Search

Contemporary Information systems development (ISD) involves not only implementing a predefined set of requirements but also managing changes that emerge during the development process due to unanticipated business and technical needs. ISD project requirements increasingly become both planned and emergent. ISD teams need delivery capabilities to routinely execute what has been planned, and agile capabilities to sense and respond to changes that emerge during the development project. In other words, ISD teams must effectively manage their abilities to not only routinely deliver software applications that meet defined requirements but also sense and respond to changes emerging during the project. The extant literature has not studied the distinction and relationship between ISD team delivery capability and agility. This study empirically examines the differential effects of ISD team delivery capability and agility on ISD project outcomes. Survey data collected from professionals working on 160 software development projects were used to test the research model and hypotheses. The results suggest that ISD delivery capability positively affects agility, agility positively impacts change-response outcome, and agility mediates the relationship between delivery capability and change-response outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of organizational culture factors on the selection of software process development models and develops a conceptual model for selecting and adopting process development models with an organizational culture approach, using 12 criteria and their sub-criteria defined in Fey and Denison's model (12 criteria). Design/methodology/approach: The research hypotheses were investigated using statistical analysis, and then the criteria and sub-criteria were selected based on Fey and Denison's model and the experts' viewpoints. Afterward, the organizational culture of the selected company was measured using the data from 2016 and 2017, based on Fey and Denison's questionnaire. Due to the correlation between the criteria, using the decision-making trial and evaluation technique, the correlation between sub-criteria were determined, and by analytical network process method and using Super-Decision software, the process development model was preferred to the 12 common models in information systems development. Findings: Results indicated a significant and positive effect of organizational culture factors (except the core values factor) on the selection of development models. Also, by changing the value of organizational culture, the selected process development model changed either. Sensitivity analysis performed on the sub-criteria implied that by changing and improving some sub-criteria, the organization will be ready and willing to use the agile or risk-based models such as spiral and win-win models. Concerning units where the mentioned indicators were at moderate and low limits, models such as waterfall, V-shaped and incremental worked more appropriately. Originality/value: While many studies were performed in comparing development models and investigating their strengths and weaknesses, and the impact of organizational culture on the success of information technology projects, literature indicated that the impact of organizational sub-culture prevailing in the selection of development process models has not been investigated. In this study, new factors and indicators were addressed affecting the selection of development models with a focus on organizational culture. Correlation among the factors and indicators was also investigated and, finally, a conceptual model was proposed for proper adoption of the models and methodologies of system development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, changes have been made in the development of information systems software for a more agile way of working. Agile teams are responsible for obtaining requirements in a multidisciplinary set, where the business part and the development part are represented in a single project. DevOps is a new movement that tries to improve agility in service delivery. It encourages greater collaboration and communication between development teams and operations and prevents problems and operational needs from being exposed in the project, affecting software quality. For large and cross-platform businesses, it is essential to consider the mainframe in these tool chains because data and mainframe applications are among their strategic digital assets. The ideal architecture for mainframe inclusion harmoniously combines the specificity of the well-integrated mainframe / task platform (DevOps) into the broader environment of the development and operations chain. Inclusive tooling chains generate a significant competitive advantage by enabling you to have quality information from the mainframe code, making the platform much more accessible to DevOps equipment. Thus, the main problem of the work is: what are the main benefits that would lead a company's IT area to invest in the implementation of bimodal IT with DevOps, aiming to optimize processes? