Peter De Bruyn

Positioning the normalized systems theory in a design theory framework

Several frameworks have been proposed to define design science and design theory. For this reason, positioning a research stream within both paradigms has become a difficult exercise. In this paper, the Normalized Systems (NS) theory is positioned within design science and design theory, in particular the design theory framework formulated by Gregor & Jones (2007). Normalized Systems theory has been proposed as a way to cope with the ever increasingly agile environment to which organizations and their software applications need to adapt. The results of positioning NS within the presented framework for design theories show that NS almost fully incorporates all components of the design theory anatomy. The application of NS theory to other fields is also discussed. By positioning Normalized System theory within design science and design theory, we also believe to contribute to the definition of both fields in this paper.

Understanding entropy generation during the execution of business process instantiations : an illustration from cost accounting

The instantiation and execution of business processes typically generates an enormous set of data, including financial- and accounting-related information, based on different aggregation levels. As a result, it can be very complex to draw conclusions from this data, such as which steps in a business process are causing delays or, in an accounting context, which tasks are causing high costs. In this paper, we relate this complexity generated through business process execution to the concept of entropy, as defined in thermodynamics. More specifically, we show how information aggregation seems to be at the core of this phenomenon. We discuss six types of information aggregation dimensions which tend to increase entropy (and hence, complexity) in a cost accounting context. As entropy is generally controlled by adding structure to the considered system, we propose a set of preliminary guidelines to control this entropy based on insights from the Normalized Systems (NS) theory rationale.

Building Evolvable Software Using Normalized Systems Theory: A Case Study

Normalized Systems (NS) theory has recently been proposed as an approach to develop agile and evolvable software by defining theorems and design patterns for software architectures. In this paper we discuss the NS development process, which is illustrated by means of an elaborate description of a case regarding a budget management application developed according to the theory. Advantages of the NS approach, such as swift application development through code expansion and the transfer of additional NS design knowledge to new applications, are equally discussed.

On the Need for Evolvability Assessment in Value Management

Contemporary organizations need to dynamically adapt to their rapidly changing environment. This imposes challenges to the entire organization, including its supporting information systems (IS). However, current value management practices pay little attention to evolvability issues within the evaluation and deployment of information technology dependent strategic initiatives (ITDSIs). In this paper, we explore how the evolvability of an information technology (IT) application can be assessed and which practices might be affected if an organization is willing to address this issue. For this purpose, we propose a set of five specific management guidelines. These should lead to ITDSIs yielding more evolvable information systems to an organization, and hence enable the organization to more easily adapt to its environment, providing a competitive advantage.

Towards Applying Normalized Systems Theory Implications to Enterprise Process Reference Models

The analysis phase in the overall development life cycle of information systems has frequently proved to be a difficult assignment as the quality of the work heavily depends on the skills, experience and domain knowledge of the analyst. As a consequence, analysis patterns and reference models have been introduced in the past as a means to consolidate best-practices in conceptual modeling (often incorporating specific domain knowledge) and guiding analysts in their modeling efforts. However, the actual evaluation of reference models or analysis patterns available remains a challenging issue. Here, the evolvability or flexibility of the considered frameworks seems to be a legitimate evaluation criterion. Hence, in this paper, the well-known SAP Reference Model framework is analyzed with regard to its adherence to Normalized Systems (NS) theory design principles as this theory specifically focuses on the evolvability of modular structures such as information systems and business processes. It is concluded that it is feasible to employ the NS theory to evaluate such reference models from an evolvability point of view and distinguish both aspects and indications towards conformance with NS theory, as well as indications of possible violations regarding its principles.

On the Applicability of the Notion of Entropy for Business Process Analysis

Contemporary organizations need to be able to dynamically a dapt, improve and analyze their business processes. While many approaches are available in literature, few of them tend to use typical engineering concepts for this purpose. In this paper, we employ the concept of entr opy as defined in statistical thermodynamics to advance the field of business process analysis. After review ing some existing literature on entropy and its application in business topics, we show how earlier insight from entropy reasoning in Normalized Systems theory may offer opportunities to be applied in business pro cess engineering as well. The necessary entropy concepts are defined in a business process context, entropy o ccurence in business processes is illustrated and some initial principles for controlling the resulting entr opy are discussed. Finally, some implications for both theory and practice (e.g., Service-Oriented Architecture s) are reviewed.

Towards designing enterprises for evolvability based on fundamental engineering concepts

Contemporary organizations are operating in a hypercompetitive environment, in which they are faced with challenges such as increasing complexity and increasing change in many or all of their aspects. As such, current organizations need to be more agile to keep up with the swiftly changing business environment. However, current development practices for information systems supporting these organizations appear to be insufficient to deal with these levels of changing complexity. Normalized Systems theory therefore proposes a theoretical framework that explains why current modular structures in information systems are intrinsically limited in terms of evolvability, as well as how modular structures can be built without these limitations, thus exhibiting evolvable modularity. The goal of the proposed Ph.D. research project is to develop a contribution to how evolvable modularity as a theoretical framework can be further extended from the technological level to the business level and as such support business processes, enterprise architectures and their supporting IT systems. The ultimate purpose will be to make organizations as a whole more agile by developing so-called normalized design patterns (domain models) on the business level in order to allow a more deterministic approach enabling the expanding of enterprises.

Factors Affecting the Development of Absorptive Capacity in the Adoption of Open Source Software

Previous research has shown that the knowledge that is available to an organization is an important factor influencing the adoption of open source software OSS. Hence, it is important that organizations develop their absorptive capacity in order to successfully adopt OSS. Absorptive capacity refers to the ability of an organization to acquire, assimilate, and exploit new knowledge. However, no study has specifically investigated how organizations can develop their absorptive capacity by acquiring knowledge about OSS. This paper addresses this gap in research by investigating the organizational knowledge assimilation process within the context of the adoption of OSS. Based on a case study conducted at the Flemish government, a framework that is grounded in literature and that illustrates which contextual factors influence the development of absorptive capacity in the context of the adoption of OSS was developed.

Tailoring an Analysis Approach for Developing Evolvable Software Systems: Experiences from Three Case Studies

The analysis, design and implementation of information systems in a changing environment poses significant challenges. Normalized Systems (NS) theory specifically aims to develop software which can cope with these challenges by strictly adhering to theoretically proven design principles and expanding a large part of the code in a highly structured way. One practical implication is that initial prototypes created during the analysis phase can evolve into production-ready applications using incremental refinements. However, little guidance is available on how to perform a (non-technical) functional analysis in a way which leverages the specific advantages of NS software. This paper therefore proposes an NS-specific analysis approach in terms of modeling aspects, project milestones, and stakeholder management. This approach is based upon the inductive analysis of three real-life NS cases performed in different industries. Based on the experiences in these cases, we reflect on the benefits and challenges of our approach. Further, we highlight how our approach can be supplemented by existing analysis and project management frameworks (such as domain-driven design, prototyping and agile development) and how NS software development facilitates the actual realization of these trends.

On the Evolvable and Traceable Design of (Under)graduate Education Programs

Over the past decades, universities have been required to offer increasingly flexible study programs. Furthermore, study program designs exhibit by their nature large amounts of dependencies due to constraints of prerequisite courses, courses being taught in several study programs, etcetera. These characteristics make managing and changing study programs very complex, on occasion even preventing study program changes. In this paper we present solutions to these challenges based on the concept of modular and evolvable system design. Basic engineering concepts such as modularity, coupling and cohesion are used to explain and illustrate the evolvability and traceability of study programs.