that may determine the competitiveness of firms in information intensive industries. While many chief information officers (CIOs) may have some experience with infrastructure, user satisfaction, or business process benchmarking, few firms benchmark how effectively IT is utilized or its impact on the user’s work.This paper proposes a web-enabled process for benchmarking IT outcomes (effective use and impacts) and diagnosing problems with the user’s learning. This process is based on an explicit causal model of how induced and autonomous learning factors drive IT usage and impacts. The proposed process enables internal versus “best-in-class” causal analysis. We discuss the common considerations and key issues involved in implementing this IT benchmarking process.     

A methodology and tool environment for process analysis and reengineering

Most private and public organizations have recently turned their attention to the process by which they operate, to improve service and product quality and customer satisfaction. To support business process reengineering, methods and tools for process modeling and analysis are required. The paper presents the ARTEMIS methodology and associated tool environment for business process analysis for reengineering. In the ARTEMIS methodological framework, business processes are modeled as workflows and are analyzed according to an organizational structure perspective and an operational structure perspective. With these two perspectives, the analyst can plan reengineering interventions based on the degree of autonomy/dependency of organization units in terms of coupling, and the inter-process semantic correspondences, in terms of data and operation similarity, respectively. The ARTEMIS methodology and associated tool environment have been conceived and applied in the framework of the PROGRESS research project. In the paper, we report on a reengineering case study of this project involving the Italian Ministry of Justice.     

A software tool for the construction and maintenance of structured analysis notation

This paper describes a portable software tool used for the processing and maintenance of data flow diagrams which form the basis of structured analysis techniques. The tool itself is based on the idea that data flow diagrams can be modelled by means of semantic nets and can be manipulated by a semantic net processor. A major feature of the tool is the facilities it provides for the maintenance programmer.     

一种弹性的软件过程模型验证工具

过程模型验证是保证软件过程定义正确性的重要手段.针对目前过程模型验证中的一些问题,首先提出了一种以活动为中心的软件过程元模型,并以XML对其进行描述.在此基础上,从行为、资源、组织视图结合的角度,提出了保证软件过程模型正确性的语义约束规则.最后,提出了一种弹性的用于验证XML描述的过程模型的机制,并基于此实现了过程模型验证工具,来验证过程模型的正确性.     

Understanding the IT/business partnership: A business process perspective

From a business process perspective, the business value of information technologies (IT) stems from how they improve or enable business processes. At the same time, in the field of strategic IT/business alignment, the locus of discussion has been how IT/business partnerships enhance the value of IT. Despite this apparent relationship, the business process perspective has been absent from the IT/business alignment discussion. In this paper, we use the case of an industrial company to develop a model for understanding IT/business partnerships in business process terms. Based on our findings, we define these partnerships by allocating responsibilities between central IT and the local business during two stages of a process lifecycle: formation and standardization. The significance of the findings lies in how the model’s configuration leads to different types of IT units’ process centricity. This in turn affects the ability of the company as a whole to transform its operations with IT.     

IT2000: A critical appraisal of Singapore's state-wide strategic planning process for information technology

In April 1992, the Singapore Government announced its information technology (IT) vision and plan for the next 15 years to turn Singapore into ‘an intelligent island’, providing a strategic regional switching centre for expertise, goods, services and information. At the heart of this plan is a national information infrastructure that would capitalize on information as a key factor of production and an important ingredient for enhancing the quality of life of its people. Code named ‘IT2000’, the plan was developed by 60 senior managers at the National Computer Board in 1991 with participation and inputs from about 200 business and industry leaders, domain experts and academics. This paper describes the background of Singapore's drive into the information age, the IT2000 planning process, the roles of various participants and the main recommendations of the plan. An evaluation of IT2000 is made in terms of its objectives, its unanticipated results and its impacts on industry participants. Implications and lessons are drawn for strategic IT planning at the national or sectoral level.     

IT process designs for improving information quality and reducing exception handling: A simulation experiment

Exceptions are cases that cannot be handled adequately in automated information processes (IP); but they can significantly affect IP performance. This research develops a model that captures the exception handling activities required in operational-level information processes. The model is sufficiently general to allow evaluation of the performance of information flow processes employing any combination of people and information technologies (IT). It is used to evaluate alternative designs for using IT to improve the quality of the information produced from IP while reducing the resources required for exception handling. In two simulation experiments using the model, advanced IT improved information quality significantly. They did not, however, always reduce flow time and human resource time. These results provide support for justifying the use of advanced IT in organizations for information quality improvement.     

