Manuel Pérez Cota

Experiences in the Application of Software Process Improvement in SMES

During the last few years, many Software Process Improvement methods (SPI) have been presented to increase the quality of products and services provided by a software organization. Current Software Process Improvement (SPI) methods (i.e. ISO 15504, CBA-IPI,...), are difficult to apply to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMES) due to the costs (financial, time, and resource) associated with their application. Also, these methods are principally focused on the assessment stage. This paper presents a new SPI method, called MESOPYME, which main focus is to reduce effort and time on the SPI implementation. This method focuses on the improvement implementation stage, which is based on a concept called Action Package, whose components are described (in Section 2.1.). The results obtained in the application of a Requirements Engineering Action Package in three organizations are also presented.During the last few years, many Software Process Improvement methods (SPI) have been presented to increase the quality of products and services provided by a software organization. Current Software Process Improvement (SPI) methods (i.e. ISO 15504, CBA-IPI,...), are difficult to apply to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMES) due to the costs (financial, time, and resource) associated with their application. Also, these methods are principally focused on the assessment stage. This paper presents a new SPI method, called MESOPYME, which main focus is to reduce effort and time on the SPI implementation. This method focuses on the improvement implementation stage, which is based on a concept called Action Package, whose components are described (in Section 2.1.). The results obtained in the application of a Requirements Engineering Action Package in three organizations are also presented.

Efficient measurement of the user experience of interactive products. How to use the user experience questionnaire (ueq).example: spanish language version

Developer, manager and user feedback is needed to optimize products. Besides the basic Software qualities � usability and user experience are important properties for improving your product. Usability is well known and can be tested with e.g. a usability test or an expert review. In contrast user experience describes the whole impact a product has on the end-user. The timeline goes from before, while and after the use of a product. We present a tool that allows you to evaluate the user experience of a product with little effort. Furthermore the tool is available in different languages and we are using the new Spanish Version. We show how this tool can be used for a continuous user experience assessment.

Potential dimensions for a local e-Government services quality model

The study presented in this article will serve as a basis for the development of a suitable methodology whose purpose is to evaluate the quality of local e-Government online services. Citizens expect quality public services, and their online dimension is no exception.This first study puts forth a systematization of the relevant bibliography, focusing on the quality of three types of services: traditional electronic and e-Government. Each methodology was analyzed in order to identify the main quality dimensions used.Up to the present moment, we were unable to identify a service quality evaluation method particularly focused on local online e-Governments, and this justifies the development of an investigation project whose main purpose is to create such a methodology in this field. One of the main challenges underlying different Electronic Government forms is the provision of a quality public service. In the Local Government context, local authorities allow for an adjustment between the characteristics of public services and the specificities of local communities, letting populations define their own priorities, which vary from community to community based on objective elements but also subjective by nature. The quality of these services in their electronic format should be analyzed and taken into account to potentiate and elaborate a strategy capable of improving offered services, increasing the satisfaction of the recipients. In the present paper we set forth a preliminary list, comprised by thirty dimensions for an Electronic Local Government Quality Model based on a literature review, where we analyzed seventeen approaches for electronic and e-Government service quality, as well as an empirical study involving a group of experts and users of Local Government services.

From the quality of traditional services to the quality of local e-Government online services: A literature review

Abstract The study presented in this article will serve as a basis for the development of a suitable model whose purpose is to evaluate the quality of local e-Government online services. Citizens expect quality public services, and their online dimension is no exception. The quality of these services should be analysed and accounted for, in order to maximize and develop strategies that improve the offered services, increasing the levels of satisfaction of their recipients. In this sense, this first study puts forth a systematization of the relevant bibliography, focusing on the quality of three types of services: traditional, electronic and e-Government. Each model was analysed in order to identify the main quality dimensions used. Up to the present moment, we were unable to identify a service quality evaluation model particularly focused on Local online e-Government, and this justifies the development of an investigation project whose main purpose is to create a model with these specificities.

