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A Blockchain is an immutable, tamper-proof, shared ledger of state changes of a digital asset. It is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value. This digital ledger is managed via a distributed network across many nodes that can verify and confirm those transactions through consensus. The implications of the technology are far-reaching but there are conditions that should be met in order for Blockchain to be a viable solution. The purposes of this research are to (1) explore the current Blockchain use cases in Shared Services (2) understand the value created by Blockchain in Supply Chain Management and (3) study the tactical challenges in adopting a Blockchain strategy in Shared Services. In addition to a literature review conducted, we conducted in-depth interviews with selected Shared Services Leaders and experts. Results of our research indicate that Blockchain technology can deliver on expectations and implementation in Shared Services organizations will require simple steps. This study provides the data necessary for executives to build a business case for applying Blockchain technology in Shared Services and investigates the potential that Blockchain has to revolutionize industry and deliver gains in speed, security, transparency, traceability and accountability for a wide range of business processes.

In today's competitive market, the need to continuously improve quality and lead time of IT services becomes more important. Over the last decades, too much complexity has been added to IT organizations after they had introduced IT frameworks like COBIT for IT Governance or ITIL for IT service management. As a result, many organizations face process inefficiencies and an increase in IT operational costs. Even though COBIT and ITIL, that we use as a reference in our research, contain continuous improvement (CI) processes and guidelines, their approach and effectiveness has been criticized. In this paper, we propose to apply Lean and Six Sigma, CI-approaches that gained popularity in other areas in industry, to CI of IT services. We use metamodeling to integrate Lean and Six Sigma to develop an integrated approach of Lean Six Sigma for CI of IT Services. Our Metamodels provide a visual representation to capture and integrate the main elements of Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma and model their interface with the IT Services framework. We apply metamodeling as part of a Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) and use the Framework for Evaluation in Design Research (FEDS) to evaluate our results using practitioners in the evaluation. The objective of our research is to present a standard method for IT-Services CI. The resulting framework should support the design and implementation, in a standard way, of CI organizations to improve IT Service delivery.

Automation of Knowledge-Based services is the natural evolution of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), fueled by new technologies, often categorized as Cognitive Automation (CA). The purposes of this research are to (1) explore the Expertise Shared Services and Centers of Expertise functions where automation of knowledge-based processes is most suitable and (2) understand the value drivers and primary tactical challenges in adopting a strategy for automating Knowledge-Based expertise services. In addition to a literature review conducted, we conducted in-depth interviews with selected executives and experts. We developed case studies to better understand how Software Bots can be deployed for automating Knowledge-Based Expertise Services in organizations when they transition to automation of knowledge-driven processes. Results of our research indicate that the majority of executives and experts are aware of the need for automating Knowledge-Based Expertise Services but most remain unclear regarding its value or how to invest in adoption of this new trend.

Setting-up hybrid shared services is not a straightforward and requires methodology support. To learn more about current practices and experiences with shared services delivery models and methodologies to setup shared services we conduct survey research among companies that deploy shared service centres. In this research paper we report on the findings of our research. Based on the results we outline initial requirements and present building blocks for an integrated methodology to effectively support implementing shared services.

In this paper we propose and demonstrate a software tool for symbiotic human-machine analysis, applicable for structured literature reviews (SLR). We present a seed-based search of bibliographic information, resulting in document clustering and graph visualization. Through a collaborative human-machine effort we show how to detect potential bridging articles and paradigm shifts. The overarching goal is to support the SLR process, especially for developing fields of science, as well as interdisciplinary fields, where similar concepts can be overlooked as they are associated with different keywords and belong to different groups, yet share common ideas. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the tool with two literature search and visualization examples.

In this paper, we present a method for systematic literature search based on the symbiotic partnership between the human researcher and intelligent agents. Using intelligence amplification, we leverage the calculation power of computers to quickly and thoroughly extract data, calculate measures, and visualize relationships between scientific documents with the ability of domain experts to perform qualitative analysis and creative reasoning. Thus, we create a foundation for a collaborative literature search system (CLSS) intended to aid researches in performing literature reviews, especially for interdisciplinary and evolving fields of science for which keyword-based literature searches result in large collections of documents beyond humans’ ability to process or the extensive use of filters to narrow the search output risks omitting relevant works. Within this article, we propose a method for CLSS and demonstrate its use on a concrete example of a literature search for a review of the literature on human-machine symbiosis.

