Source-code comprehension tasks supported by UML design models: Results from a controlled experiment and a differentiated replication

Objective: The main objective is to investigate whether the comprehension of object-oriented source-code increases when it is added with UML class and sequence diagrams produced in the software design phase.Methods: We conducted a controlled experiment and a differentiated replication with young software maintainers. In particular, groups of Bachelor and Master students were involved.Results: The results show that more experienced participants better comprehend source-code when added with UML design models. An average improvement (or benefit) of circa 12% was achieved when the participants accomplished the comprehension task with UML class and sequence diagrams. The results of an analysis on the time to accomplish comprehension tasks showed that less experienced participants significantly spent more time when comprehending source-code with UML design models. This kind of participants spent on average 44.8% of the time to accomplish the same task with source-code alone.Implications: It is useless to give UML design models to comprehend source-code in case maintainers are not adequately experienced with the UML. Furthermore, the less the experience of participants, the more the time to accomplish a comprehension task with UML diagram is.     

Information systems management and strategy formulation: the 'stages of growth' model revisited

Abstract. The original 'stages of growth' model, as applied to the field of Information Systems (Gibson & Nolan, 1974), may be viewed as seminal, given the influence it has had on both theory and practice (Nolan, 1984; Sullivan, 1985; Ward, et al., 1990). This is so, despite the model's lack of substantiation based on empirical evidence, the overly simplistic assumptions on which it is based, and the limited focus of the original concept (Benbasat, et al., 1984; King & Kraemer, 1984).
Since its first appearance, the model has been refined following many applications (Nolan, 1979, 1984). In addition, others have developed 'stages of growth' models of their own. For example, Somogyi & Galliers, (1987a, b)provide a model depicting the move from basic data processing systems to strategic information systems, tracing the early days of commercial applications of computing through to the present day (Ward et al. 1990). Earl (1983, 1986, 1988, 1989) proposes a stages-model for information systems planning, as does Bhabuta (1988), while Hirschheim, et al. (1988) have developed a more broadly focused model associated with the development of the information-systems management function.
As a result of a review of the above and of a case study research undertaken in Perth, Western Australia, a revised model was developed, which takes account of current thinking and past experience in the application of the various 'stages of growth' models (Sutherland & Galliers, 1989).
This paper sets out to review some of these models and proceeds to describe the process of developing, testing and applying the revised 'stages of growth' model. The model is more broadly focused than the original concept, incorporating strategic, organizational, human resource and management considerations. As a result, it is argued that this model has greater utility than its predecessors.     

When success turns into failure: a package-driven business process re-engineering project in the financial services industry

This article discusses a Business Process Re-engineering project that involved the implementation of an enterprise resource planning software package. Although the project was deemed to be a success when the system was first delivered, this initial success soon turned to failure. While the short-term financial results were spectacular, the long-term implications of the changes were more worrying. This paper raises many questions about the meaning of “success.” In particular, it shows how a “successful implementation” can, within a relatively short space of time, turn into failure.     

Impact of test-driven development on productivity, code and tests: A controlled experiment

Context

Test-driven development is an approach to software development, where automated tests are written before production code in highly iterative cycles. Test-driven development attracts attention as well as followers in professional environment; however empirical evidence of its superiority regarding its effect on productivity, code and tests compared to test-last development is still fairly limited. Moreover, it is not clear if the supposed benefits come from writing tests before code or maybe from high iterativity/short development cycles.

Objective

This paper describes a family of controlled experiments comparing test-driven development to micro iterative test-last development with emphasis on productivity, code properties (external quality and complexity) and tests (code coverage and fault-finding capabilities).

Method

Subjects were randomly assigned to test-driven and test-last groups. Controlled experiments were conducted for two years, in an academic environment and in different developer contexts (pair programming and individual programming contexts). Number of successfully implemented stories, percentage of successful acceptance tests, McCabe’s code complexity, code coverage and mutation score indicator were measured.

