Eduardo Alves Portela Santos

Applying process mining techniques in software process appraisals

ContextProcess assessments are performed to identify the current maturity of organizations in relation to best practices. Existing process assessment methods, although widely used, have limitations such as: dependence on the competencies of appraisers; high amount of effort and resources required; subjectivity to analyze data and to judge on the implementation of practices; low confidence in sampling and its representativeness. Currently, due to the increasing use of information systems to support process execution, detailed information on the implementation of processes are recorded as event logs, transaction logs, etc. This fact enables the usage of process mining techniques as a powerful tool for process analysis. It allows using a significant amount of data with agility and reliability for process assessments. ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to present the development and application of a feasible, usable and useful method, which reduces the limitations of current SCAMPI method and defines how to apply process mining techniques in SCAMPI-based process appraisals. MethodResearch method comprises nine steps that were performed in a manner that raised questions in the first four steps were answered by the last four steps of the research design. ResultsThe method Process Mining Extension to SCAMPI was designed, developed, applied in two cases and submitted for review by experts who judged it viable, usable, and useful. ConclusionsAs per this research, process mining techniques are suitable to be applied in software process assessments since they are aligned with the purposes of data collection and analysis tasks. In addition to that, the resulting method was judged by experts as something that reduces identified limitations of one of the most used process assessment method.

Process-aware FMEA framework for failure analysis in maintenance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish a Process-aware FMEA (PAFMEA) development environment in order to face the main Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) deficiencies concerning failure analysis in maintenance. Design/methodology/approach The proposed framework integrates Delphi methodology to obtain consensus of specialists’ opinions, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to perform multiple criteria-based risk assessment and a business process management system to instantiate the development cycle. A conceptual model is presented and analyzed through a case study. Findings PAFMEA reveals a new perception in the evaluation and prioritization of failure modes during maintenance failure analysis, such as risk definition and resource availability, dealing with conflicting characteristics in decision-making approaches. Practical implications The PAFMEA environment includes requirements that are grouped with a process instantiation of an AHP structure, providing a high degree of applicability and performance to the development cycles of the FMEA. The new method confronts the classical risk assessment approach and contributes to the literature, adding new perspectives to the FMEA analysis. Originality/value PAFMEA brings new and promising perspectives to the FMEA development cycle, which, in short, means adding on a multi-criteria failure analysis method (AHP) through a process-aware platform, with performance impacts in FMEA knowledge sharing, decision making and delivery.

Interoperability Assessment as Indicator of Innovation Management Effectiveness

Innovation management implies transversal manifestation of a development cycle within the organization, featuring an information flow and the coordination of processes that involve both human resources and heterogeneous systems. The complexity of this cycle leads to the concept of interoperability, which can be considered as the ability to exchange information and use them. Interoperability assessment may help the identification of the main barriers towards innovation management within an organization. This paper proposes an interoperability assessment model for innovation management in a Research & Development company, characterizing a diagnosis process on its potential interoperation. The assessment method is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process, organizing the knowledge (innovation attributes) in interoperability perspectives and inferring the maturity level of the organization.

Information Technology Service Management Processes for Small and Medium Enterprises A Proposal for an Implementation Sequence

A survey with CIOs of 167 IT companies revealed that 90% of these organizations have one or more ITSM (IT Service Management) processes implemented. Discussions about the importance of ITSM processes are constantly on the agenda but, although the models, libraries, and references such as ISO 20000 and ITIL are worldly adopted, it is important to remind that they usually contain information of “what to do” rather than “how to do” or how to organize an implementation sequence. The challenge is to merge the best practices of these references in an implementable sequence which could be carried out in a shorter period. This paper presents a sequence, derived from a field study and survey of six Brazilian IT service providers, suggesting an order for the implementation of the practices. The proposal sequence presented was chosen as a basis for the service-oriented model of the Brazilian Program for Software Process Improvement (MPS.BR). Keywords— Information Technology Service Management; implementation sequence; process prioritization component.