W. Michael McCracken

Goal decomposition and scenario analysis in business process reengineering

This paper presents experiences in applying the goal decomposition and scenario analysis model in the context of Business Process Reengineering (BPR). The relationships of goals, scenarios, as well as the understanding and description of business processes are discussed. Different methods of goal refinement, and the application of scenarios to support this process of refining goals and roles are reviewed. A case study is presented which serves to exemplify and validate the process of using scenarios in refining business process descriptions. We tried deriving full scenarios for business processes, but obtaining them from the organizations prescriptive goals was difficult. Explanatory scenarios that justify descriptive goals are easier to obtain but are fragmentary. We conclude that both types of scenario and goal analysis are necessary for effective BPR. The need for technology support for this process is discussed and attention is given to future anticipated research in this area.

Integrating professionalism and workplace issues into the computing and information technology curriculum: report of the ITiCSE'99 working group on professionalism

Educators in computing and information technology (CIT) suggest a need for graduates going into the workplace to have a better understanding of professionalism and workplace issues. It is not enough for graduates to have technical capabilities. They must understand many aspects of CIT as a discipline. They should be aware of the various types of CIT educational programs, different job titles and functions, and some aspects of the employment supply and demand. They should be aware of the need for each computing worker to have professional responsibility for their work, and an awareness of the importance of appropriate ethical behavior in the group. They must also have an awareness of the impact of information technology on society as a whole and on individuals, and be prepared to handle a variety of issues arising in the workplace. This paper provides a rationale for the inclusion of professionalism in the CIT curriculum. It focuses on the responsibilities of CIT instructors and provides material to assist carrying out this obligation.

Facilitating student learning through study abroad and international projects

Computer science is inherently international but its effective application depends on an understanding of the local culture in which it is being used. Students and faculty need to be prepared to operate in this global environment. This ITiCSE working group report discusses why an international dimension is an important component of a computer science, students education. It describes ways to add an international dimension to student learning and provides several case studies as examples. Barriers to international study are identified, and recommendations for how to do more to expand the international opportunities of computer science students are discussed.

A proposed curriculum for an undergraduate software engineering degree

We have developed a curriculum for a software engineering undergraduate degree. We used the medical school clinical model to guide our design as it successfully combines both knowledge and practice components. Through rotations, our curriculum will provide graduates with both an advanced knowledge of software engineering concepts and practical skills that have been honed in a realistic setting. We present our proposed curriculum and the difficulties we foresee in implementing it.

Introduction: Bringing Design Knowing and Learning Together

Publisher Summary This introductory chapter suggests a structure for considering future work in a science of design learning, by focusing on methodology, longitudinal assessment of design learning, assessment of beginners, experts and special populations, important component processes, structure of design knowledge, and design cognition in the classroom. All work must be founded on clear methodological and paradigmatic assumptions. That is, all work that studies design assumes an underlying model of the process; the model identifies the activities or variables of importance. All assessments of design capability are based on certain assumptions—about the relation of process to product, about the goal of design education, and about the character of good design. By taking advantage of situations where the state of normal expert designers changes, or where unusual specialized training may have occurred, or by observing how children develop both good and bad conceptions about design processes, one can better understand the context of design learning and the mental context that supports it. The outcome of a science of design learning must be curriculum designs that are based on the knowledge gained about the state of students learning design and effective interventions that add to their knowledge and processes.

Environmental Effects on the Detection of Errors in Software Systems

It is very important for software developers to thoroughly test their software. Since programs are tested in a specific environment, however, some errors are difficult, if not impossible, to detect by traditional testing methods such as path analysis. A program may contain errors that are masked by the environment in which it was developed and tested. One such element in a program’s environment is the value to which memory is initialized. Mistakes in initialization would not appear until the software is ported to an environment in which memory has a different initialization value, when the software would mysteriously stop working correctly.