Assessing Software Quality Using the Markov Decision Processes

Quality of software is one of the most critical concerns in software system development, and many products fail to meet the quality objectives when constructed initially. Software quality is highly affected by the development process's actual dynamics. This article proposes the use of the Markov decision process (MDP) for the assessment of software quality because MDP is a useful technique to abstract the model of dynamics of the development process and to test its impact on quality. Additionally, the MDP modeling of the dynamics leads to early prediction of the quality, from the design phases all the way through the different stages of development. The proposed approach is based on the stochastic nature of the software development process, including project architecture, construction strategy of Software Quality Assurance system, its qualification actions, and team assignment strategy. It accepts these factors as inputs, generating a relative quality degree as an output. The proposed approach has been demonstrated for the design phase with a case study taken from the literature. The results prove its robustness and capability to identify appropriate policies in terms of quality, cost, and time. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

What affects information systems development team performance? An exploratory study from the perspective of combined socio-technical theory and coordination theory

Quality is an important factor in information systems development (ISD), and ISD team performance closely relates to quality. To better understand ISD teams, we empirically tested a model on ISD team performance by combining socio-technical theory and coordination theory. Using existing empirical studies and data collected from three well-known ISD companies in China, our research results identified influential characteristics of ISD team performance, and revealed similarities and differences between China’s ISD team performance and those in other countries. By the results, we find that knowledge sharing and major do not affect team performance. The compensation satisfaction to job performance is not significant in China, either. Our research provides suggestions for building and supporting ISD teams that could lead to performance improvements.     

基于TSP的软件质量控制平台设计与实现

随着社会发展,竞争日益激烈。软件企业纷纷尝试各种途径以增强自身竞争力。小组软件过程（TSP）为一般中小型软件企业规范软件开发和改进过程能力提供了有效而实际的帮助,如何有效地管理一个TSP项目尚待研究。通过对小组软件过程的分析,设计并实现了过程脚本驱动的、基于TSP的软件质量控制平台。允许用户对过程脚本进行裁剪,实现了小组协作开发质量控制的自动化。     

Application of the QFD as a design approach to ensure comfort in using hand tools: Can the design team complete the House of Quality appropriately?

Quality Function Deployment is proposed as an effective design method to integrate ergonomics needs and comfort into hand tool design because it explicitly addresses the translation of customer needs into engineering characteristics. A crucial step during QFD concerns the linking of engineering characteristics to customer needs in the House of Quality by the design team. It is generally assumed (looking at all the QFD success stories) that design teams can accurately predict the correlations between customer needs and engineering characteristics (also referred to as “Whats”/“Hows” correlations). This paper explicitly tests this assumption by comparing the “Whats”/“Hows” correlations estimated by a design team with those observed in a systematic user evaluation study, which has not been done before. Testing the assumption is important, because inaccurate estimates may lead to ergonomically ineffective (re)design of hand tools and a waste of company resources. Results revealed that the design team's correlation estimates were not as accurate as is generally assumed. Twenty-five percent of the estimates differed significantly with those observed in the user evaluation study. Thus, QFD is a useful method to assist design teams in designing ergonomically more comfortable hand tools, but only on the condition that the correlations between customer needs and engineering characteristics are validated, preferably by means of a systematic user evaluation study.     

Antecedents and consequences of team potency in software development projects

Developing new software quickly, successfully, and at low cost is critical in organizations. Ways of assessing the effectiveness of development teams has highlighted measures of factors, such as teamwork, group cohesiveness, and team integration, but the use of group potency theory (the collective belief of a group that it can be effective) is rare. In our study, we investigated antecedents of and consequences to group potency in software development project teams. By examining 53 software development project teams collected from small and medium-sized software firms in Turkey, we found, that team potency positively affected speed-to-market, development cost, and market success of the product. We also found that trust among project team members, past experiences of the members, and team empowerment had a positive impact on the team potency during the project. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

基于Agent的团队知识系统计算实验及其应用

团队如何利用自身现有的知识,促进成员之间的知识交流,对于团队能否完成任务并提高竞争力至关重要.从知识管理角度依据复杂自适应系统的相关理论对团队知识系统进行建模,包括团队中个体Agent的属性、行为以及相互之间的交互规则等,并定义了系统的环境和输入输出.在此基础上,结合计算实验理论分析了一个关于团队外部控制条件对团队绩效影响的实例,验证了团队知识系统计算实验的可行性并探讨了其对管理实践的意义.     