Improving IT effectiveness through software process assessment

This paper provides some answers to the frequently asked question: what proof is there that process management gives measurable benefit in practice? We report the results of an improvement programme that is helping to improve the effectiveness of Scotland's IT community. This programme is currently operating in over 20 organizations and uses software process assessment as a key element. The majority of organizations have been on the programme for over a year and we have found that benefits can be obtained as early as six months from the outset of an assessment-based improvement programme. Using the experience of working with these organizations, we discuss how to set up an improvement programme and define the roles, responsibilities and critical factors that we have found successful.     

应用型本科院校IT专业数据挖掘课程建设

针对国内应用型本科院校数据挖掘课程内容差异问题,分析了不同专业的培养目标,从数据挖掘三大功能出发,给出了IT类专业数据挖掘课程的内容体系和学时安排;分析了防灾科技学院最近两届学生数据挖掘课程的教学效果,结论为:合理的理论内容设置和实验训练,配合恰当的教学方法,可以提高学生的学习兴趣,激发学习热情,提高实际动手能力,从而达到人才培养目标。     

A Business Case for IT Investments

The US federal government is making strides in its adoption of a new model for assessing IT assets. This new model could inform capital asset selection for years to come.     

A software inspection process definition language and prototype support tool

Software inspection is a widely used method for finding defects in all types of software development documents. Many process variations exist, each designed for use under certain circumstances or to address some perceived deficiency in other methods. A desirable attribute of inspection is rigour, allowing the use of historical data to predict future performance and to suggest process improvements. Recent work in tool support for inspection is designed to tackle the issue of enforcing rigorous inspection, but these tools concentrate on enforcing a single, usually proprietary, method. This paper investigates existing inspection methods and derives a generic inspection process which can be used to describe any of these methods. This process is then used to determine a notation for describing any inspection process, which can consequently be used as input to an inspection support tool, allowing the support of any inspection method. The paper also demonstrates a system which uses the language to provide support for multiple inspection processes, and describes other desirable features of such a tool. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Issues in software engineering tool construction

A brief introduction to software engineering tools is presented, and issues involved in the construction of these tools are discussed. Some of the current issues concerning tool developers are highlighted, which include: metaCASE technology, cognitive support, evaluation and validation of tools and data interchange. Some recent developments in tool construction techniques are examined, and opportunities for further research and development in tool building are identified.     

Optimal tool selection for pocket machining in process planning

In process planning for pocket machining, selection of tool size, tool path, cutting width at each tool path, and calculation of machining time are very important factors for optimal process planning. The tool size is the most important factor because the other factors depend on tool size. Therefore, the optimal selection of tool size is the most essential task in pocket machining process planning. This paper presents a method for selecting optimal tools for pocket machining for the components of injection mold. The branch and bound method is applied to select the optimal tools which minimize the machining time by using the range of feasible tools and the breadth-first search.     

Generative methods and the design process: A design tool for conceptual settlement planning

This paper implores the possible intervention of computers in the generative (concept) stage of settlement planning. The objective was to capture the complexity and character of naturally grown fishing settlements through simple rules and incorporate them in the process of design. A design tool was developed for this purpose. This design tool used a generative evolutionary design technique, which is based on multidisciplinary methods. Facets of designing addressed in this research are:

• •allocation of each design element's space and geometry,
• •defining the rules, constraints and relationships governing the elements of design,
• •the purposeful search for better alternative solutions,
• •quantitative evaluation of the solution based on spatial, comfort, complexity criterions to ensure the needed complexity, usability in the solutions.

Generative design methods such as geometric optimization, shape grammars and genetic algorithms have been combined for achieving the above purposes.The allocation of space has been achieved by geometric optimization techniques, which allocate spaces by proliferation of a simple shape unit. This research conducts an analysis of various naturally grown fishing settlements and identifies the features that would be essential to recreate such an environment. Features such as the essential elements, their relationships, hierarchy, and order in the settlement pattern, which resulted due to the occupational and cultural demands of the fisher folk, are analysed. The random but ordered growth of the settlement is captured as rules and relations. These rules propel and guide the whole process of design generation.These rules and certain constraints, restrictions control the random arrangement of the shape units. This research limits itself to conducting exhaustive search in the prescribed solution search space defined a priori by the rules and relationships. This search within a bounded space can be compared to the purposeful, constrained decision making process involved in designing.The generated solutions use the evolutionary concept of genetic algorithms to deduce solutions within the predefined design solution search space. Simple evolutionary concepts such as reproduction, crossover and mutation aid this search process. These concepts transform by swapping/interchanging the genetic properties (the constituent data/material making up the solution) of two generated solutions to produce alternate solutions. Thus the genetic algorithm finds a series of new solutions. With such a tool in hand various possibilities of design solutions could be analysed and compared. A thorough search of possible solutions ensures a deeper probe essential for a good design.The spatial quality, comfort quality of the solutions are compared and graded (fitness value) against the standard stipulations. These parameters look at the solution in the context of the whole and not as parts and most of these parameters could be improved only at the expense of another. The tool is able to produce multiple equally good solutions to the same problem, possibly with one candidate solution optimizing one parameter and another candidate optimizing a different one. The final choice of the suitable solution is made based on the user's preferences and objectives.The tool is tested for an existing fishing settlement. This was done to check for its credibility and to see if better alternatives evolved. The existing settlement is analysed based on the evaluation parameters used in the tool and compared with the generated solutions. The results of the tool has proved that simple rules when applied recursively within constraints would provide solutions that are unpredictable and also would resonate the qualities of the knowledge from which the rules were distilled from. The complex whole generated has often exhibited emergent properties and thus opens up new avenues of thinking.     