A component framework for reusing a proprietary computer-aided engineering environment

Nowadays, it is becoming more frequent for engineers to deal with problems and situations that require specific software and the commercially available applications may not result adequate. Because of this, the reuse of software components is becoming a normal practice for improving the productivity of the software programmers, and the quality of the products that they develop. The employment of reusable components presents a number of advantages, such as the reduction in time necessary to develop new software, or the simplification of many computational tasks. There are some proprietary software environments in the engineering domain that are practically de facto standards, since they offer a broad functionality, robustness and constant updating. Therefore, those environments could be ideal candidates to be reusable components when developing new software. An example of this is Matlab, which can be encapsulated, in order to use it as a true reusable component. This will provide the user with efficient tools for designing his/her own applications. Moreover, there is an increasing importance for any software to offer distributed services. To perform this task, it is fundamental to have at ones disposal reusable components that support Internet-based distributed applications and services development. In the present work, a software component framework that effectively encapsulates Matlab is described. This software allows developers the reuse of Matlab, for both local and distributed applications. To address those issues the .NET technology was employed. The component framework developed can be integrated in the toolbars of software development environments supporting the .NET framework. This facilitates the construction of applications that can reuse the components, since the software developers can use and test them and change their properties in design-time.

Information management model for competencies and learning outcomes in an educational context

The Bologna Process opened the door to the globalization of higher education, by creating a unified architecture that enhances the potential of higher education and encourages increasing and continuous interconnection among different higher education strategies in the world, and particularly in Europe. This paper introduces and describes an innovative model for a thorough, organized and systematic analysis of the educational context ̶ MICRA (model for identifying and classifying Competencies and Learning Outcomes), based on the official documents of the Course Units (syllabus and assessment components). The MICRA model was validated by means of a case study. Competencies and Learning Outcomes were identified in the Computer Science Course Units of the Accounting and Business Administration degree at the Institute of Accounting and Administration of Porto (ISCAP/IPP). We are aware that the adoption of this model by different institutions will contribute to the interoperability of learning outcomes, thus enhancing the mobility of teachers and students in the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) and third countries.

Efficient Measurement of the User Experience. A Portuguese Version

Abstract For the international use of software products it is important to know the culture, language and behavior of the citizens. Means: internationalization and location. To be able to evaluate these products it is significant to know how people from a country behave and express their feelings. This article presents a questionnaire which was initially developed in German, English and Spanish and is now available after a complex transformation in Portuguese.

Social networks sites adoption at firm level: A literature review

The current technological and social Era in which our society lives, provides for the necessary background in order for Social Networks Sites (SNS) to be considered an essential and very relevant tool not only for individual social interaction, but also for firms to perform business activities. By analyzing the existent literature on the SNS adoption at firm level, the authors perceived the existence of a knowledge gap on this topic, thus creating the need for a SNS related literature review. In this paper, we present a systematic literature review on the SNS topic, mainly focusing the efforts towards the adoption of this technology at firm level. Some final considerations on future research are also presented in the final section of the article.

Visual Zero: A persistent and interactive object-oriented programming environment

In this article, an ongoing research project held in the Computer Science department of the University of Vigo is described. Its main objective is to develop an interactive object-oriented environment, serving as a vehicle for learning object-oriented programming. It currently consists of a virtual machine, an assembler, compilers for two high-level programming languages, and an educational visual programming environment. Its main characteristics are (a) the support of prototype-based object orientation, which is a model of object orientation that actually wraps the class-based model; (b) the support for object persistence, which simplifies all input/output issues to the minimum, and (c) the availability of a new visual programming environment is an invaluable help. We the authors think that the combination of all of these possibilities, will lead to an interesting, useful tool that would be recommended for object-oriented teaching. The whole system has been successfully employed in a number of different courses, allowing students to concentrate on objects and their relationships from the very beginning, and thus helping them to achieve a high degree of knowledge about the object-oriented programming paradigm.

Towards an object‐oriented programming system for education

In this article, an ongoing research project conducted in the Computer Science department of the University of Vigo is described. Its main objective is to serve as a vehicle for learning object‐oriented programming. Although it is still in development, it has been successfully employed in a number of different courses. Its main characteristics are (a) support of prototype‐based object orientation, which is a model of object orientation that actually wraps the class‐based model; (b) future support for object persistence, which simplifies to the minimum all input/output issues; and (c) support of multiple platforms, through a portable bytecode. We think that the combination of all of these possibilities, the obtained results in its first use, and the further development of this project will lead to an interesting, useful tool which would be recommended for object‐oriented teaching. The simplicity of the prototype‐based model of object orientation, the dramatic decrease in complexity for programs due to the direct support of persistence, and all facilities naturally provided by the feature of multiplatform support makes it the ideal tool for learning, allowing the educator to stress on the actually important issues of object‐oriented programming.