Kai-Uwe Loser

Sociotechnical Walkthrough: A Means for Knowledge Integration.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to show that for the successful development of socio‐technical systems it is essential that various stakeholders are able to integrate their different knowledge and perspectives. A method that supports knowledge integration in the course of introduction and development of socio‐technical systems is the Socio‐technical Walkthrough (STWT). The paper describes the characteristics of the STWT method and the potential to support knowledge integration.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical approach of the STWT is closely related to the notion of socio‐technical systems. Starting with the historical development of this term, the authors saw the necessity to adopt elements of newer system theory so as to achieve a better understanding of the conditions under which a social system and a technical system can be integrated. Based on two empirical case studies (university library/logistic enterprise goes Web) the authors show empirical evidence, that the STWT is especi...

Socio-technical Self-Description as a Means for Projects of Introducing Computer Supported Cooperation

The concept of socio-technical self-descriptions can be employed to run CSCW-projects where several perspectives have to be integrated in a process of decision making. The decisions are related to technical as well as organizational structures and their interplay. Current approaches do not sufficiently match the challenge to facilitate the communication processes during CSCW-projects. The alignment of software-development and configuration on the one hand with organizational changes and regulations on the other hand need specific forms of documentation which can be considered as a kind of self-description. In this paper we explain how semi-structured diagrams can fulfil these requirements, if they are embedded in appropriately facilitated communication processes. We provide guidelines and recommendations which were derived from several case studies and were refined during a project which planned to support the cooperation between truck drivers and dispatches by using mobile pocketPCs

Towards a service agility assessment - modeling the composition and coupling of modular business services

Agility in IT services or business is closely linked with the ability to quickly compose new offerings to match specific and varying demands. A modular architecture is a key enabler for this ability. In this paper we provide a brief introduction how the principle of modularity may be applied to business services. We then present a proposal how modular business services can be modeled using SeeMe, a socio-technical modeling language. The ability to compose and adapt services to new demands depends critically on the coupling of the modules. We show how SeeMe models of module interfaces can be used to assess coupling between modules. In the outlook to further research we propose that the concepts of vague modeling as well as person, activity, and resource hiding may be used to assess the agility of business services.

Modellierung von Prozessschnittstellen modularer Servicearchitekturen

Die Modularisierung von Dienstleistungen ist ein viel versprechendes Prinzip zur Gestaltung variantenreicher Dienstleistungen. Ein zentrales Gestaltungselement von Dienstleistungen sind dabei Geschaftsprozesse. Dabei ist die Prozessmodellierung mittlerweile etablierter Bestandteil der Organisationsgestaltung. Der Beitrag zeigt, wie die Modularisierung von Dienstleistungen durch Prozessmodellierung unterstutzt werden kann. Insbesondere soll untersucht werden, welche Modellierungskonzepte benotigt werden, um Dienstleistungsmodule und deren Interaktion adaquat abzubilden. Dieser Beitrag stellt dazu Modellierungskonzepte vor, mit denen einzelne Module und ihre dazugehorige Schnittstelle voneinander getrennt beschrieben werden. Dies unterstutzt das Geheimnisprinzip der Modularisierung. Die Semantik dieser Modellierung von Modulen und Schnittstellen wird detailliert erlautert. Auf der Basis dieser Modellierungskonzepte lassen sich dann Muster beschreiben, die bestimmte Kooperationsformen von Modulen abbilden konnen.

Security and Privacy as Hygiene Factors of Developer Behavior in Small and Agile Teams

User motivations are often considered in human computer relations. The analysis of developer behavior often lacks this perspective. Herzberg’s distinction of motivators and hygiene factors adds a level for the analyses of those sociotechnical phenomena that lead to skipping of security and privacy requirements especially in agile development projects. Requirements of security and privacy are not considered nice-to-have, but as necessary hygiene factors of systems attractiveness, motivation for extra effort is low with respect to those requirements. The motivators for developers – functionality that makes a system special and which is valued by customers and users are dominant for the decisions about priorities of development – hygiene factors like many security requirements get a lower priority. In this paper we introduce this theory with relation to known problems of (agile) development projects with respect to implementing security and privacy. We present this with a case study of mobile app development in a research project that we analyzed by security and privacy aspects.