Results

Experimental results and their selective meta-analysis show no statistically significant differences between test-driven development and iterative test-last development regarding productivity (χ²(6) = 4.799, p = 1.0, r = .107, 95% CI (confidence interval): −.149 to .349), code complexity (χ²(6) = 8.094, p = .46, r = .048, 95% CI: −.254 to .341), branch coverage (χ²(6) = 13.996, p = .059, r = .182, 95% CI: −.081 to .421), percentage of acceptance tests passed (one experiment, Mann-Whitney U = 125.0, p = .98, r = .066) and mutation score indicator (χ²(4) = 3.807, p = .87, r = .128, 95% CI: −.162 to .398).

Conclusion

According to our findings, the benefits of test-driven development compared to iterative test-last development are small and thus in practice relatively unimportant, although effects are positive. There is an indication of test-driven development endorsing better branch coverage, but effect size is considered small.     

Strategies for implementing decision technology systems successfully: a field study in army housing management

A decision technology system (DTS) has been proposed to provide direct support for the entire decision‐making process. In the 1990s, the concept was implemented in stages to facilitate US Army housing management. This implementation has been the first successful field application of the DTS theory. Recent enhancements confirmed earlier insights and offered important new lessons in developing, implementing, and benefiting from DTSs. This paper discusses the original insights and fresh lessons. To provide a context, the article first briefly describes the enhancements and presents a typical, but streamlined, system session. The paper then summarizes the documented gains from implementing the DTS theory, reports the utilized strategies, and infers the implications for the systems analysis and design process.     

Examining business value of customer relationship management systems: IT usage and two-stage model perspectives

Empirical evidence for the business value of customer relationship management (CRM) systems remains unsolid in IS studies. This study proposes a new model for CRM value according to IT/IS usage theory and “two-stage model.” Empirical tests show that operational benefits of CRM are reflected in firms’ high revenue per employee, which leads to high profitability; strategic benefits of CRM are reflected in firms’ high customer satisfaction, which leads to high profitability and market valuation. Firm size positively moderates the operational and strategic benefits of CRM, while the industry’s product differentiation level negatively moderates operational and strategic benefits of CRM.     

Caterpillar: A business process execution engine on the Ethereum blockchain

Blockchain platforms, such as Ethereum, allow a set of actors to maintain a ledger of transactions without relying on a central authority and to deploy programs, called smart contracts, that are executed whenever certain transactions occur. These features can be used as basic building blocks for executing collaborative business processes between mutually untrusting parties. However, implementing business processes using the low-level primitives provided by blockchain platforms is cumbersome and error-prone. In contrast, established business process management systems (BPMSs), such as those based on the standard Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), provide convenient abstractions for rapid development of process-oriented applications. This article demonstrates how to combine the advantages of a BPMS with those of a blockchain platform. The article introduces a blockchain-based BPMN execution engine, named Caterpillar. Like any BPMN execution engine, Caterpillar supports the creation of instances of a process model and allows users to monitor the state of process instances and to execute tasks thereof. The specificity of Caterpillar is that the state of each process instance is maintained on the (Ethereum) blockchain and the workflow routing is performed by smart contracts generated by a BPMN-to-Solidity compiler. The Caterpillar compiler supports a large array of BPMN constructs, including subprocesses, multiple-instance activities, and event handlers. The paper describes the architecture of Caterpillar and the interfaces it provides to support the monitoring of process instances, the allocation and execution of work items, and the execution of service tasks.     

管理信息系统业务流程的OWL本体模型*

针对传统的开发方式将管理信息系统的业务流程以硬编码形式固化在系统软件中带来的诸多问题,将本体论的思想引入到管理信息系统软件的开发中,将其业务流程抽象成一个合理、机器可读的OWL本体模型,并进一步阐述问题的解决方法.     