Relationship Conflict,Conflict Management,and Performance of Information Technology Teams

This study examines how team collaboration and goal setting mediate the effects of team relationship conflict and conflict management on team performance. Primary data were collected from students who worked in teams to design functional information systems (IS). The data were then analyzed using structural equations modeling (SEM). The mediators – team collaboration and goal setting – positively affected each other and performance. Full results support a partial mediation model in which 60% of the total effect of relationship conflict and 80% of the total effect of conflict management on team performance are carried through team collaboration and goal setting. This work is the first of its kind that theoretically posits and empirically tests a mechanism through which team conflict and its management relate to team performance.     

An evaluation method of team situation awareness based on mutual belief

Large and complex artifacts are usually operated by a team for its safety and efficiency, and breakdowns of team cooperation sometimes cause accidents. Studies of team cooperation therefore have been drawn attention from human factors and ergonomics researchers. Team situation awareness (TSA) has been regarded as one of the important topics in such team cooperation studies. Definitions of TSA in such studies are, however, mainly based on the perspective of observers. Some studies have pointed out that it is necessary to define TSA from the perspective of “belief” that team members possess in other members’ SA in order to capture the dynamics of team cooperation. In this study, evaluation indexes of TSA from both perspectives were proposed and they were compared with team performance. The results suggest that it is necessary to evaluate team SA not only from the perspective of observers but also from the perspective of beliefs.     

The impact of organizational commitment,senior management involvement,and team involvement on strategic information systems planning

Organizational commitment, senior management involvement, and team involvement are typically expected to have a positive impact on the achievement of strategic information systems planning (SISP) objectives. That is, more commitment and involvement should produce greater success. However, they might also have a quadratic impact, specifically an inverted-U relationship such that after they reach an optimum, the achievement of the objectives diminishes.A postal survey about planning practices and objectives produced usable data from 105 corporate information systems planners. Senior management involvement predicted the achievement of the objectives in a positive manner whereas organizational commitment predicted it in an inverted-U relationship. Future research should look more closely at these relationships. Planners should be more aware of the possibly detrimental effects of excessive planning.     

The effects of computer-assisted instruction on the achievement,attitudes and retention of fourth grade mathematics students in North Cyprus

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the educational software Frizbi Mathematics 4 on 4th grade student's mathematics achievement, retention, attitudes toward mathematics and attitude toward computer assisted learning. Two groups (experimental and control) of students from the state primary school in Gazimagusa, North Cyprus were used in this study. The control group was taught using a lecture-based traditional instruction and experimental group was taught using educational software, namely Frizbi Mathematics 4. The control group consisted of 26 students while the experimental group consisted of 29 students. The groups were compared on achievement of mathematics, retention, and attitude toward mathematics and computer assisted learning. The study included three units, Multiplication of Natural Numbers, Division of Natural Numbers, and Fractions. Scores on achievement tests were collected three times; at the beginning of the study, immediately after the intervention, and 4 months later. The mathematics attitude scale and computer assisted learning attitude scale were administrated only two times; at the beginning of the study and immediately after the completion of the study. A series of ANOVAs for repeated measures revealed significant difference between the groups on the post achievement tests and attitude scales in favor of experimental group. However, statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group, on the retention tests were attained on the multiplication and division units but not on fractions. The evidence indicates that Frizbi Mathematics 4 for learning and teaching mathematics at the primary school level in North Cyprus is an effective tool.     

Research on group awareness of networked collaboration within the design team and between teams

Group awareness is the critical content of collaboration in a networked collaborative design team, and it is a meaningful way to study teamwork efficiency. However, existing methods that describe awareness information are not comprehensive. They all set an ideal collaborative environment of the single role and single activity, ignoring the bidirectional and overlapping of the collaboration process. To meet this gap, a novel group awareness method for the networked collaboration design team is proposed in this paper from the actual collaborative process. Firstly, the awareness information granularity in the joint work of the networked collaborative design team is described in detail, and the group awareness model is established. Then, the intra- and inter-team collaboration of networked collaborative design team is quantified, and correspondingly, combined with the degree of cooperation between members, a method for solving the group awareness ability of intra- and inter-team association by adopting awareness calculation is presented. Last, to illustrate the feasibility of the suggested approach, a vehicle interior collaborative design task is taken as an example. This study can provide practical guidance for a related design service platform to optimize team collaboration efficiency and select team members objectively and fairly.     

