: Despite significant progress in the last 15 years, implementing a successful measurement program for software development is still a challenging undertaking. Most problems are not of theoretical but of methodological or practical nature. In this article, we present lessons learned from experiences with goal-oriented measurement. We structure them into practical guidelines for efficient and useful software measurement aimed at process improvement in industry. Issues related to setting measurement goals, defining explicit measurement models, and implementing data collection procedures are addressed from a practical perspective. In addition, guidelines for using measurement in the context of process improvement are provided. Keywords: software measurement, Goal Question Metric paradigm, process improvement 1. Introduction Software measurement is widely recognized as an effective means to understand, monitor, control, predict, and improve software development and maintenance projects....

To effectively perform a change to an existing software system, a software engineer needs to have some understanding of the structure of the system. All too often, though, an engineer must proceed to change a system without sufficient structural information because existing software understanding techniques are unable to help the engineer acquire the desired knowledge within the time and cost constraints specified for the task. The thesis of this research is that an approach based on summarization can overcome the limitations associated with existing approaches, enabling an engineer to assess, plan, and execute changes to a software system more effectively. Summarization involves the production of overviews of vast amounts of user-selected information in a timely manner. I describe two tech...

the state of the literature. We develop a framework for organizing the literature based on the input-mediatoroutput-input (IMOI) model from the small groups literature. We present a quantitative summary of articles selected for the review and then discuss findings of this literature categorized into issues pertaining to inputs (e.g., member characteristics, technology use and project characteristics), processes (software development and social processes), emergent states (e.g., trust and task related states) and outputs (e.g. team performance, FLOSS implementation and project evolution). Based on this review, we suggest topics for future research, as well as identifying methodological and theoretical issues for future inquiry in this area, including issues relating to sampling and the need for more longitudinal studies.

Abstract- This paper presents the results from a multiplecase study of knowledge management systems (KM-systems) in practical use. A set of general problem areas concerning the investigated KM-systems has been identified. These problem areas constitute the starting point of the discussion regarding design implications of KM-systems. One conclusion is that significant functions are missing in the KM-systems. Most of them can be described as traditional personnel administration systems, complemented with features that file competencies. A final conclusion is that the KM-systems ’ functions have to be developed and improved, if the organizations ’ KM-efforts shall ‘survive’. I.

Extreme events such as large-scale natural disasters create the need for cooperation within and among responding organizations. Activities to mitigate the effects of these events can be expected to range from planned to improvised. This paper presents a methodology for describing both the context and substance of improvisation during the response phase. The context is described by (i) analyzing communication patterns among personnel in and among responding organizations and (ii) determining the appropriateness of existing plans to the event. The substance of improvisation within this context is described by modeling the behavior and cognition of response personnel. Application of the methodology leads to descriptions of improvisation and its context that may be stored in machine-readable format for use either by researchers, responding organizations or designers of computer-based tools to support improvised decision making. Data collection strategies for implementing the methodology are discussed and selected steps illustrated using a data set from a large-scale natural disaster. Responding to Extreme Events Extreme events such as large-scale disruptions following natural or technological disasters create the need for coordinated and collaborative response activities both within and among organizations. Response personnel may act alone or within ad hoc or established organizations; they may also adhere to or depart from their expected roles (Bosworth and Kreps 1986; Kreps and Bosworth 1993), undertaking activities that range from planned to improvised. When improvisation by individuals or groups takes place within either established or ad hoc organizations, it may be seen as organizationally-situated. The study of improvisation as a situated activity is particularly a...

The problem with software development is essentially to find a way to develop high quality software on time and within budget. One important reason for this problem is that the software discipline is young and immature - neither do we fully understand what we are doing nor how we are doing it. Thus, we need to observe, understand and learn: We need a scientific counterpart of software development in order to provide knowledge that can be applied when producing software. A scientific method to provide knowledge about software development has to focus on observations of human based development processes because human problem solving is a key activity in software development. The purpose of such observations, or empirical studies, may be, e.g., to validate or compare a particular development process against other development processes. Thus there is one crucial assumption: That the process which is carried out and observed is the same as the process which is intended carried out. If this is not the case, the results of the empirical study may be useless. Thus, when validating a process, i.e., determining whether the process is effective and produces the desired results, we also need to verify the process, i.e., investigate whether the process is carried out as defined. Even if conformance cannot be ensured, it is important to understand and measure it so unacceptable deviations can be identified.

2003 I dedicate this thesis to my son, Shuntaro, who came into this world on December

This paper presents the findings from an ongoing research study on offshore IT outsourcing. Field work was carried out in India and in the UK to evaluate the scale and scope of outsourcing activities. CEOs and CIOs were interviewed in fifteen supplier firms in India and two customer firms in UK, about strategic positioning in the offshore outsourcing market; benefits and risks from outsourcing; and other demand and supply-side issues. The findings suggest that, though offshore outsourcing offers new business opportunities for IT suppliers, much of the outsourced work continues to be low risk and low value. The challenge for outsourcing suppliers is therefore to devise strategies to move from body-shopping work to low cost, high value contracts, without incurring additional risk. 1.

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Abstract: This study investigates impacts of the 2001 World Trade Center attack on critical infrastructure systems in the New York City metropolitan area. Of particular interest are the physical or logical connections—also known as interdependencies—among these systems, and the impacts of the attack on them. This study extends knowledge about the behavior of complex and interdependent infrastructures systems following a significant disruption. The results depict impact to all infrastructure systems as a result of the attack, with disruptions reported throughout the 3 month study period. Approximately 20 % of these disruptions involved interdependencies, and a majority of infrastructure systems were involved in at least one interdependency. The results therefore suggest that interdependence is a pervasive condition of New York City’s critical infrastructures. Accordingly, approaches to planning for and managing infrastructure-related disruptions, particularly those involving interdependency, are discussed.