QUICK: a tool for graphical user-interface construction by non-programmers

The last decade has placed the superiority of graphical user interfaces over traditional text-based approaches beyond dispute. In almost all contexts, users have found graphical interfaces easier to learn, faster to use, and less error-prone. However, it has been shown that the creation of powerful graphical interfaces takes up to 80% of the time required to develop an application. In our work, we seek to extend the benefits of graphical interaction to the next layer of computer user—the interface designer. Our work in this area is distinguished from other efforts by two important differences. First, while other efforts focus primarily on the design of standard user interfaces, our approach emphasizes the creation of unique and innovative interfaces by supporting, among other things, arbitrary user-designed graphical representations, direct specification of animation, and digitized sound. Second, our goal is to cater to the nonprogrammer. Thus, we address a challenging trade-off: maximizing power and flexibility in an extremely simple environment. We explore the utility of the prototype object-oriented paradigm, a high-level userinterface language, and a direct-manipulation programming environment in this context.     

The Ontolingua Server: a tool for collaborative ontology construction

Reusable ontologies are becoming increasingly important for tasks such as information integration, knowledge-level interoperation and knowledge-base development. We have developed a set of tools and services to support the process of achieving consensus on commonly shared ontologies by geographically distributed groups. These tools make use of the World Wide Web to enable wide access and provide users with the ability to publish, browse, create and edit ontologies stored on anontology server. Users can quickly assemble a new ontology from a library of modules. We discuss how our system was constructed, how it exploits existing protocols and browsing tools, and our experience supporting hundreds of users. We describe applications using our tools to achieve consensus on ontologies and to integrate information.The Ontolingua Server may be accessed through the URLhttp://ontolingua.stanford.edu     

Recognition of process patterns for BIM-based construction schedules

Construction scheduling is a very demanding and time intensive process. Building information modeling (BIM) is becoming increasingly important for planning and scheduling, as it provides significant support for this difficult assignment. Further improvements can be achieved by applying predefined process templates for BIM-based schedules. It can reduce the planning time and thus increase the productivity. However, a manual definition of proper and application-specific process templates is very challenging. The automatic detection of recurring similar configurations of construction processes, called process patterns, would greatly support this complex task. Identified process patterns can be subsequently generalized, supporting the design of process templates. This contribution presents an overall concept for process pattern recognition in BIM-based construction schedules by applying graph-based methods. Due to the fact that graph matching algorithms are in general very time- and resource-consuming, an indexing technique based on features is used to solve this problem more efficiently. The paper focuses on the estimation of similarity in construction schedules, describing feature-based methods and similarity measure definitions in detail. Another emphasis is the preparation of schedules for the recognition of process patterns, including decomposition of schedules into smaller parts, referred to as subschedules, and normalization of features. The potential of this concept is demonstrated by two different case studies. The proper results of the evaluation show that the proposed method and similarity metrics are sufficient for the recognition of process patterns in construction schedules.     

The role of IT human capability in the knowledge transfer process in IT outsourcing context

Our research attempted to identify the behavioral process of knowledge transfer by examining the effects of IT human capability, human character, trust, and cooperative learning on it in an IT outsourcing situation. By analysing data collected from vendor and client matched-pair samples of 87 IT outsourcing projects, we found that both the client's and the vendor's character influenced trust, trust affects on cooperative learning, and the cooperative learning influence on knowledge transfer. More importantly, it we found that the client's IT human capability had a direct impact on cooperative learning and knowledge transfer. This indicated that client's IT human capability was a crucial factor in effective knowledge transfer during IT outsourcing. It also implied that client firms should identify and retain some IT personnel who can apply vendors’ competencies in IT practice and respond effectively to any technological challenges.