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate early scope estimation is a common problem in software projects, leading to failures in meeting project requirements. Agile projects usually do not concentrate on a comprehensive requirements analysis and specification before the start of the project, making scope assessment difficult. This paper presents the methodology for facilitating a more accurate early estimation of project scope, based on requirements information gathered in various forms (requirements models and textual descriptions) during the requirements workshop. The requirements from different sources are compiled into one list and reconciled, since they are prepared by a number of participants in the requirements workshop using different notations (UML diagrams, SysML models, Story map) and may have differences in the vocabulary. Reconciliation encompasses the unification of vocabulary, as well as the identification and the removal of overlaps in requirements. The final list of requirements is used to estimate the scope of the project in story points. The estimate can be presented to the client and used as a basis for the project contract. A case study on the application of the proposed methodology is presented, using the animal shelter information system as a development project. It demonstrates that the methodology is viable and can facilitate the gathering of a more extensive set of requirements, thus ensuring a more detailed scope estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior work on leadership in information systems development (ISD) teams has assumed that all developers are treated equally by their team leader and ignored the possibility that differentiated leader-member exchange (LMX) may be an important instrument for team leaders to influence self-organizing, agile ISD teams. We conducted a concurrent mixed methods inquiry to understand how LMX differentiation is associated with developer satisfaction in agile ISD teams and through which team processes agile ISD teams address LMX differentiation. We ran a multilevel, multistage survey of 1,894 software developers in 217 teams and an embedded case study of five ISD teams drawing on qualitative data from 40 interviews of developers and team leaders. Two focus groups (one with 10 developers and one with 10 team leaders) helped to substantiate the meta-inferences from the quantitative and qualitative studies. The results showed that LMX differentiation was positively associated with developer satisfaction, especially in teams with high-quality team-member exchange (TMX). We identify three team processes (i.e., collectivization of resources, visible appreciation of privileges, and freeing up leader capacities) that are enacted through agile ISD practices and allow ISD teams to leverage benefits from LMX differentiation for all their members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the highly pervasive and effective use of agile methods at the team level, many software organisations now wish to replicate this success at the organisational level, adopting large-scale agile methods. However, an analysis of extant literature reveals (i) a lack of theoretically grounded studies of large-scale agile transformations; (ii) weak assumptions underpinning those that do exist; and (iii) an overly simplistic and often problematic over-reliance on simple adherence to agile methods. In addition, there is a lack of insights on why large-scale agile transformations fail. To explore this, we apply normalisation process theory (NPT) to examine key challenges in normalising (i.e. the process of embedding and sustaining) large-scale agile methods. We present an in-depth case study of large-scale agile transformation and demonstrate how failing to normalise a large-scale agile method can unravel an organisation’s transformation efforts. There are four key contributions from this research. First, this study shows that the standard focus on initial adoption is one of the main reasons for the widespread failure of digital transformations and in this case a large-scale agile transformation. Second, this is the first study to introduce and empirically apply NPT to information system development (ISD) as an illustrative guide for those across information systems field to follow. Third, we present key recommendations based on NPT to guide researchers and practitioners on the normalisation of large-scale transformations. Fourth, we present an agenda for future research on large-scale agile transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting DevOps is challenging since it makes a significant paradigm shift in the Information Systems Development process. DevOps is a trending approach attached to the Agile Software Development Methodology, which facilitates adaptation to the customers' rapidly-changing requirements. It keeps one front step by introducing software operators who support the transmission between software and implementation into the software development team by confirming faster development, quality assurance, and easy maintenance of Information Systems (IS). However, software development companies reported challenges in adopting DevOps. It is critical to control those challenges while getting hold of the benefits by studying Critical Success Factors (CSF) for adopting DevOps. This study aimed to analyze the use of DevOps approach in IS developments by exploring CSFs of DevOps. A systematic literature review was applied to identify CSFs. These factors were confirmed by interviewing DevOps practitioners while identifying more frequent CSFs in the software development industry. Finally, the research presents a conceptual model for CSFs of DevOps, which is a guide to reap the DevOps benefits while reducing the hurdles for enhancing the success of IS. The conceptual model presents CSFs of DevOps by grouping them into four areas: collaborative culture, DevOps practices, proficient DevOps team, and metrics & measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was no known effective approach to implementing information systems in Tanzanian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) because the requirements of users change frequently and HEIs vary in their requirements. Theoretically, the agile software development process and Design Science Research (DSR) could deliver software that suits such a context, yet no testing had been done priorly. Therefore, this study aimed on investigating the suitability of the combination of Agile Methodologies and the DSR in developing information systems for Tanzania's HEIs. The study used eXtreme Programming as one of the Agile Methodologies and the DSR to develop a timetabling software which easily integrates into the existing academic information system of the College of Business Education for better decision making. Likewise, the evaluation of the developed artifact confirmed that the