João Batista de Camargo Junior

Agile project management with Scrum: A case study of a Brazilian pharmaceutical company IT project

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the benefits of the agile project management (APM) framework compared to the traditional waterfall model, and understand how it can help companies add value and gain competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used was the exploratory qualitative research through a case study of a software project, developed with the support and application of the Scrum framework, in a pharmaceutical industry information technology project. Findings There were benefits found in the utilization of the agile framework, such as increased motivation and staff satisfaction, better control of requirements and especially higher quality of the delivered system, generating added value to the organization. Additionally, the project allowed the use of features from the first month of the application deployed, enabling a 75 percent reduction in development time, compared to traditional methods. The software development time was four months, 30 percent of what would be the total if the traditional methodology was adopted. Based on the results, the agile framework, especially the Scrum, proved to be a viable option as a project management approach. Research limitations/implications Since this research is an exploratory case study, its results cannot be generalized. Practical implications The paper provides relevant practical information and experiences to managers interested in implementing APM, as well as those interested in improving the management of projects. Originality/value This paper provides a case study with practical implications of using APM, and APM’s benefits and advantages are compared with the traditional waterfall approach. Companies can use this case study to better understand about the advantages and strengths of APM over the traditional approach.

ERP: uma investigação sobre a decisão entre comprar pacote comercial ou desenvolver internamente

O cenario contemporâneo exige das organizacoes uma maior preocupacao em tornar mais efetiva a gestao de suas atividades, com o objetivo de aumentar sua competitividade por meio da reducao de custos e eficiencia operacional. Nesse sentido, os sistemas de gestao empresarial (ERP) surgem como uma solucao a essa conjuntura. Normalmente, um ERP e adquirido em forma de pacote pronto, mas algumas empresas optam por desenvolve-lo internamente, influenciadas pela complexidade de implementacao desses softwares de mercado. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho e analisar as caracteristicas de um ERP comercial e de um ERP desenvolvido localmente, tracando um comparativo entre essas duas abordagens para entender qual e a melhor solucao para auxiliar os processos em grandes empresas. A metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa qualitativa exploratoria, por meio de um estudo de caso em uma grande empresa do setor industrial de equipamentos pesados, a qual, ao longo de sua existencia, promoveu a implementacao do ERP das duas maneiras. Verificou-se que a adocao do sistema desenvolvido internamente e mais facil e atende melhor aos requisitos da empresa. Porem, os gestores da organizacao estudada entenderam que o ERP comercial e mais benefico, devido a possibilidade de maior integracao entre as filiais e as demais empresas da cadeia de suprimentos, ponto relevante na estrategia da empresa.

A produção acadêmica internacional em práticas e iniciativas na gestão colaborativa em cadeias de suprimentos: um estudo bibliométrico

This paper aims to analyze the international academic literature production about the main practices and initiatives related to collaborative management in supply chains in articles published in international journals indexed in Scopus. The research evaluated publications in the 2005-2014 period, using bibliometric techniques to identify the publication year, the country and the periodicals in which these papers were published, as well as the predominant themes. In total the research investigated 331 papers related to the following practices and collaborative initiatives: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), Continuous Replenishment (CR), Efficient Customer Response (ECR) and Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). The results demonstrated that (a) there is no concentration of publications in a small group of journals; (b) there is a concentration of publication about the topics in a few countries, especially the United States; (c) there is no concentration of authors with several articles published about one of the practices or initiatives; (d) the EDI and the VMI are the most investigated practices in the articles analyzed; and (E) there is no concentration of publications in any specific year, keeping the publications balanced over the period investigated by the research.

Voice picking: analysis of critical factors through a case study in Brazil and the United States

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the difficulties encountered in the implementation of a voice picking system at a large multinational company of the tractor industrial segment, outlining a comparison related to the main critical factors concerning the system implementation at a Brazilian and a USA plant. Design/methodology/approach - – The methodology utilised was qualitative and exploratory conducted through case studies in the two plants of the multinational company. The main data were collected through interviews with key managers directly involved in the project of voice picking system implementation. Findings - – The results indicate that the picking processes in the two plants were similar, since both were designed for the production line and conducted using bar-code readers and paper lists. Nevertheless, the internal warehousing process in the USA was more mature and computerised, whereas the Brazilian process still had opportunity for improvement, such as, the visual storage process, where the operator was responsible for locating an empty position. Research limitations/implications - – Since this research is an exploratory case study, its results cannot be generalised. Practical implications - – The paper provides relevant practical information and experiences to managers interested in implementing voice picking systems, as well as interested in improving the accuracy and productivity of logistics processes within warehouses. Originality/value - – The voice picking systems are more widespread in the USA than in Brazil, and therefore, companies around the world can use this studied case to better understand about the voice picking systems implementation process in both emerging and mature marketplaces.