Kooperationsunterstützung und Werkzeuge für die Dienstleistungsentwicklung: Die pro-services Workbench

Service Engineering ist ein kooperativer Prozess an dem unterschiedlichste Personenkreise beteiligt sind: Kunden, externe Vertragspartner fur die Erbringung und die beteiligten Mitarbeiter eines Dienstleistungsunternehmens bilden mit ihren unterschiedlichen Sichtweisen auf und Erwartungen an Dienstleistungen ein komplexes Geflecht von Rollen, die an der Entwicklung beteiligt sind. Bruhn [1] betrachtet diese Rollen in erster Linie unter der Fragestellung der Kommunikationspolitik und beschreibt dafur eine Reihe von Lucken, die durch geeignete interne und externe Kommunikationsmasnahmen zu uberbrucken sind. In einigen dieser Kommunikationsmasnahmen wird man uber blose Informierungsmasnahmen hinaus denken mussen und eine aktive Beteiligung anstreben. Das sind die Bereiche in denen Kooperation stattfindet. Die aktive Mitarbeit der beteiligten Mitarbeiter bspw. ist bei der Definition von Dienstleistungsspezifikationen, bei der Ausrichtung der Marktkommunikation, bei der Erhebung der Kundenerwartungen oder der Gestaltung des Erbringungsprozesses von Dienstleistungen vielfach angezeigt.

Integrating a Practice Perspective to Privacy by Design

The goal of privacy by design (PbD) is to consider privacy aspects during all steps of a software and system design process in order to foster the development of privacy friendly technology. Current PbD approaches mainly focus on technological aspects of privacy in software engineering and rarely include viable approaches that take into account the context in which software systems are built and used. The future context of use however plays a crucial role for the effectiveness of privacy and security measures. Therefore, we propose to use a socio-technical design approach based on the established method of STWT (socio-technical walkthrough). This method allows multiple stakeholders to reflect on process models they design collaboratively over multiple sessions. Based on a privacy focused analysis of models from previous workshops we adapt the STWT and corresponding modeling guidelines to incorporate aspects relevant for privacy by design.

Theoretical Foundations of the Socio-Technical Walkthrough

In this book, process modeling with SeeMe (see chapter B.1) and participatory process design with the Socio-Technical Walkthrough (STWT, see chapter B.2) are presented as methods for international service planning and implementation. These methods were used in three case studies to capture the complex interdependencies present in international process landscapes, and to elicit and cope with the special characteristics of these processes. In the case studies, we often encountered situations in which different stakeholders had different perspectives of the processes they were involved with in mind. Additionally, often there was no common artifact they could relate to for discussing service processes. Hence, stakeholders found it hard to adapt processes to properties of clients and locations. Both SeeMe and the STWT were found to diminish these problems.

Information security management systems and socio-technical walkthroughs

Information Security Management is related to the design of socio-technical work processes. The development and reflection of this kind of processes can be supported with the field-tested method of the socio-technical walkthrough (STWT). Within a project of raising security standards for a university administration infrastructure, STWT was combined with common ISMS methodology. During this project we found indicators for improvement by employing the STWT: technical and organizational measures can be specified in a single effort; contingent relationships can be taken into account as well as vulnerability resulting from characteristics of social structures. Furthermore switching between different levels of abstraction, details and formalization is possible. STWT helps to develop artifacts which support a focused discussion as well as an appropriate documentation.

Die pro-services Workbench - Werkzeuge für das Service Engineering

Die in diesem Band vorgestellten Methoden fur das Service-Engineering — Modularisierung, Prozessmodellierung und Produktivitatsmanagement — stellen Unterstutzungen zur Entwicklung, Implementierung und Pflege von Dienstleistungen und der damit verbundenen Wissensubermittlung und Interaktion zwischen den Beteiligten dar. Hierzu sind fur die Verantwortungstrager und durchfuhrenden Akteure auf Seite der Dienstleistungsanbieter und Zulieferer geeignete Werkzeugunterstutzung wunschenswert. In diesen Werkzeugen ist es sinnvoll, auch Kunden einzubinden. Im Rahmen des Projektes pro-services entstand eine Reihe von Werkzeugen, die im Konzept einer ubergreifenden Workbench fur das Service Engineering von unterschiedlichen Akteuren in verschiedenen Phasen eines Dienstleistungslebenszyklus genutzt werden konnen.