resulting product raised the user satisfaction with the information system in HEIs. In this regard, the current study advances the frontier of knowledge on using the DSR framework and Agile Methodologies in designing and developing software in Tanzania's HEIs and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key objective of this paper is to investigate the evolution of hybrid software development methods and highlight the main difficulties that arise with regard to information systems (IS) auditing. While technology firms today are under constant pressure to deliver software faster due to emerging needs worldwide, this continuous effort leads to innovative development models, apparently driven by practice. Since modern software development is neither pure linear phases progression nor agile, a challenge arises with regards to selecting the appropriate combination of approaches that serve to reach goals and assure value creation for organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous development extends the agile approach and focuses on bringing valuable services to users with the aim of achieving a continuous flow of learning and development in short cycles. The objective of this work is to theorize the idea of continuous development in the context of digital infrastructure evolution and explore the organizational interactions underlying continuous development. By drawing on literature on digital infrastructure theory and continuous development as it has emerged as an idea from the DevOps thinking expanded from agile, we outline main characteristics of continuous development and propose a theoretical definition of continuous development in organizational contexts. Then, in answering our research question "which patterns of interactions can be identified in the continuous development of digital infrastructures?", we conducted a longitudinal case study at a Norwegian grid company and explored how a specific digital infrastructure evolved through continuous development. We identified generic interaction patterns with two cycles of sense-giving and sense-making between organizational actors, enabling the continuous development of the digital infrastructure. Our findings and model of interaction patterns offer a nuanced perspective on both digital infrastructure evolution and established views of sense-making and sense-giving mechanisms, as well as new ways to think about digitalization in incumbent firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Techno.com is the property of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Fakultas Ilmu Komputer and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Iranian Journal of Information Processing & Management is the property of Iranian Information & Documentation Center (IRANDOC) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Software product prone to continuous evolution due to increase in the use of technology. Therefore, more stakeholders are involved in software evolution increases the cost and complexity. This required optimization of resources and cost to handle evolution with Global Software Development (GSD) to utilize time zones efficiently. The significance challenge of GSD reports: time zone difference, geographical location, communication delays, knowledge sharing, control among stakeholders and development team. Because of these challenges, the requirements for development in GSD environment are also challenge as compared to on site development. Different requirement engineering methods have been used to improve the requirements analysis to deal with ambiguities and inconsistency in large set of requirements. The customization and tailoring of requirements according to changing project's situations required to improve project development with reusing existing agile methods during requirement engineering phase. Moreover, complex information systems where heterogeneity is inevitable that implies the involvement of divergent stakeholders and necessitate a comprehensive framework to capture multidimensional viewpoints and fulfill aforementioned issues. Therefore, a situational multi-dimensional agile requirement engineering method has been proposed to support team and stakeholders' viewpoints. The schema of the proposed method is based on challenges recognized by performing Literature Review. Then proposed method has been evaluated via experimental approach and statistical analysis conducted to validated reliability of data collected. This result is significant approved both practically and statistically that the proposed approach ease to use, implement, trained and increased productivity and performance. Hence, the experimental study for the evaluation of the proposed approach results concluded that, proposed approach is the important multimedia tool for supporting organization and distributed development team for information sharing, collaboration, product development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays modern information systems (emerging technologies) are increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily lives and has begun to pose a serious challenge for human-computer interaction (HCI) professionals, as emerging technologies in the area of mobile and cloud computing, and internet of things (IoT), are calling for more devotion from HCI experts in terms of systems interface design. As the number of mobile platforms users, nowadays comprises of children's, elderly people, and people with disabilities or disorders, all demanding for an effective user interface that can meet their diverse needs, even on the move, at anytime and anywhere. This paper, review current articles (43) related to HCI interface design approaches to modern information systems design with the aim of identifying and determining the effectiveness of these methods. The study found that the current HCI design approaches were based on desktop paradigm which falls short of providing location-based services to mobile platforms users. The study also discovered