Stability and change in adolescents’ task-specific achievement goals and implications for learning mathematics with intelligent tutors

Individuals’ achievement goals are known to influence learning behaviors and academic achievement. However, prior research also indicates that undergraduates’ achievement goals for psychology coursework vary from assignment to assignment. The effect of stability of achievement goals on learning behaviors and outcomes has yet to be explored. This study examined how adolescents’ achievement goals varied over mathematics units completed in an intelligent tutoring system, and whether strength or variability in achievement goals influenced behavior or achievement. At the group level, achievement goals correlated significantly from unit to unit; mean scores were not significantly different over time. However, individuals’ goal scores changed reliably across units. No relationships were found between the strength of students’ achievement goal scores and learning behaviors or performance. However, students with stable mastery approach goals achieved better grades than those with more variable mastery-approach goals. Students with stable performance-approach goals engaged in fewer help-seeking behaviors than those with variable performance approach goals.     

Impact of heterogeneity and collaborative conflict management style on the performance of synchronous global virtual teams

Virtual teams cut across organizational cultures, national cultures, and functional areas, thereby increasing group heterogeneity, which may result in increased conflict among team members and less effective performance of the team. Our study explored the relationships that might exist among the heterogeneity of the virtual teams, their collaborative conflict management style, and their performance outcomes. The paper reports the findings of a laboratory experiment in which homogeneous and heterogeneous virtual teams, consisting of subjects from the USA and India, worked independently on a decision task involving the adoption of a computer use fee by an online university. Team members, used a web-based group decision support system (GDSS) that allowed them the opportunity to discuss task options, critique suggestions, and vote on the result. The data analyses suggested that collaborative conflict management style positively impacted satisfaction with the decision making process, perceived decision quality, and perceived participation of the virtual teams. There was weak evidence that links a group’s heterogeneity to its collaborative conflict management styles.     

The media equation and team formation: Further evidence for experience as a moderator

This study extends previous media equation research, which showed that interdependence but not identity leads to team affiliation effects with computers. The current study used an identity manipulation that more closely replicated the manipulation used in traditional team and group formation research than the original media equation research in this area. The study also sought further evidence for the relationship between experience with computers and behaviour reflecting a media equation pattern of results. Sixty students from the University of Queensland voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions: control, human team (a team made of only humans) or human–computer team (a team made of computers and humans). Questionnaire measures assessing participants’ affective experience, attitudes and opinions were taken. Participants of high experience with computers, but not low experience, when assigned to either of the team conditions enjoyed the tasks completed on the computer more than participants who worked on their own. When assigned to a team that involved a computer, participants of high experience, but not low experience, reacted negatively towards the computer (in comparison to high experience participants working on their own or on a team without a computer as a team member)—rating the information provided by the computer lower, rating themselves as less influenced by the computer and changing their own ratings and rankings to be less like those of the computer. These results are interpreted in light of the ‘Black Sheep’ literature and recognized as a media equation pattern of results.     

TQM: A facilitator to enhance knowledge management? A structural analysis

This study aims to examine the multi-dimensional relationship of total quality management (TQM) and knowledge management (KM) in both service and manufacturing firms in Malaysia. Six key practices of TQM originated from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) were chosen; whereas the KM elements were made up of knowledge acquisition, distribution and application. Data were gathered from small, medium and large firms from both manufacturing and service sectors. Structural analysis was carried out for the hypotheses and the theoretical model testing. Findings show that strategic planning and human resource management have a positive and significant relationship with the dimensions of KM; whereas process management has significant effects on knowledge acquisition and knowledge distribution. Practically, the findings provide a useful direction for the management team in the manufacturing and service sectors by adopting the relevant TQM practices to further improve the firms’ knowledge management processes. Through a deeper comprehension on the association between TQM practices and the KM dimensions, the management team of these firms can focus their attention, efforts and resources on the specific TQM practices that can ensure successful KM process.     