Data analysts are increasingly important for companies to extract critical information from their vast amount of data in order to be competitive. Data analytics specialists or data scientists develop statistical models and make use of dedicated software components for example to categorize products and forecast future sales. Their unique skill set is among the most sought after in the current job market. Cloud computing on the other hand helps companies to acquire services in the cloud and share the required expertise for delivery among service users. In this paper we take a cross disciplinary approach to develop a data analytics technique and a platform based IT architecture that allows to outsource sales forecasting analytics into the cloud.

Getting agile methods to work in global software development is a potentially rewarding but challenging task. Agile methods are relatively young and still maturing. The application to globally distributed projects is in its early stages. Various guidelines on how to apply and sometimes adapt agile methods have been proposed. However, systematic literature reviews reveal that detailed evaluative studies are scarce and limited to small and medium sized projects. This study presents a framework that integrates best practices of adapting and applying agile methods reported in the literature. The framework is applied to analyze the experiences of global software product development company Cordys in a seven year longitudinal case study. Both the framework and the experiences of Cordys documented in this paper will be of value to other larger projects that aim to he successful in applying agile in globally distributed projects. Publisher's Version

UML is a visual language. However surprisingly, there has been very little attention in either research or practice to the visual notations used in UML . Both academic analyses and official revisions to the standard have focused almost exclusively on semantic issues, with little debate about the visual syntax. We believe this is a major oversight and that as a result, UML 's visual development is lagging behind its semantic development. The lack of attention to visual aspects is surprising given that the form of visual representations is known to have an equal if not greater effect on understanding and problem solving performance than their content. The UML visual notations were developed in a bottom-up manner, by reusing and synthesising existing notations, with choice of graphical conventions based on expert consensus. We argue that this is an inappropriate basis for making visual representation decisions and they should be based on theory and empirical evidence about cognitive effectiveness. This paper evaluates the visual syntax of UML using a set of evidence-based principles for designing cognitively effective visual notations. The analysis reveals some serious design flaws in the UML visual notations together with practical recommendations for fixing them.

This paper proposes a methodology for capability-based planning (CBP) and investigates how it can be modelled with ArchiMate. This can be considered an important step in aligning Business and IT. By having a common language to express organisational plans, enterprise architects can engage business leaders to plan organisational change based on business outcomes, rather than projects, processes and applications. This is possible because CBP is centred on realising strategic goals by focusing on what an organisation can do, rather than how it can do it. In order to determine a methodology for CBP we look at current research and practice, and propose a generic set of steps. Based on this, we analyse the ArchiMate 2.1 Specification for suitability and propose the addition of the Capability and Metric concepts. In the last section, we validate our proposed methodology and metamodel with the help of a case study.

Part 2: Social Media and E-Participation; International audience; Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are often seen as political game changers. Yet little is known of the effects of social media on local politics. In this paper the Social Media Participation Model (SMPM) is introduced for studying the effects of social media on local political communities. The SMPM aims to explore the relationship between Social Media Participation and Community Participation. The model comprises four constructs: Social Media Choice, Social Media Use, Sense of Community and Community Engagement. The design of the case study was based on the SMPM and took place among the members and parties of the Enschede council, from a large municipality in the Netherlands. Social media participation levels were measured and compared with the Social Media Indicator (SMI). A negative correlation between Social Media Use and Sense of Community has been discovered. However, we could not find a causal effect that explains this correlation. To analyze the effects in more detail, we show directions for further improvement of the model.

The effect of software coupling on the quality of software has been studied quite widely since the seminal paper on software modularity by Parnas [1]. However, the effect of the increase in software coupling on the coordination of the developers has not been researched as much. In commercial software development environments there normally are coordination mechanisms in place to manage the coordination requirements due to software dependencies. But, in the case of Open Source software such coordination mechanisms are harder to implement, as the developers tend to rely solely on electronic means of communication. Hence, an understanding of the changing coordination requirements is essential to the management of an Open Source project. In this paper we study the effect of changes in software coupling on the coordination requirements in a case study of a popular Open Source project called JBoss.