that almost all the current interface design standard used by HCI experts for the design of user's interface were not effective & supportive of emerging technologies due to the flexibility nature of these technologies. Based on the review findings, the study suggested the combination of Human-centred design with agile methodologies for interface design, and call on future works to use qualitative or quantitative approach to further investigate HCI methods of interface design with much emphasis on cloud-based technologies and other organizational information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information systems development (ISD) project control has been traditionally seen as a tool against agency concerns, i.e. to align the interests of project participants with the organization's interests. However, this perspective barely fits into the agile worldview. Agile methods, that became popular choices for ISD projects, shifted away from the commander role of project leaders, and propagate the importance of collaboration and facilitation. Therefore, it became ambiguous why project managers of agile ISD projects engage in control activities. This qualitative study employs the "Gioia method" to investigate managerial reasons for these exercises and draws attention to the range of problems and needs these procedures can address. The analysis found that control mechanisms are enacted not only due to agency concerns, but also to enhance cooperation and communication, to signal to senior management and to become isomorphic with other projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One constitutional part of project management is the management of teams, their actions, and their social mechanisms. Team processes, behavior, and agile practices used by team members play important parts in the success of projects. To reap benefits from these highly interactive and social-focused practices, team members need to feel safe to speak freely. We propose a model that conceptualizes the effects of psychological safety and (social) agile practices on team performance. The proposed model combines recent research from organizational psychology and agile information systems development to provide a better understanding of the team-level effects. Our findings from three case studies conducted in two large insurance companies and one software development company suggest that social agile practices positively influence psychological safety, transparency, communication, and ultimately productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic serendipitously might have evoked an era of agility. In information systems development (ISD), agility has been exemplified by agile software development. ISD researchers have proposed that the term agility be operationalized by the ability to create, embrace, and learn from change. The dynamic capabilities approach is similar and focuses on sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring opportunities. Risk and opportunity intelligence, aligned decision-making, IT flexibility, and employee capability are critical antecedents of agility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of user-centered design (UCD) activities into agile information systems development has become more popular recently. Despite the fact that there are many ways the merging of UCD activities into agile development can be carried out, it has been widely recognized that coordinating design activities with development activities is one of the most common problems, especially in distributed environments where designers, developers and users are spread over several sites. The main approach to coordinate UCD activities with distributed agile development is the use of informal methods (e.g. communication through using video conference tools). In addition to the temporal, geographical and socio-cultural barriers associated with this type of methods, a major limitation is a lack of awareness of how UCD activities and development activities affect each other. Furthermore, some agile project management tools are integrated with design platforms but fail to provide the necessary coordination that helps team members understand how the design and development activities affect their daily work. This research aims to support the effective management of integrating UCD activities into distributed agile development by (i) identifying the key activity dependencies between UX design teams and development teams during distributed UCD/agile development and (ii) designing a computer-based system to provide coordination support through managing these activity dependencies. In order to achieve these objectives, two case studies are carried out. Our findings revealed 10 main dependencies between UCD design teams and development teams as shown by six types of activity. In addition, the participatory design approach shows that developing a computer-based system to manage seven of these selected dependencies is achievable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although agile software development approaches have become increasingly prevalent, many organizations, have found they were not able to achieve a more frequent release cadence, largely due to different departmental functions operating in silos. In an effort to remove these silos, companies have moved towards DevOps. As digitalization continues, companies increasingly implement DevOps. We suggest three different stages in the agile to DevOps transition: agile, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. Based on an in-depth case study in an organization with several years' experience in DevOps, we identify a fundamental disruption in the soft skills that software teams are expected to possess, and in the patterns of collaboration among teams. Arguably, smartness may be characterized as being flexible, teaming up with people who have a different profile, belonging to a different function, and achieving a quicker delivery schedule. In light of this, we argue