Impact of physical ambiance on communication,collaboration and coordination in agile software development: An empirical evaluation

ContextCommunication, collaboration and coordination are key enablers of software development and even more so in agile methods. The physical environment of the workspace plays a significant role in effective communication, collaboration, and coordination among people while developing software.ObjectiveIn this paper, we have studied and further evaluated empirically the effect of different constituents of physical environment on communication, coordination, and collaboration, respectively. The study aims to provide a guideline for prospective agile software developers.MethodA survey was conducted among software developers at a software development organization. To collect data, a survey was carried out along with observations, and interviews.ResultsIt has been found that half cubicles are ‘very effective’ for the frequency of communication. Further, half cubicles were discovered ‘effective’ but not ‘very effective’ for the quality/effectiveness of communication. It is found that half-height cubicles and status boards are ‘very effective’ for the coordination among team members according to the survey. Communal/discussion space is found to be ‘effective’ but not ‘very effective’ for coordination among team members. Our analysis also reveals that half-height glass barriers are ‘very effective’ during the individuals problem-solving activities while working together as a team. Infact, such a physically open environment appears to improve communication, coordination, and collaboration.ConclusionAccording to this study, an open working environment with only half-height glass barriers and communal space plays a major role in communication among team members. The presence of status boards significantly help in reducing unnecessary communication by providing the required information to individuals and therefore, in turn reduce distractions a team member may confront in their absence. As communication plays a significant role in improving coordination and collaboration, it is not surprising to find the effect of open working environment and status boards in improving coordination and collaboration. An open working environment increases the awareness among software developers e.g. who is doing what, what is on the agenda, what is taking place, etc. That in turn, improves coordination among them. A communal/discussion space helps in collaboration immensely.     

A note on distributed multicast routing in point-to-point networks

The distributed algorithm for a multicast connection set-up, based on the ‘cheapest insertion’ heuristic, is reviewed. The multicast routing problem is translated into a Steiner tree problem in point-to-point networks where nodes have only a limited knowledge about the network. A solution is proposed in which the time complexity and the amount of information exchanged between network nodes are proportional to the number of members of the multicast group. The Steiner tree is constructed by means of a distributed table-passing algorithm. The analysis of the algorithm presented, backed up by simulation results, confirms its superiority over the algorithm based on ‘waving technique’.Scope and purposeMulticasting is a mechanism used in communication networks that allows distribution of information from a single source to multiple destinations. The problem of finding a multicast connection for a static group of communicating entities in connection-oriented point-to-point network can be formulated in graph theory as a minimum Steiner tree problem. Due to NP-completeness of the Steiner tree problem multicast, routing algorithms are based on heuristics. The diversity of network environments and the lack of centralised information about network topology require an effective distribution of the multicast routing algorithms among the network nodes. This article presents an alternative to the distributed algorithm proposed by Rugelj and Klavzar that implements the same heuristics for the construction of a minimum cost multicast connection in point-to-point networks. The present algorithm constitutes a substantial improvement over that previously proposed with regard to running time and the amount of the information exchanged between network nodes.     

Distributed load balancing mechanism for detouring schemes of geographic routing in wireless sensor networks

Well-known ‘routing hole’ problem of geographic routing is hardly avoided in wireless sensor networks because of various actual geographical environments. Existing geographic routing protocols use perimeter routing strategies to find a detour path around the boundary of holes when they encounter the local minimum during greedy forwarding. However, this solution may lead to uneven energy consumption around the holes since it consumes more energy of the boundary sensors. It becomes more serious when holes appear in most of routing paths in a large-scale sensor network. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed strategy to balance the traffic load on the boundary of holes by virtually changing the sizes of these holes. The proposed mechanism dynamically controls holes to expand and shrink circularly without changing the underlying forwarding strategy. Therefore, it can be applied to most of the existing geographic routing protocols which detour around holes. Simulation results show that our strategy can effectively balance the load around holes, thus prolonging the network life of sensor networks when an existing geographic routing protocol is used as the underlying routing protocol.     

Solution plans and interactive problem solving

The concept of a ‘solution plan’ is used to characterize the structure of interactive systems in which the user guides the solution process. A formalism for describing and analyzing solution plan structures is presented. The formalism can be used to define the role of the user in an interactive system. The solution plan approach to interaction is particularly applicable to problems which have an obvious graphical representation. An interactive graphics system for solving a class of routing problems is described. Suggestions for the application of the approach to other problems are included.     