This paper contains the results of a systematic literature review executed to determine the coverage of transaction standards in top information systems (IS) and management journals. Specifically, it aims to identify a research gap with respect to this topic. The top 25 journals are thoroughly searched and the selected publications are classified in order to make grounded statements. A moderate amount of literature found specifically aims at transaction standards. Hardly any research is found on quality aspects of transaction standards, which therefore counts as the research gap.

The adoption of urban smartness concept for the rural area is recently gaining attention, especially as a vehicle to improve the citizens' economic welfare. In this context, this paper presents ongoing research exploring the adoption effort through the development of e-government service platform that facilitates the entrepreneurial discovery as the key for rural area's economic growth. This research follows the design science research methodology (DSRM) as the guidance in defining, designing, and implementing the research artefacts. There are two main research artefacts will be delivered from this research that expected to fill in the gaps from the previous works. First, the theoretical model that describes the key features of urban smartness concept for the realisation of economic benefit for the citizens in a rural area. Second, the design of the e-government service platform customised to the rural context. These research artefacts will be demonstrated and validated using a case study in West Java province, Indonesia, as the region has a strong vision to improve the economic welfare of the people in their rural area through digital initiatives. As the preliminary result, this research proposes a conceptual framework that suggests the urban smartness technology, combined with the organisational and environmental capabilities, can lead to the improvement of the economic welfare of the citizens in rural area through a process that encourages innovation in the local communities.

We study anticipatory scheduling decisions for the transport of freight in a synchromodal network. In a synchromodal network, the choice of mode, the choice of transport path, and the timing of operations is not fixed up front, but decided upon various moments using the latest information about the status of the transport modes and about freight demand. This increased flexibility brings opportunities for consolidation and options for efficient transport, throughout the network and throughout time. However, to achieve such gains, transport decisions must consider their consequences in the entire network and anticipate on their effect in future decisions. We use four different perspectives for studying the decisions in a synchromodal network, based on traditional scheduling methods for multi-modal transport considered in the literature. For each perspective, we develop mathematical models and heuristic algorithms that support anticipatory scheduling decisions in synchromodal transport. Furthermore, for each perspective, we evaluate the output of our models and algorithms using simulation-based experiments, and provide insights into their efficiency gains over traditional scheduling methods, using different network characteristics. As an addition to the development of scheduling methods, we study how to increase the awareness about the trade-offs considered by our methods and how to facilitate the adoption of our algorithms through a serious game. Finally, we present a closing reflection about our anticipatory scheduling methods for freights in synchromodal transport, and provide an outlook for further research with respect to extensions of the models, improvements of the heuristics, and implementation aspects.

The goal of the research in this thesis is to determine how the IT governance (ITG) of an organisation can grow in maturity to become more effective. ITG are “the structures, process, cultures and systems that engender the successful operation of the IT of the (complete) organization”. ITG is thus not restricted to the IT organisation. The research presented here follows the stream in which ITG is considered an integral part of corporate governance, focusing on the performance perspective. The proposition is that improving “ITG maturity” results in improving ITG. Given that ITG is an integral part of corporate governance, the assumption is that improving ITG results in improving corporate governance and thus, improving organisational performance. The research methodology is based on design science and a combination of systematic literature studies, Delphi workshops and case studies. Organisations can be defined as social units of people that are structured and managed to pursue collective goals. ITG can be seen from two perspectives: - An organisational perspective referred to as “hard governance”; - A social perspective referred to as “soft governance”. This research is grounded in the assumption that in order to advance in maturity, organisations should pay attention to both the hard and soft sides of ITG. In order to improve ITG, a maturity model for hard and soft ITG was designed. The end result was a model consisting of three parts: soft governance, hard governance and the context. The thesis provides a detailed description of the design process between 2014 and 2017. Another literature review demonstrated that all 12 focus areas of the MIG model are also covered by the corporate governance literature. The assessment instrument was used in case studies conducted by students and the researchers. Between 2015 and 2017, 28 case studies were conducted using three versions of the instrument. The evaluations revealed that combining the instrument with semi-structured interviews results in an enhanced and usable instrument for determining the current level of hard and soft ITG of an organisation.

