Dawn R. Utley

Organizational Culture and Successful Information Technology Implementation

Abstract Information technology has been the catalyst for the new source of economic wealth during the current economic period called the Information Age. Some industries and specific organizations have successfully implemented numerous information technologies and, as a result, enjoy great competitive advantages. Others have not. This article explores whether the internal environment enjoyed by an organization contributes to this success or failure. It also investigates whether the organizations cultural climate and its balance of concern for production issues vs. people issues play a role in implementation success. Data from this 3-year study of 18 companies involved in government and commercial ventures suggest a correlation between specific cultural attributes and the successful implementation of information technology systems. We found that people-oriented rather than production-oriented aspects exerted the most significant influence.

A comparison of cohesion metrics for object-oriented systems

Abstract Cohesion is the degree to which the elements of a class or object belong together. Many different object-oriented cohesion metrics have been developed; many of them are based on the notion of degree of similarity of methods. No consensus has yet arisen as to which of these metrics best measures cohesion; this is a problem for software developers since there are so many suggested metrics, it is difficult to make an informed choice. This research compares various cohesion metrics with ratings of two separate teams of experts over two software packages, to determine which of these metrics best match human-oriented views of cohesion. Additionally, the metrics are compared statistically, to determine which tend to measure the same kinds of cohesion. Differences in results for different object-oriented metrics tools are discussed.

Project Managers and Functional Managers: A Case Study of Job Satisfaction in a Matrix Organization

Information regarding job satisfaction within an organization using a matrix structure is limited. This paper provides empirical evidence regarding the difference in job satisfaction between project managers and functional managers in one matrix organization: a government research and development center. Key findings of this research include the identification of the factors that provide job satisfaction for both groups and the significant difference in job satisfaction between the groups. The perceived efficiencies provided by the matrix structure may be negated by the lack of job satisfaction experienced by the functional managers.

The Relationship between Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory and Quality Improvement Implementation

ABSTRACTA study was conducted in nine organizations to investigate the relationship between the use of Herzbergs two-factor theory of job satisfaction and the successful implementation of quality improvement management (that is, total quality management, reengineering, quality improvement, etc.). Company respondents rated quality management implementation in their company based on six attributes: organization culture, customer focus, teamwork, problem solving, continuous improvement, and quality measurement. These same respondents were asked to describe a job-related event that was extremely satisfying and one that was dissatisfying. A relationship was found between the presence and use of Herzbergs motivators and quality improvement implementation success. Due to the variety of organizations included in the study, the conclusions would be applicable to most technical organizations.

Semantic software metrics computed from natural language design specifications

An approach using semantic metrics to provide insight into software quality early in the design phase of software development by automatically analysing natural language (NL) design specifications for object-oriented systems is presented. Semantic metrics are based on the meaning of software within the problem domain. In this paper, we extend semantic metrics to analyse design specifications. Since semantic metrics can now be calculated from early in design through software maintenance, they provide a consistent and seamless type of metric that can be collected through the entire lifecycle. We discuss our semMet system, an NL-based program comprehension tool we have expanded to calculate semantic metrics from design specifications. To validate semantic metrics from design specifications and to illustrate their seamless nature across the software lifecycle, we compare semantic metrics from different phases of the lifecycle, and we also compare them to syntactically oriented metrics calculated from the source code. Results indicate semantic metrics calculated from design specifications can give insight into the quality of the source code based on that design. Also, these results illustrate that semantic metrics provide a consistent and seamless type of metric that can be collected through the entire lifecycle.

TQM—The Effect of Culture on Implementation

ABSTRACTThis article is an exploratory analysis of factors affecting the implementation of total quality management (TQM). Evaluating TQM implementation is hindered by a lack of agreement on a definition of TQM. Six attributes of TQM have been identified: organization culture, customer focus, team orientation, problem-solving emphasis, continuous improvement, and measurement. We hypothesize that an organizations culture is a limiting factor in TQM implementation. If a culture supports employee efforts and customer needs, then TQM implementation is more successful. If a culture constrains employees and is negative, then TQM implementation is less successful. To test this hypothesis, a large graduate class with students from a wide geographic area was assigned projects to evaluate TQM installations in their own organizations. The results of the evaluations tend to support the hypothesis.

Computing software metrics from design documents

Software metrics can provide an automated way for software practitioners to assess the quality of their software. The earlier in the software development lifecycle this information is available, the more valuable it is, since changes are much more expensive to make later in the lifecycle.Semantic metrics, introduced by Etzkorn and Delugach, assess software according to the meaning of the softwares functionality in its domain. This is in contrast to traditional metrics, which use syntax measures to assess code. Because semantic metrics do not rely on the syntax or structure of code, they can be computed from requirements or design specifications before the system has been implemented. This paper focuses on using semantic metrics to assess systems that have not yet been implemented.

A Preliminary Assessment of the Relationships Between Project Success, System Engineering, and Team Organization

Abstract: Demand for improved functionality in modern aerospace systems has resulted in increased project complexity. Managers are finding it even more difficult to balance cost, schedule, and performance. Often, system engineering is proposed as a means to balance these demands; however, guidance on tailoring system engineering and team organization to effectively deploy team assets is often incomplete. This paper reports on the development and testing of a methodology to assess the relationship between project success, system engineering, and team organization. The initial work is showing promise in revealing correlations. Data is currently being gathered and analyzed on additional projects, relative to the initial project requirements as well as other similar projects. It is hoped that there will be sufficient data to statistically evaluate these relationships. The longterm goal of this project is to look at statistical relationships so that a project team can effectively tailor their system engineering processes.

Management Concepts in Use—A 12-Year Perspective

Abstract Many theories involving management practice have been taught in schools and seminars. Some have been popular with practitioners, while others have waned. This article reports a 12-year study of the knowledge and use of management concepts in technical organizations. Managers responding to a survey instrument reported their familiarity with and use of 17 management concepts. The data, collected between 1985 and 1997, included organization type and respondents management level. The data were analyzed for trends, and observations on these trends are offered. The results indicate that 1985 was a year of significantly low familiarity with management concepts. The most well-known and used theories are management by objectives and quality circles. The least well-known theories are those of Vroom, Argyris, and Likert.

Team Progress Checksheet: A Study Continuation

Abstract: With the high technology world of today and in an effort to compete on a global level, companies have used teams to tackle complex designs and to continually improve in areas such as quality and service. Large amounts of money are spent on training teams but few organizations evaluate these training efforts once the teams return to the job. In addition, engineering managers need a way to assess teams throughout the project life to ensure team success. One quick and potentially cost effective way to assess teams in these situations is to use a survey. Work has continued on one such survey, called the Team Success Questionnaire (TSQ), to study its psychometric properties. The instrument contains 11 questions pertaining to teaming attributes. The TSQ is very consistent in its measurement as shown by the reliability, presented as a Cronbachs alpha value, of 0.94. It also has construct, concurrent, and discriminate validity. The TSQ correlates with both team performance and group development. The results of this research show that the TSQ would be an appropriate method to assess teams after training and to use by the engineering manager at points throughout the life of the team.