An empirical analysis of the factors and measures of Enterprise Architecture Management success

Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is discussed in academia and industry as a vehicle to guide IT implementations, alignment, compliance assessment, or technology management. Still, a lack of knowledge prevails about how EAM can be successfully used, and how positive impact can be realized from EAM. To determine these factors, we identify EAM success factors and measures through literature reviews and exploratory interviews and propose a theoretical model that explains key factors and measures of EAM success. We test our model with data collected from a cross-sectional survey of 133 EAM practitioners. The results confirm the existence of an impact of four distinct EAM success factors, ‘EAM product quality’, ‘EAM infrastructure quality’, ‘EAM service delivery quality’, and ‘EAM organizational anchoring’, and two important EAM success measures, ‘intentions to use EAM’ and ‘Organizational and Project Benefits’ in a confirmatory analysis of the model. We found the construct ‘EAM organizational anchoring’ to be a core focal concept that mediated the effect of success factors such as ‘EAM infrastructure quality’ and ‘EAM service quality’ on the success measures. We also found that ‘EAM satisfaction’ was irrelevant to determining or measuring success. We discuss implications for theory and EAM practice.     

Routing fleets with multiple driving ranges: Is it possible to use greener fleet configurations?

This paper discusses the vehicle routing problem with multiple driving ranges (VRPMDR), an extension of the classical routing problem where the total distance each vehicle can travel is limited and is not necessarily the same for all vehicles – heterogeneous fleet with respect to maximum route lengths. The VRPMDR finds applications in routing electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, which can only cover limited distances depending on the running time of their batteries. Also, these vehicles require from long charging times, which in practice makes it difficult to consider en route recharging. The paper formally introduces the problem, describes an integer programming formulation and a multi-round heuristic algorithm that iteratively constructs a solution for the problem. Using a set of benchmarks adapted from the literature, the algorithm is then employed to analyze how distance-based costs are increased when considering ‘greener’ fleet configurations – i.e., when using electric vehicles with different degrees of autonomy.     

Hierarchical channel router

The channel routing problem is a special case of the wire routing problem when interconnections have to be performed within a rectangular strip having no obstructions between terminals located on opposite sides of the rectangle.We present here a new channel routing algorithm, based on reduction of the problem to the case of a ($\text{2 × n}$) grid and on consistent utilization of a ‘divide-and-conquer’ approach. For the current implementation of the algorithm, the running time is proportional to $\text{N}{}^1\text{n}\text{log}\text{(m)}$ where $\text{N}$ is the number of nets, $\text{n}$ the length of the channel (number of columns) and $\text{m}$ the width of the channel (number of tracks).Traditional technological restrictions are assumed, ie, net terminals are located on vertical grid lines, two wiring layers are available for interconnections. One layer is used exclusively for vertical segments and another for horizontal. Vias are introduced for each layer change.This algorithm consistently outperforms several known routers in quality of wiring. We tested the algorithm on several benchmark problems. One of them, Deutsch's ‘difficult example’, was routed with only 19 horizontal wiring tracks (the absolute minimum for this case), whereas all other known routers required 20 or more tracks.     

Satisfying the target network lifetime in wireless sensor networks

Generally, the lifetime of a wireless sensor network (WSN) is defined as the duration until any sensor node dies due to battery exhaustion. If the traffic load is not properly balanced, the batteries of some sensor nodes may be depleted quickly, and the lifetime of the WSN will be shortened. While many energy-efficient routing schemes have been proposed for WSNs, they focus on maximizing the WSN lifetime. In this paper, we propose a scheme that satisfies a given ‘target’ lifetime. Because energy consumption depends on traffic volume, the target lifetime cannot be guaranteed through energy-efficient routing alone. We take an approach that jointly optimizes the sensing rate (i.e., controlling the sensor-traffic generation or duty cycle) and route selection. Satisfying the target lifetime while maximizing the sensing rate is a NP-hard problem. Our scheme is based on a simple Linear Programming (LP) model and clever heuristics are applied to compute a near-optimal result from the LP solution. We prove that the proposed scheme guarantees a 1/2-approximation to the optimal solution in the worst case. The simulation results indicate that the proposed scheme achieves near-optimality in various network configurations.     

Record newspapers,legal notice laws and digital technology solutions

Record newspapers have served for decades as official bulletin boards in communities across the United States, as well as around the world. Many of these newspapers, designated by local statutes as ‘official’ or ‘record newspapers’, are now providing online, digital format news products that do not meet statutory guidelines for public notice functions. The research reported here examines the adjustments to existing legal language in US statutes necessary so that digitally delivered newspapers may serve the informational function intended by public notice that has been traditionally provided in record newspapers.     