Exploring the antecedents of team performance in collaborative learning of computer software

As teamwork becomes common in computer software learning, there is an increasing need to study factors contributing to team performance. To this pursuit, the concept of collective efficacy offers great potential to researchers of information systems (IS). Drawing upon social cognitive theory (SCT), this study examines the relationships among computer collective efficacy (CCE), outcome expectations and team performance in the context of collaborative learning. Computer collective efficacy is further divided into two constructs, general CCE and specific CCE. Their causal relationships with two other constructs, performance and outcome expectations, are then investigated using longitudinal data collected from 188 groups of students of an 18-week computer software course. The results indicate that a team’s software learning performance is strongly influenced by specific CCE and outcome expectations, which in turn are influenced by prior performance and general CCE. Finally, prior performance of a group has no direct impact on its subsequent performance.     

Can computers be teammates?

This study investigated the claim that humans will readily form team relationships with computers. Drawing from the group dynamic literature in human-human interactions, a laboratory experiment (n=56) manipulated identity and interdependence to create team affiliation in a human-computer interaction. The data show that subjects who are told they are interdependent with the computer affiliate with the computer as a team. The data also show that the effects of being in a team with a computer are the same as the effects of being in a team with another human: subjects in the interdependence conditions perceived the computer to be more similar to themselves, saw themselves as more cooperative, were more open to influence from the computer, thought the information from the computer was of higher quality, found the information from the computer friendlier, and conformed more to the computer's information. Subjects in the identity conditions showed neither team affiliation nor the effects of team affiliation.     

Educational interface agents as social models to influence learner achievement,attitude and retention of learning

This study examined the impacts of educational interface agents with different attributes on achievement, attitude and retention of elementary school students in their science and technology courses. The study was implemented in four different eighth- grade classes (aged 13–14) of an elementary school. Four different types of educational software, covering living things and life unit of 8th graders, were developed to analyze the impacts of educational software agents with different attributes on the results of learning. The study was conducted according to experimental model with pretest and posttest control group, which is one of the quasi-experimental designs. For five consecutive weeks experimental and control group students used the software designed for this research. The students were asked to fill an attitude scale on science and technology both before and after the implementation. And following completion, an achievement test was applied. The results of the study revealed that students who used a human-like educational interface agent were more successful than both the rest of the experimental groups and the control group in terms of achievement, attitude and retention of learning in science and technology classes. It is also revealed that the software to be developed for elementary school 8th graders (aged 13–14) should be supported with human-like educational interface agents.     

Effects of traditional,blended and e‐learning on students' achievement in higher education

The study investigates the effect of e‐learning, blended learning and classroom learning on students’ achievement. Two experimental groups together with a control group from Umm Al‐Qura University in Saudi Arabia were identified randomly. To assess students’ achievement in the different groups, pre‐ and post‐achievement tests were used. The results of the study (N = 148) show that there was a statistically significant difference between the three methods in terms of students’ achievement favouring the blended learning method (n = 55) with a substantial effect size of 1.34 (Hedges’ g). No significant difference was found between the e‐learning (n = 43) and traditional learning groups (n = 50) in terms of students’ achievement and with a negligible effect size of 0.02.     

Industry-university partnerships: A model for engineering education in the 21st century

An approach to Industry-University Quality Partnerships for engineering education is presented. A formal educational cycle of Preparation, Identification, and Action (PIA) has been initiated as the framework for the partnership effort. This cycle establishes multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional teams of students and faculty to work with industrial partners on quality/process improvement projects. Preparation is a three-semester hour course that covers the methods and tools of Total Quality Management (TQM), safety, teamwork, communications, and time management. Identification is a team effort by students, faculty, and industrial partners working on-site at the industrial partner's facilities, identifying quality improvement opportunities. Action is the team effort by students, faculty, and partners working both on-campus and on-site, providing detailed plans to implement and evaluate quality/process improvement opportunities. The PIA cycle was initiated in the Spring of 1993 by three Universities of the Southern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED) and Milliken and Company as the industrial partner. The PIA cycle is an ongoing research effort. In this paper, we provide a review of the PIA approach to Industry-University Partnership Teams and share some of our experiences with this novel approach to engineering education.