Helen M. Edwards

The use, limitations and customization of structured systems development methods in the United Kingdom

Abstract Established structured systems development methods are getting larger, but often only implicitly support customization for particular projects. This paper examines the consequences of this situation, and makes reference to a survey carried out in the first half of 1994 into the use of methods and their customization. The results of this survey suggest that structured methods are not as widely used as they might be. Most departments customize their methods, but gain knowledge of this process through experience. Structured method users do not have more confidence in their method than in-house method users. It is argued that this may be the result of poor support for the customization process.

The repertory grid technique: Its place in empirical software engineering research

Personal construct theory (applied via the repertory grid technique) supports interpretivist research in a structured manner and, as such, has relevance for researchers conducting studies focused on the human and organisational aspects of software engineering. Personal construct theory (which underpins the repertory grid technique) is introduced, and the technique and its administration is discussed. Research studies from the literature are reviewed to provide illustrative examples of its application within a software engineering context. Since any research approach needs to answer questions about its reliability and validity within a particular study, these issues are considered for repertory grid investigations and criteria are offered that can be used to judge these issues within a planned, and/or reported, study.

Who should test whom

Examining the use and abuse of personality tests in software engineering.

Change Management of People & Technology in an ERP Implementation

PowerIT is an autonomous company of about 200 staff producing and repairing power conversion supplies. Eighteen months after adopting an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system the chief executive officer wanted an investigation into the performance of the system. This was to focus on its technical capabilities and its acceptance by users, since it was not delivering the anticipated gains in profits. The results of the investigation reported here reveal problems with the acquisition and implementation process. This case highlights the difficulties that can be encountered by organizations that attempt to tailor an enterprise resource planning system to the existing business practices. In particular, the need for careful impact analysis of proposed software modifications and effective change management within the entire project is demonstrated.

Quality and people in the development of situationally specific methods

It is argued that personality testing and group dynamic principles could improve the success of development teams in developing systems by providing a mechanism for repeatable and valid identification, rating and selection of stakeholders in the method engineering process. The method presented, MEWSIC, aims to formalise the development of situational methods so that the link to quality assurance processes are retained. MEWSIC accounts for the number of stakeholders who have a legitimate interest in the success of the project, but distinguishes between those who provide input that informs the method engineering process, those who carry out this process and their team role types. An overview of MEWSIC and a discussion on the need for personality testing and group dynamic measures is given.

The impact of two different think-aloud instructions in a usability test: a case of just following orders?

The instructions used in think-aloud studies can range from a simple request to think-aloud, to an explicit instruction to include certain types of content. The present study compared two think-aloud instructions: the classic neutral think-aloud instruction and an explicit instruction requesting explanations and content that is relevant to the user experience. Data from task performance, mental workload, think-aloud protocols and usability problems were collected from 16 participants, equally distributed between the two think-aloud instruction conditions. No differences were found in task performance, however, participants in the explicit instruction condition reported higher mental workload and a focus on finding interface problems. The explicit instruction condition also yielded more utterances about the user experience, expectations and explanations of behaviour than the neutral condition. An analysis of the resultant usability problems revealed that the explicit instruction led to a larger number of dialogue, navigation, layout and functionality problems, but that the problems which were unique to this condition were, in the main, at a low level of severity.

Fundamental Risk Factors in Deploying IT/IS Projects in Omani Government Organisations

Deploying IT systems has always presented a combination of challenges and risks to decision-makers. Many IT projects have failed to accomplish their cost, schedule, or technical performance objectives. However, the factors that are encountered in deploying IT/IS projects in developing countries differ from those encountered in developed countries due to cultural and organisational reasons. Oman is one developing country that has started, slowly, exploring the use of computer systems to help in improving their business. The case is made that Oman needs to have a coherent IT strategic vision at the national level. Implementing this vision into detailed strategies depends on the high awareness of the positive role IT can play in the economy, counterbalanced by the ability to manage the associated risks. The factors that are associated with implementing IT/IS in Omani government organisations are: human resource deficiency, organisational inefficiencies, and the immaturity of the IT business culture. The risk factors that arise in the context of the Omani culture are contrasted with those that have been reported in the literature.

Deriving a logical data model for a system using the RECAST method

The Reverse Engineering into CASE Technology method (RECAST) takes the source code for an existing COBOL system and derives a no-loss representation of the system documented in the format of Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) documentation. One key element of the method is the abstraction of the system data and its representation as a logical data model. The RECAST method considers how to derive the entities (with their relationships and attributes) both for systems accessing file-based data and for those accessing data from IDMSX databases. The functional specification of the system is derived primarily by considering the processing that affects these entities. This paper describes how the abstraction of the data design is achieved and discusses the results of using RECAST to derive the data models of two operational systems that have been used as case studies for the research project.

The Changing Importance of Critical Success Factors During ERP Implementation: An Empirical Study from Oman

This study examines empirical evidence from a survey conducted in Omani organizations to determine whether the importance of individual CSFs varies across the ERP implementation life-cycle. The CSFs included in the survey were derived from a structured review of literature. Purposive sampling was used to select ERP stakeholders who had both experience and knowledge of ERP implementations. The survey data are analyzed and used to evaluate four hypotheses: Individual CSFs vary in importance across the ERP implementation life-cycle; The number of CSFs that are important increases across the ERP implementation life-cycle; Categories of CSFs vary in importance across the ERP implementation life-cycle; Technical CSFs are of less importance than other CSFs for successful ERP implementation. The data support the first three, but the fourth is rejected.

Design requirements for persuasive technologies to motivate physical activity in adolescents: a field study

Technology probes were used to investigate what adolescents would find persuasive in digital devices supporting opportunistic (unstructured/unplanned) exercise. The probes comprised pedometers, handheld consoles with an exercise game and a customised social website with an exercise focus. Three groups of six adolescents participated in the field study. To contextualise the study their attitudes to exercise, and exercise behaviours, were collected at the start and end of the study. The participants logged their daily exercise and noted any barriers that they encountered over six weeks. They reflected on these experiences and took part in innovation activities to identify requirements for motivational exercise technology. Analysis of the results revealed that they desired individual customisation of devices that can capture a wide range of physical activity data. Moreover, social interaction is expected within digital media and positive messages reinforcing goal attainments are valued, whereas negative feedback demotivates. These findings support those reported in other studies of both children and adults. More specific to this age group was their openness to sharing information beyond their friendship groups, although this was counterbalanced by their lack of autonomy in the physical world. This highlights issues that could constrain the effective design of technology for this age group.