A Hybrid End-to-End QoS Path Computation Algorithm for PCE-Based Multi-Domain Networks

Inter-domain quality of service (QoS) routing is a challenging problem for today’s Internet. This problem requires the computation of paths that cross multiple domains and meet different QoS constraints. In addition, the used computation methods must meet the constraints of confidentiality and autonomy imposed by the domains of different operators. Path computation element (PCE)-based architecture offers a promising solution for inter-domain QoS routing. It ensures the computation of end-to-end QoS paths while preserving the confidentiality and the autonomy of the domains. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid end-to-end QoS path computation algorithm, named HID-MCP, for PCE-based networks. HID-MCP is a hybrid algorithm that combines the advantages of pre-computation and on-demand computation to obtain end-to-end QoS paths. Moreover, it integrates a crankback mechanism for improving path computation results in a single domain or in multiple domains based on the PCE architecture. Detailed analyses are provided to assess the performance of our algorithm in terms of success rate and computational complexity. The simulation results show that our algorithm has an acceptance rate of the requests very close to the optimal solution; precisely, the difference is lower than 1 % in a realistic network. Moreover, HID-MCP has a low computational complexity. Besides, our solution relies on the PCE architecture to overcome the limitations related to inter-domain routing such as domain autonomy and confidentiality.     

Enablers and barriers to the use of ICT in primary schools in Turkey: A comparative study of 2005–2011

The purpose of this study was to reveal barriers encountered by Turkish primary school teachers in the integration of ICT, to propose potential enablers to overcome those barriers, and to compare the current status of ICT integration (in 2011) with the status of ICT integration in 2005. Part of the data for this comparison was gathered in 2005 as part of a doctoral study by Goktas (2006). A survey design was used to investigate the barriers and enablers. Data were collected from 1373 teachers from 52 schools in 39 provinces. The results indicate that ‘lack of hardware’, ‘lack of appropriate software materials’, ‘limitations of hardware’, ‘lack of in-service training’, and ‘lack of technical support’ were the most important barriers. The highest ranked enablers were ‘allocation of more budget’, ‘allocation of specific units for peer support’, ‘allocation of support offices and personnel for teachers’, and ‘offering higher quality pre-service training for ICT’. Other leading enablers were ‘supporting teachers to enable effective ICT use’, ‘having technology plans’, ‘offering higher quality and more quantity of in-service training’, and ‘designing appropriate course content/instructional programs’. Analysis of an independent t-test revealed that most barriers showed significant differences and most enablers showed moderate or low differences between teachers' perceptions of their situation in 2005 and in 2011.     

The influence of affordances on user preferences for multimedia language learning applications

This study investigates the influence of sensory and cognitive affordances on the user experience of mobile devices for multimedia language learning applications. A primarily audio-based language learning application – ‘Vowel Trainer’, was chosen against a comparison, text and picture-based language learning application – ‘Learn English for Taxi Drivers’. Impressions of the two applications were assessed on two different devices that have virtually the same interface and identical sound output (when headphones are used), but differ in physical size: the iPhone and the iPad. A mixed design was chosen, with native language as a group factor and device type (iPad vs. iPhone) and language application type (audio vs. video) as within groups factors. Assessments of sensory and cognitive affordances were made, along with measurement of learner preferences of each application. Data from 41 participants (21 native English speakers, 20 non-native English speakers) were analysed, revealing device differences in both audio and visual subjective quality ratings, despite only visual quality being affected by the device's physical limitations. We suggest that sensory affordances (indexed by subjective quality) are not simply a function of physical limitations, but are heavily influenced by context. The implications for developing design guidelines for language learning and other multimedia applications are discussed.     

‘Can I afford to help?’ How affordances of communication modalities guide bystanders' helping intentions towards harassment on social network sites

When bystanders want to help victims of harassment on social network sites, they can be guided by the affordances of different communication modalities in order to make a communicative choice. Elaborating on the data of a previous experimental study with 453 adolescents, we compared bystanders’ behavioural intentions to help the victim according to their ‘mediacy’ (via communication technologies (CT) or face-to-face) and their ‘privacy’ (in public or in private). Furthermore, we investigated whether the context of the harassing incident (incident severity, identity and behaviour of other bystanders) influenced the ‘mediacy’ and ‘privacy’ of bystanders’ helping intentions. The results showed that in general bystanders had higher behavioural intentions to help the victim in private (vs. in public) and via CT (vs. face-to-face). While incident severity influenced the ‘mediacy’ of bystanders’ helping intentions, the identity and behaviour of other bystanders affected the ‘privacy’ of their helping intentions.     