Business process integration as a solution to the implementation of supply chain management systems

In the domain of supply chain management (SCM), various software packages have been developed for planning business strategies. To solve the problem of system productivity in applying planning packages, we propose a solution concept, business process integration (BPI), which fuses workflow and enterprise application integration (EAI) technology. Two characteristic policies are included in BPI. The first is to design the minimum set of business processes for real-time information sharing with planning packages without changing other processes. The second is to integrate several systems with EAI technology and to manage their execution with a workflow tool. Based on these policies, we propose various design templates and integration adapters. Our evaluation shows that using BPI, a target system can be developed with less manpower, in less time, and with higher quality than previous methods.     

Comparison criteria for GDMO-based network management information models: A step towards the integration of management systems

The integration of Management Information Bases (MIBs) is one of the challenges of integrated network management. This is made more difficult by the existence of many different ways for structuring the MIB and defining managed objects. This paper addresses the issue of integrating GDMO-based MIBs created on the basis of different Management Information Models (MIMs). Three MIMs (NMF Library Release 1. 1, ITU-T M. 3100 and ETSI GOM) are analyzed with the help of a simple network configuration, and some MIM comparison criteria are proposed. The criteria can be used to assess the dificulty of integrating MIBs based on those models.     

Computerization of school administration: impact on the principal’s role—a case study

Changes in the principal’s role, resulting from the computerization of a high-school’s instruction-administration subsystem (i.e. a significant technological change), occurred in six major categories: accountability, instruction evaluation, supervision, feedback, frequency of meetings, and shared decision-making. The principal’s interrelations with department heads, homeroom teachers and teachers, tightened significantly. The principal’s interrelations with the school computer administrator (a new role created as a result of the introduction of a school management information system), were found to be tight and on a daily basis. The results of this research might have significant theoretical and practical implications. They should be related to SMIS impact on schooling in general and on the principal’s role in particular.     

Back to the future: from knowledge management to the management of information and data

This paper argues for a return to fundamentals and for a balanced assessment of the contribution that Information Technology can make as we enter the new millennium. It argues that the field of Information Systems should no longer be distracted from its natural locus of concern and competence, or claim more than it can actually achieve. More specifically, and as a case in point, we eschew IT-enabled Knowledge Management, both in theory and in practice. We view Knowledge Management as the most recent in a long line of fads and fashions embraced by the Information Systems community that have little to offer. Rather, we argue for a refocusing of our attention back on the management ofdata, since IT processes data-notinformation and certainly notknowledge. In so doing, we develop a model that provides a tentative means of distinguishing between the terms. This model also forms the basis for on-going empirical research designed to test the efficacy of our argument in a number of case companies currently implementing ERP and Knowledge Management Systems.     

The architecture and business value of a semi-cooperative, agent-based supply chain management system

Multi-agent systems have the potential to improve supply chain management. The adoption of such systems has been limited, as their design often neglects existing organizational realities and the business value for the various stakeholders is not clear. In this paper, a multi-agent system improving supply chain management is designed and its business value is evaluated. We present the semi-cooperative architecture and evaluate the benefits using agent-based simulation. We found that the multi-agent system increases the level of flexibility in the supply chain and enables supply chain members to become more responsive. This has a positive impact on the ordering lead-time, human processing time, the inventory levels and number of stock-outs.     

Rapid adoption of information systems in an organization with poor management: the case of fund-holding in UK primary health care

Abstract. Reorganization of the UK primary health care system to create an internal market for health services depends upon local family doctors (general practitioners) taking on budgetary responsibilities and purchasing services from hospitals. These budgets will be monitored by local committees. The success of the internal market is heavily dependent upon computerized management information systems. This paper investigates the introduction of information systems into an organization that is ill prepared for change.     

Transitioning to a business rule management service model: Case studies from the property and casualty insurance industry

As the volume, sources and types of business rules continue to grow, so do the needs of organizations to accurately, consistently and effectively manage rules. Increasingly, firms seek business rules management systems (BRMS) for assistance. Although studies have examined BRMS technical considerations, few have examined management considerations of deploying and managing BRMS projects. This study addresses this gap through examination and comparative analysis of BRMS deployments. Qualitative case study methods are employed and findings suggest a common deployment methodology and emergence of tightly structured services model. Participant's adoption drivers, consequences of deployment, IT alignment and transitions to IT service-orientations are provided.     