that DevOps leads to greater smartness for the Information Systems function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though software projects do add value to the organisation, studies reveal that some software projects are still failing at an alarming rate and do not always provide the anticipated value to the organisation. This has been the case for the last couple of decades. Software projects use predominantly Waterfall as a methodology. This raises the question whether new ways of working can be introduced to improve the success rate. One such new way is Agile as an approach to developing software. A survey was done to determine whether Agile projects are more successful than Waterfall projects, thus contrasting the old and the new ways of working. Some 617 software projects were evaluated to determine the success rate based on the methodology used. Success was measured on a continuum of five levels and not just the triple constraint. The results imply that Agile projects are more successful than Waterfall projects to some extent, but that there are still concerns that need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the launch of the Education Informatization 2.0 action plan by the Ministry of Education, a large number of college information systems have been born in China. Most of these systems are single page web applications (SPA) based on traditional MVC structures. Due to the complex logic and high coupling between educational businesses, developers need to write a lot of code. The education information system has many businesses and high coupling between businesses that the system often face problems such as bloated frontend businesses, iterative system updates, and difficult incremental function developments. Combined with the idea of service-oriented architecture, this paper proposes a micro frontends solution and applies it to the new generation of graduate information platform of East China Normal University, which has better agile development capabilities. From the aspects of service separation, efficient development, and incremental upgrade, this paper verifies that the architecture can well adapt to the needs of future educational management information system. The design of the micro frontends provides a new idea for the development of a new generation of education information system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agile software development represents a major departure from traditional, plan-based approaches to software engineering. The selections of appropriate software development methodologies for a given project and tailoring the methodologies to a specific requirement have been a challenge since the establishment of software development as a discipline. The research speaks about what is currently known about the benefits and limitations of agile methods and methodologies. Agile software development is a particularly important topic in software engineering and information systems. We approach the idea of the four core of agile software development that are essential to ease the process of software development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Search for Smartness in Working, Living and Organising: Beyond the "Technomagic": Editorial for Special Issue of Information Systems Frontiers It asserts a constructionist perspective of technology adoption and use that grounds technology determinism claims in the context of adoption and use and shows the influence of the social, organisational and incumbent technology on adoption outcomes. Future research on new technology could go beyond the rhetoric of technology domination to examine Whose values? In this regard, future research should go beyond the existence of smart devices and technology to examine how smart users, organisations and policies could come about through the use of these technologies. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine contradictions (specifically tertiary and quaternary contradictions) that can disrupt the flow of work in contemporary systems development methods. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses Activity theory (AT) as a theoretical lens to: examine ISD flow as an interrelated activity system; and identify contradictions. AT is pertinent in the context of this study as rather than view contradictions as a threat to prematurely abandon the use of flow tools and metrics, it shows how contradictions can act as a motor for change and continuity. This study adopts a longitudinal single case study approach including face-to-face interviews with management and software development project teams, as well as direct observations and document analysis. Findings: This study identifies tertiary and quaternary contradictions, and highlights the influence of contradictions on flow-based systems development. Social implications: This study provides a set of contradictions for researchers and practitioners. It shows that contradictions can be culturally or politically challenging to confront, and even when resolved, can have intended or unintended consequences. Originality/value: This paper fulfils an identified need to study ISD flow from the perspective of interrelated activity systems and beyond its initial implementation phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial serves two purposes: It provides a general introduction to storytelling from an organizational and IS perspective. While such impoverished versions of storytelling are normally not included in the storytelling research discourse, there are other researchers who use the full richness of stories to engage with users in the software development process and thus contribute to and benefit from the storytelling scientific discourse. Recent hype around storytelling has made clear that the appeal, effectiveness, and potential of storytelling in IS is widely recognized. Storytelling in organizations: Why storytelling is transforming 21st century organizations and management. [Extracted from the article]