Professional service organizations are organizations predominantly employed with professionals; employees with specific and dedicated expertise in an area. IT support of the primary operations in this type of organizations is suboptimal. Methodological support of development and implementation of information systems in professional service organizations is not producing expected results, as for instance can be observed by alacking business-IT alignment. This research brings together ideas from situational method engineering and action design research to address this issue. From the field of situational method engineering, the concept of method chunk is introduced as a made-to-measure IS development methodology element.In this research method chunks (atomic methodology elements) are developed that address hiatus in the ISD methodology in two distinct organizational cases. Action design research combines insight from design science and action research to not only design a technology component, but also embed the designed artifact in the conditions of use. The situational method engineering -action design research based approach produces five key contributions: (1) an analysis of information systems development in the professional service organizations domain; (2) custom tailored method chunks that address specific needs in an ISD process, (3) an method to develop method chunks in the professional service-organisations domain (4) an adaptation of situation method engineering based on the action design research approach; and (5) an real-life application of the action design reserach approach.

Little scientific literature addresses the issue of quality of semantic standards, albeit a problem with high economic and social impact. Our problem survey, including 34 semantic Standard Setting Organizations (SSOs), gives evidence that quality of standards can be improved, but for improvement a quality measurement instrument is needed. 81% of the survey respondents is interested in using such instrument. It can be expected that improved quality of semantic standards will lead to improved interoperability and improved economic welfare and social life. Our main research question is: What are the characteristics of an instrument to measure quality of semantic standards that will aid standard developers in improving their standards? Based on design science methodology this research developed such an instrument, called iQMSS (instrument for Quality Model of Semantic Standards). The iQMSS involves three types of artifacts: artifacts related to the Quality Model of Semantic Standards (QMSS), the Semantic Standard Model (SSM), and the instrumentalization. On the highest abstraction level SMO (Software Measurement Ontology) from the software engineering domain was selected and used for the creation of both QMSS and SSM with consistent concepts and definitions. The extensive research process included coverage of both scientific studies and practical experiences, and led to the highly customizable final version of the iQMSS, in line with the gathered requirements. The main artifact QMSS consists of in total 100 quality aspects structured within three hierarchical trees; product quality (intrinsic), process quality (the organization of the standard), and quality in practice (application of the standard). The SSM is applied upfront to gather knowledge about the standard, create overview and understanding about what we are able to measure in practice for a specific standard. The main concepts within the model are the standards’ context, its content, its development and maintenance processes, and its application. On the lowest level it contains 33 aspects of a semantic standard. The glue between the artifacts is the usage model, which describes how the iQMSS should be applied including four roles. !e end result after each application is the analysis report which provides the basis for a standards’ improvement project. But does the iQMSS aid standard developers in improving their standards? Our validation cases, in the temporary staffing and education domains, suggest that the iQMSS identifies improvement suggestions. Based on the validation workshops we held in both the United States and the Netherlands, we believe that the iQMSS will be used in practice as aid for standards developers.

Today’s dynamic and distributed development environment brings significant challenges for software project management. In distributed project settings, “management by walking around” is no longer an option, and project managers may miss out on key project insights. At the same time, the high coordination requirements caused by the dynamic distributed environment can cause many coordination difficulties and can even lead to coordination breakdowns. In response to some of these problems, researchers have developed detailed patterns for describing the preferred relationships between the team communication structure (the social network) and the technical software architecture. We call such patterns Socio-Technical Patterns. As they capture a wide variety of knowledge and experience Socio, Technical and Socio-Technical Patterns (or Socio/Technical Patterns in short) are potentially very useful for the project manager in planning and monitoring complex development projects. However, these patterns are hard to implement and monitor in practice. The reason behind this is that it is difficult to find coordination problems in order to apply the solutions provided by the Socio/Technical Patterns, as purely manual techniques are labour intensive. Especially within dynamic and iterative distributed environments, the use of Socio/Technical Patterns is challenging. But, even in small companies, employing between 20 and 50 developers (ref Chapter 5 and 6), the social network and the relation to the software tasks can get quite complicated for the software manager to track. As part of the TESNA (TEchnical Social Network Analysis) project, we have developed a method and a tool that a project manager can use in order to identify specific coordination problems that we call Socio/Technical Structure Clashes (STSCs). We have evaluated the TESNA method and tool in two commercial case studies (Chapters 5 and 6) and multiple case studies in the Open Source development environment (Chapter 7).