Heuristic approach for solving employee bus routes in a large-scale industrial factory

This paper compares different methods for solving a location-routing problem (LRP), using real-world data from the bus transport service for employees of a large-scale industrial factory in Thailand. We tested four AI (artificial intelligence) techniques Maximin, K-means, Fuzzy C-means, and Competitive Learning and two hybrids of these four K-means with Competitive Learning and K-means with Maximin to allocate the bus stops. The efficiency of the algorithms was compared, in terms of the quality of the solutions. The K-means with Maximin provided the best solution, as it minimized number of bus stop locations and employees’ total traveling distance while satisfied employee at maximum radius 1.73 km, compared to K-means with Competitive Learning, as the same number of bus stop it provided higher total traveling distance and maximum radius. The other non-hybrid techniques provided higher number of bus stop locations.We then used ant colony optimization (ACO) to determine the optimal routing between the 300–700 bus stops as allocated by K-means with Maximin. The optimal bus routing to transport the factory’s 5000 plus employees required 134 buses (134 independent routes) covering 500 bus stops and traveling nearly 5000 km. While optimal, this routing was costly and created monitoring difficulties. To address these concerns, we constrained the number of bus routes; while this dramatically increased the total distance, it provided a more practical solution for the factory.     

Prerouting analysis of printed circuit boards

Several methods used for the prerouting analysis of printed circuit boards are compared. The quality of a method is expressed as the correlation between predicted and actual values of objective measures of an interconnection problem complexity. The experimental data confirm that some indicators of a board complexity which are often used in practice, such as component density, are highly unreliable. The PAP program is based on the modelling of the actual routing process. It has been experimentally proved that the PAP program provides reliable results which can be used for the detailed analysis of an interconnection problem.     

需求可拆分车辆路径问题的聚类求解算法

针对传统的车辆路径问题通常假设客户的需求不能拆分,即客户的需求由一辆车满足,而实际上通过需求的拆分可使需要的车辆数更少,从而降低配送成本的问题,分析了需求可拆分的车辆路径问题的解的特征,证明了客户需求不宜拆分应满足的条件,设计了符合解的特征的聚类算法,并对其求解.通过实验仿真,将所提出的聚类算法与蚁群算法和禁忌搜索算法进行比较,所得结果表明了所提出的算法可以更有效地求得需求可拆分车辆路径问题的优化解,是解决需求可拆分车辆路径问题的有效方法.     

Spiking neural firefly optimization scheme for the capacitated dynamic vehicle routing problem with time windows

Neural Computing and Applications - A number of technological improvements have prompted a great concern on ‘dynamism’ in vehicle routing problems (VRP). In real-world applications, the...     

基于改进GA的移动代理路由算法

针对移动代理在网络节点间迁移时的最优路径计算问题,提出一种改进的遗传算法,通过改进算子参数,达到算法性能优化的目的。针对求解的准确性和收敛速度进行了多组仿真实验,结果表明,与传统遗传算法的计算结果相比,该算法在保证了求解准确性的同时,具有更快的收敛速度,提高了应用系统的运行效率。     

无线传感器网络中高能效的Bezier曲线路由算法

无线传感器网络在面向事件监测中蕴藏着巨大的应用价值,但由于传感器节点电源能量耗尽导致经常失效或废弃,因此研究无线传感器网络节能的算法具有重要意义.多路径路由沿多条路径分配能量负载,提高了网络的寿命和质量.需要强调的是均匀地调节更多节点参与到网络的路由任务能够保护某节点由于负载过重从而能量迅速流失直至节点失效.反之,所有的流量沿最短路径路由,路由不仅拥塞,而且沿源节点和汇聚节点对之间的最佳路由周围的节点由于过载最终缩短了网络寿命.从2个方面展开:1)提出了一种高能效的基于Bezier曲线的多路径路由算法(multipath routing algorithm based on Bezier curve, MPRB),并通过与传统的路由算法比较,实验数据验证了该算法能够获得更好的节能效果;2)基于查询区域划分设计的路由树个数与能耗关系比较了2种高能效的时空查询算法,并通过理论分析与实验仿真研究了查询区域划分方法、划分个数对能耗的影响,结果表明基于角度的查询区域划分方法是一种低能耗、面向绿色计算的方法.     

基于SDN分级分域架构的QoS约束路由算法

传统分布式的网络架构制约路由算法的创新,软件定义网络的出现为路由算法的优化提供了新思路。已有研究中,启发式算法广泛应用于服务质量路由,但由于计算复杂度高而无法在大型网络中应用。而其他算法均存在不同程度的问题,要么复杂度较高,要么算法性能较差,如最短路径算法。基于 SDN 分级分域架构,提出了 LC-LD 路由算法,综合时延条件和代价度量约束并在计算复杂度和算法性能之间保持平衡。仿真分析表明,LC-LD路由算法在有较低的计算复杂度的同时还有较高的服务质量路由选路性能。