Noushin Ashrafi

The impact of software process improvement on quality: in theory and practice

To remain competitive, software companies must establish practices that enhance quality and advance process management. To this end, they have increasingly turned to software process improvement (SPI) methodologies, of which the ISO 9000 standards and the capability maturity model (CMM) are the best known. The underlying principle of both methodologies is to assess organizational capabilities to produce quality software, but they depend on different underlying processes.Whether the practices advocated by these methodologies lead to high-quality software has been the topic of ongoing debates. Both scholars and practitioners are looking for hard evidence to justify the time and effort required by such guidelines to improve the software-development process and its end product.In this paper, we investigate the impact of SPI methodologies on software quality, first by theoretical comparison and then with empirical data. Our findings reveal that each methodology has had a different level of impact on software quality factors. These findings could help software-development organizations select the methodology or combination that best meets their quality requirement.

Software process and product improvement: an empirical assessment

Abstract Despite all the attention that software process improvement (SPI) practices have received, there is no solid evidence of how extensively they are used across organizations, and their impact on quality, cost, and on-time delivery. The findings of previous studies are based on case studies, often assessing the effectiveness of a particular methodology in a large company. In our attempt to obtain a broader insight into the software process improvement practices, we conducted a survey targeted at software developers in New England. We collected 67 responses and used descriptive statistics to analyze the survey results. In addition, we examined the impact of SPI methodologies on quality factors and compared the impact to the importance of quality factors for software developers. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the degree of correlation between the two.

Boosting Enterprise Agility via IT Knowledge Management Capabilities

In response to rapid changes in business environment, enterprises deploy knowledge management technologies to improve adaptability and increase their chances of survival. This paper theorizes the causal relationship between a firm’s agility and its IT knowledge management capacities. We posit that the prerequisite to agility is the ability of the firm to reconfigure processes, resources, and routines-in other words its dynamic capabilities. On the other hand, the building of dynamic capabilities is only possible if the firm has the ability to sense and response to the dynamic of the environment. Knowledge management technology and social structure are postulated to influence the absorptive capacity, which in turn is considered an antecedent to dynamic capabilities of the firm. We also identify the intellectual assets necessary to sense and respond to the environment and IT capabilities required to support and implement change initiatives.

A framework for implementing business agility through knowledge management systems

In this paper we have developed a research model that illustrates the role of IT and knowledge management in building an agile operation. Acknowledging that there is more than one dimension to business agility, we focus on operational agility as a catalyst to enforce quality, cost effectiveness, and delivery, thereby meeting organizational objectives. To develop our model of agility, we build on existing theoretical constructs and identify absorptive capacity and dynamic capabilities as enablers of operational agility. Further, we recognize major IT knowledge management capabilities that are instrumental in building absorptive capacity and thus enhancing dynamic capabilities. We will utilize surveys of key decision makers to validate our model and have provided a rough outline of the type of questions that we will employ.

Privacy Protection Via Technology: Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)

Increasingly, the Internet is used as a common tool for communication, information gathering, and online transactions. Information privacy is threatened as users are expected to reveal personal information without knowing the consequences of sharing their information. To that end, research groups, both from academia and industry, have embarked on the development of privacy enhancement technologies. One such technology is Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P). Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), P3P has a number of prominent stakeholders such as IBM, Microsoft, and ATT in particular, we look at P3P both as a new technology and as a standard. We use our empirical data on top 500 interactive companies to assess its adoption.

A collaborative model for training non-IT workers

nd-users of information technology (IT) need substantial education, training, and support to harvest the uch-touted benefits of IT systems. The current efforts towards providing IT training for existing, non-IT workers are insufficient, and ineffective. Such efforts have created opportunities for some people and nightmares for others. In this paper we explore what can and should be done for non-IT workforce made up of those who need to live with the technological revolution but in many cases do not know how. We then suggest a Private and Public Sector Collaboration (PPSC) model engaging industry, government, and higher education, with a central focus on providing a sustainable educational process to train nonIT workers. Section II presents the background of the problem, section III gives a description of the proposed model and an example to clarify the implementation process, section IV discusses who benefits from this model, and section five, the final section, offers conclusions.

Expert systems reliability: a life cycle approach

Abstract Over the past few years, the application of expert systems has moved from the domain of toy systems and menial tasks to areas where complex systems perform critical tasks. However, the acceptance of expert systems for practical use has been slow. This paper argues that one of the reasons for this is that insufficient attention has been directed at ensuring the correctness and reliability of expert systems in the early phases of development. This article then discusses a life cycle approach to identify and reduce the different types of reliability problems inherent in developing expert systems.

Mobile Devices and Cyber Security - An Exploratory Study on User's Response to Cyber Security Challenges.

In today’s increasingly connected, global, and fast-paced computing environment, sophisticated security threats are common occurrences and detrimental to users at home as well as in business. The first and most important step against computer security attacks is the awareness and understanding of the nature of the threats and their consequences. Although the users of mobile devices and laptops are often the target of security threats, many of them, specifically millennials, seem oblivious of such threats. A survey of college students reveals that despite all the hype about cybersecurity and its potential damages, the respondents are using their mobile devices without much apprehension or thoughts about threats, potential damages, and safeguarding against them. This study is on the premise that as the use of mobile devices is exponentially increasing among millennials, their laid back attitude and behaviour in response to cybersecurity is alarming and not to be overlooked. Simple solutions such as availability of useful information should be considered.