The process of enterprise resource planning implementation and business process re-engineering: tales from two Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract.  Using an innovative process model, we describe and analyse the process of introducing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in two Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises and especially their decisions concerning business process re-engineering. First we compared the results from our cases with Martinsons' earlier work (2004). One case seemed to fit most of the characteristics of a private venture (PV) whereas the other case, also a PV, had a very low degree of fit. We used the process model to offer further insights and features such as its predictive power. Second, and as predicted, we also observed the differential role of top management support in the two Chinese companies. But thirdly, and somewhat surprisingly, we found that cultural issues were only of limited importance. Finally, the ability of the project team to deal with unexpected events was seen as critical in ensuring the stability of a project. In contrast, project drift is shown to lead to a degree of chaos. We offer some suggestions as to how stakeholders can improve their chances of implementing ERP systems more successfully.     

e-Learning process management and the e-learning performance: Results of a European empirical study

The aim of this paper was to design and assess a comprehensive model for managing the e-learning process and to define the relationship between systematic implementation of the model, outcomes of certain e-learning aspects and subject of e-learning. The validation of the model was performed by using two questionnaires sent via e-mail to teachers and field experts from the chosen sample of 14 European schools participating in an EU-funded project. Research results imply the existence of a clear link between planning and controlling of the e-learning process and its learning outcomes. On the other hand, no empirical relationship between the e-learning outcomes and the subject of learning has been established. It is believed that the model and its practical implications can be used by institutions engaged in e-learning, or as a process model for introducing e-learning related activities.     

Site-shifting as the source of ambidexterity: Empirical insights from the field of ticketing

Ambidexterity, defined as the capability to simultaneously explore knowledge to identify new market opportunities and exploit knowledge to capitalise on a firm’s existing niches, is considered to be crucial in today’s competitive marketplace. However, there is relatively limited research on how such a capability can be developed, and even less on the role of IT-enabled practices in promoting this. Drawing on the strategy-as-practice perspective, we investigate how interrelationships amongst practitioners, IT-enabled practices and praxis create a particular site of practice. More importantly, we consider how a site gets shifted over time through the emergence of changes in the interrelationships between IT-enabled practices and practitioners, stimulated by on-going praxis. Building on the findings derived from a case study of DaM,¹ the leading ticketing company in China, we explain how the phenomenon of site-shifting can provide a useful conceptual lens for explaining ambidexterity. In doing this, we bring to the fore the importance of IT in achieving an ambidexterity capability.     

Understanding the influence of information systems competencies on process innovation: A resource-based view

The resource based view of firms is used to explore how information system (IS) competencies affect process innovation in an organization. Data was collected through a case study of two process innovations at a healthcare firm in the United States. The findings illustrate how six IS competencies – Knowledge Management, Collaboration, Project Management, Ambidexterity, IT/Innovation Governance, Business-IS Linkages – can differentially affect the conception, development and implementation of process innovations. Implications for researchers and practitioners are drawn from these conclusions and suggestions for further research are proposed.     

Evaluating the performance of a discrete manufacturing process using RFID: A case study

The material flow is a major focus point in improving productivity in today’s product diversified manufacturing organizations. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of efficient methods to control material flow through manufacturing processes in cases where multi-item tracking is difficult to achieve. This paper presents an RFID-based RTLS (Real-Time Location System) solution for obtaining multi-item work-in-process visibility within a manufacturer. It delivers detailed performance metrics through RTLS data analysis in order to evaluate workflow performance and to obtain a lean process. We pre-filter the RTLS data through the development of a middleware data collection method to acquire near real-time performance evaluation. A case study illustrates the complete process including measurements before and after a workflow redesign. The increased level of detail from RFID measurements yields new insights into shop floor actions and the real effects of redesign efforts.