The Experts below are selected from a list of 108378 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Anu Valtanen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
improving the product documentation process of a small Software Company
2009Co-Authors: Anu Valtanen, Jarmo J Ahonen, Paula SavolainenAbstract:Documentation is an important part of the Software process, even though it is often neglected in Software companies. The eternal question is how much documentation is enough. In this article, we present a practical implementation of lightweight product documentation process resulting from SPI efforts in a small Company. Small companies’ financial and human resources are often limited. The documentation process described here, offers a template for creating adequate documentation consuming minimal amount of resources. The key element of the documentation process is an open source web-based bugtracking system that was customized to be used as a documentation tool. The use of the tool enables iterative and well structured documentation. The solution best serves the needs of a small Company with off-the-shelf Software products and striving for SPI.
-
employees motivation for spi case study in a small finnish Software Company
2008Co-Authors: Anu Valtanen, Hannamiina SihvonenAbstract:In small Software companies the resources available for SPI are often limited. With limited resources, the motivation of the employees becomes one of the key factors for SPI. In this article, the motivational factors affecting a small Company’s SPI efforts are discussed. In the research, we carried out interviews and a survey in a small Finnish Software Company considering the motivation towards SPI. The results are presented here and compared with earlier motivation research. There were differences revealed while comparing the motivating factors of smaller companies to those of larger ones. In large companies the focus seems to be on the business related motivators and in small ones the motivators related to comfortability of work are emphasized. Motivation survey and the interviews proved to be useful tools in planning the future SPI strategy. A lot of valuable information was discovered for planning and implementing the next steps of SPI.
-
big improvements with small changes improving the processes of a small Software Company
2008Co-Authors: Anu Valtanen, Jarmo J AhonenAbstract:Majority of Software companies are small. They have understood that it is crucial for their business to improve their Software processes but they often do not have the knowledge and resources to do it. In this paper one way of introducing a process culture and improving the processes of a small Company is presented. The problems that a small Company has with its efforts towards better processes are also discussed and simple but working solutions to them are introduced.
Thomas Zimmermann - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
beliefs practices and personalities of Software engineers a survey in a large Software Company
2016Co-Authors: Edward K Smith, Christian Bird, Thomas ZimmermannAbstract:In this paper we present the results from a survey about the beliefs, practices, and personalities of Software engineers in a large Software Company. The survey received 797 responses. We report statistics about beliefs of Software engineers, their work practices, as well as differences in those with respect to personality traits. For example, we observed no personality differences between developers and testers; managers were conscientious and more extraverted. We observed several differences for engineers who are listening to music and for engineers who have built a tool. We also observed that engineers who agree with the statement "Agile development is awesome" were more extroverted and less neurotic.
-
Build It Yourself! Homegrown Tools in a Large Software Company
2015Co-Authors: Edward K Smith, Christian Bird, Thomas ZimmermannAbstract:Developers sometimes take the initiative to build toolsto solve problems they face. What motivates developers to buildthese tools? What is the value for a Company? Are the tools builtuseful for anyone besides their creator? We conducted a qualitativestudy of tool building, adoption, and impact within Microsoft. Thispaper presents our findings on the extrinsic and intrinsic factorslinked to toolbuilding, the value of building tools, and the factorsassociated with tool spread. We find that the majority of developersbuild tools. While most tools never spread beyond their creator'steam, most have more than one user, and many have more than onecollaborator. Organizational cultures that are receptive towardstoolbuilding produce more tools, and more collaboration on tools.When nurtured and spread, homegrown tools have the potential tocreate significant impact on organizations.
Damien Mcgovern - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
pragmatic design a case study of innovation in a small Software Company
2008Co-Authors: Tom Butler, Bill Emerson, Damien McgovernAbstract:The research question that underpins this paper is ‘What are the novel features of IS design practice ‘in the wild’? In order to help answer this question, a theoretical perspective that focuses on practitioners’ ‘situated practical theory’ in the ‘co-production’ of IS designs is adopted. The context for this study is that firms operating in the IT sector face particular challenges in navigating the complex web of global regulatory requirements. Accordingly, practitioners indicate the need for IT artefacts to informate and help automate compliance processes in organizations. This paper reports on the design of an innovative IT artefact called Compliance-to-Product (C2P), which is argued to be in the vanguard of a new breed of IS called Compliance Knowledge Management Systems (CKMS). The paper describes how this IT artefact was designed by a small-to-medium sized Software enterprise, whose design architecture originated in the ‘situated practical theory’ of the Company’s founder. However, the findings illustrate that the detailed design was ‘co-produced’ by a network of social actors from collaborating organizations and that this emerged over time. The paper’s concluding observation is that the findings pose a question for design science and the claims for its ability to shape design practice.
Alf Larsson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
an empirical study on the handling of crash reports in a large Software Company an experience report
2015Co-Authors: Abdou Maiga, Abdelwahab Hamoulhadj, Mathieu Nayrolles, Korosh Koochekian Sabor, Alf LarssonAbstract:In this paper, we report on an empirical study we have conducted at Ericsson to understand the handling of crash reports (CRs). The study was performed on a dataset of CRs spanning over two years of activities on one of Ericsson's largest systems (+4 Million LOC). CRs at Ericsson are divided into two types: Internal and External. Internal CRs are reported within the organization after the integration and system testing phase. External CRs are submitted by customers and caused mainly by field failures. We examine the proportion and severity of internal CRs and that of external CRs. A large number of external (and severe) CRs could indicate flaws in the testing phase. Failing to react quickly to external CRs, on the other hand, may expose Ericsson to fines and penalties due to the Working Level Agreements (WLA) that Ericsson has with its customers. Moreover, we contrast the time it takes to handle each type of CRs with the dual aim to understand the similarities and differences as well as the factors that impact the handling of each type of CRs. Our results show that (a) it takes more time to fix external CRs compared to internal CRs, (b) the severity attribute is used inconsistently through organizational units, (c) assignment time of internal CRs is less than that of external CRs, (d) More than 50% of CRs are not answered within the organization's fixing time requirements defined in WLA.
Kursat Ince - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
adopting integrated application lifecycle management within a large scale Software Company an action research approach
2019Co-Authors: Eray Tuzun, Bedir Tekinerdogan, Yagup Macit, Kursat InceAbstract:Abstract Context Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is a paradigm for integrating and managing the various activities related to the governance, development and maintenance of Software products. In the last decade, several ALM tools have been proposed to support this process, and an increasing number of companies have started to adopt ALM. Objective We aim to investigate the impact of adopting ALM in a real industrial context to understand and justify both the benefits and obstacles of applying integrated ALM. Method As a research methodology, we apply action research that we have carried out within HAVELSAN, a large-scale IT Company. The research was carried out over a period of seven years starting in 2010 when the ALM initiative has been started in the Company to increase productivity and decrease maintenance costs. Results The paper presents the results of the action research that includes the application of ALM practices. The transitions among the different steps are discussed in detail, together with the identified obstacles, benefits and lessons learned. Conclusions Our seven-year study shows that the adoption of ALM processes is not trivial and its success is related to many factors. An important conclusion is that a piecemeal solution as provided by ALM 1.0 is not feasible for the complex process and tool integration problems of large enterprises. Hence the transition to ALM 2.0 was found necessary to cope with the organizational and business needs. Although ALM 2.0 appeared to be a more mature ALM approach, there are still obstacles that need attention from both researchers and practitioners.
