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Elaboration of use case specifications: an approach based on use case fragments

Use case description has gained a wide acceptance among the many techniques available for information systems requirements specification. However, piecing up all the details required for the production of a high quality use case can be a daunting task, especially for students and novice requirements professionals. This paper presents an approach aiming at reducing the time required for the elaboration of high quality use case specifications. The basis of the approach is to write a use case text using the composition of set of pre-defined fragments, where each fragment represents a recurring set of interactions required to achieve a sub-goal. Each fragment can then be customized to meet use case goals. Since each fragment is coded using the best practices for writing use case steps, both the fragment text and the final use case text will be well composed. We believe that this approach will allow novice requirements professional to write high quality use cases in less time than it would be necessary using the other approaches. Our experience on writing use cases for business information systems using a catalogue of use case fragments suggested that they can be a facilitator in several aspects, not only improving the writing speed, but also leading to standardization and concision of use case specifications.

A method for validating the compliance of business processes to business rules

Regulatory compliance of business operations and practices is increasingly becoming an area of great concern for management, costing tens of billions of dollars in compliance actions a year. This paper presents a method for validating business processes with respect to the business rules. In the proposed method, business processes are modeled with UML activity diagrams, whilst business rules are represented as OCL expressions attached to process activities and the business conceptual model. The model validation is based on the simulation of the execution of process instances based on specific scenarios. The simulation algorithm steps through the process model executing the actions associated to the activities with the help of the USE tool and checking for violations of the associated business rules. The proposed method allows the modeler to have an early feedback of possible defects that may exist in a business process model.

On the Merits and Pitfalls of the Incremental Funding Method and Its Software Project Scheduling Algorithms

This paper analyses the merits of the IFM and its software project scheduling algorithms; challenges the claim of efficacy and efficiency of those algorithms made by their authors; indicates alternative solutions to the IFM’s pitfalls; and points towards research directions that could further improve the method.

Structured construction and simulation of nondeterministic stochastic activity networks

In this work we deal with a mechanism for process simulation called a NonDeterministic Stochastic Activity Network (NDSAN). An NDSAN consists basically of a set of activities along with precedence relations involving these activities, which determine their order of execution. Activity durations are stochastic, given by continuous, nonnegative random variables. The nondeterministic behavior of an NDSAN is based on two additional possibilities: (i) by associating choice probabilities with groups of activities, some branches of execution may not be taken; (ii) by allowing iterated executions of groups of activities according to predetermined probabilities, the number of times an activity must be executed is not determined a priori. These properties lead to a rich variety of activity networks, capable of modeling many real situations in process engineering, project design, and troubleshooting. We describe a recursive simulation algorithm for NDSANs, whose repeated execution produces a close approximation to the probability distribution of the completion time of the entire network. We also report on real-world case studies.In this work we deal with nondeterministic stochastic activity networks (NDSANs). Their stochastic character results from activity durations, which are given by nonnegative continuous random variables. The nondeterministic behavior of an NDSAN is a consequence of its variable topology, based on two additional features. First, by associating choice probabilities with the immediate successors of an activity, some branches of execution are not always taken. Second, by allowing iterated executions of a group of activities according to predetermined probabilities, the number of times an activity is to be executed is not determined a priori. These properties lead to a wide variety of activity networks, capable of modelling many real situations in process engineering and project management. We describe a simple, recursively structured construction of NDSANs, which both provides a coherent syntactic mechanism to incorporate the two abovementioned nondeterminism features and allows the analytic formulation of completion time. This construction also directly gives rise to a recursive simulation algorithm for NDSANs, whose repeated execution produces an estimate of the probability distribution of the completion time of the network. We also report on real-world case studies, using the Komolgorov-Smirnov statistic for validation.

Optimized RFV analysis

Purpose – In the classic recency‐frequency‐monetary value (RFV or RFM) approach to market segmentation, customers are grouped together into an arbitrary number of segments according to data on their most recent day of purchase (R), the number of buying orders placed (F) and the total monetary value of their purchases (V). The purpose of this paper is to show how to select the order in which the RFV dimensions are applied to data and choose the number of segments and the time frame used in such a way as to maximize the results of direct marketing campaigns.Design/methodology/approach – A “genetically” optimized RFV model is built from data collected from a real world direct marketing campaign. The results produced when it is used are compared with the results yielded without the use of any forecasting method at all and with the support of a widely used basic RFV model.Findings – Not only does the new model provide better results, but it is also easy to build and allows for the introduction of new dimension...

Generating software-project investment policies in an uncertain environment

This paper presents a method for the identification of an investment policy that allows managers to make better decisions during the execution of projects with managerial flexibility. Moreover, it shows that introducing managerial flexibility brings an increase in the project value while maintaining the risk of financial loss under an acceptable level. The case study presented in the paper demonstrates that the result obtained using a flexible investment policy can be substantially different from the one obtained with an inflexible plan, which are so common in todaypsilas software projects, even when allowing for uncertain cash flows.

A multicriteria approach to the XP release plan that maximizes business performance in uncertain environments

This paper proposes a multi-criteria method to evaluate the value of XP release plans to business. The method, which is based upon software minimum marketable features, information economics, risk analysis and stochastic modeling, helps XP practitioners to select the release plan that maximizes business performance in an uncertain environment, with considerable consequences for the use of information technology as a competitive advantage tool.

A qualitative risk model for offshoring IT applications

Offshoring IT services has become a key factor in building successful business strategies, allowing companies to gain competitive advantage. Nevertheless, offshoring embeds a brand new set of risks regarding its management. This paper presents a step-by-step method to build a customized qualitative risk model for offshoring IT applications, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of being successful in such initiatives.

A quantitative risk model-building method for offshoring IT applications

Off shoring IT services has become a key factor in building successful business strategies, allowing companies to better position themselves in todays highly competitive markets. Nevertheless, off shoring brings to the table a brand new set of possibilities and risks regarding its management and execution. This article presents a method for the elaboration of a quantitative risk model for off shoring IT applications, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of being successful in such initiatives.

Research Opportunities on the Application of the Theory of Constraints to Software Process Development

The software development process is a key factor in the efficient production of quality software. Software process improvement has been a constant theme not only in academia but also in the software industry, where countless works have been developed and published. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) was originally proposed by the physicist Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt, in the 80s as a method for the continuous improvement of manufacturing processes. This research aims to survey the academic research on the application of the TOC to the software development process. We also searched for its application to other productive environments in an attempt to visualize approaches that could be adapted to the software development process, such as studies about process optimization, process improvement and process scheduling. The results showed research opportunities both theoretical and practical with application of the TOC in software process development, software process improvement, identification and treatment of bottlenecks in software process, optimization of software process and applications using heuristics, meta heuristics, mathematical models and optimization models.