scholarly journals Design and evaluation of the project and program crashing games

2018 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rumeser ◽  
Margaret Emsley
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
Computer Based

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to help project management (PM) game designers and educators in simulating complexity in PM games and in assessing the effect of simulated project complexity levels on students’ learning experience. To achieve this aim, the authors attempt to design and evaluate two computer-based project crashing games (PCGs) with different complexity levels, namely project crashing game (PCG) and program crashing game (PgCG). Design/methodology/approach A literature review is conducted to identify serious games design principles. These principles are then manifested in the design of PCG and PgCG. The latter is a more complex version of the first. Students’ reaction after playing both games are then analyzed quantitatively. Findings The authors discover that students’ learning experience is affected by how complex the simulated project is. The more complex the project is (i.e. as in the PgCG), the more realistic the game is perceived. Nevertheless, the authors also discover that the less complex game (PCG) offers significant value to students, particularly to teach basic PM principles to those with minimum or no practical experience. This game is perceived as better in increasing students’ learning confidence as its content is perceived as more relevant to their existing knowledge. Originality/value The authors adopt a project complexity perspective when designing and evaluating the games.

Quality infrastructure improvement: using QFD to manage project priorities and project management resources

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
James LePrevost ◽  
Glenn Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Technical Skill ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Customer ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Project Complexity ◽  
It Department ◽  
Infrastructure Improvement ◽  
Quality Infrastructure

PurposeA common difficulty for an information technology (IT) department is to focus resources (people) where they can deliver the greatest benefit for the efforts made. It sometimes happens that a bias develops where some departments insist that their projects are more critical than others and they demand not only that their projects be attended to immediately, but also that the most senior people be assigned to them. To better utilize resources, it makes sense to prioritize projects on their benefit contribution to internal and external customers, as well as to assign skill‐appropriate people to work on them. National City has applied QFD to help them in identifying and prioritizing the needs of their customers and then using these to evaluate each project for its benefit contribution and for its degree of complexity, which will help assign appropriate resources to the project.Design/methodology/approachThis paper will show how we customized the QFD process through the QFD Green Belt® training of the QFD Institute. It is shown how the list of internal customer needs, which became the criteria for determining project benefit, and then developed another set of criteria to judge the project complexity and the required technical skill level to work on the project, were developed. The paper includes charts and matrices defining the process.FindingsNational City can now prioritize its internal IT projects and assign the most appropriate people to them in order to deliver the greatest value to National City's customers.Originality/valueQFD helped National City to manage internal initiatives by prioritizing them according to the benefits they had. Project management and technical resources can now schedule their time according to priority, which reduces non‐effective multitasking and will allow for more initiatives to be completed in the long run.

Security questions education: exploring gamified features and functionalities

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-378
Author(s):  
Nicholas Micallef ◽  
Nalin Asanka Gamagedara Arachchilage
Keyword(s):  
Serious Games ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Security Vulnerabilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Security Education ◽  
Game Features ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Security Questions ◽  
Gain Access

Purpose Security questions are one of the techniques used to recover forgotten passwords. However, security questions have both security and memorability limitations. To limit their security vulnerabilities, stronger answers need to be used. As serious games can motivate users to change their security behaviour, the purpose of this paper is to explore the features and functionalities that users would require in a serious game that educates them to provide stronger answers to security questions. Design/methodology/approach A lab study was conducted to collect users’ feedback on the desired game features and functionalities. In Stage 1, participants selected security questions/answers. In Stage 2, participants played a game and evaluated the usability and the provided features. Findings The main findings reveal that most participants found the current features and functionalities to be desirable; socially oriented functionalities (e.g. getting help from other players) did not seem desirable because users feared that their acquaintances could gain access to their security questions. Originality/value This research recommends that designers of serious games for security education should: use intrinsic rewards to motivate users to have a better learning experience; provide easier challenges during the training period and provide harder challenges only when the game determines that the users learned to play the game; and design their games for mobile devices because even users who usually do not play games would play a security education game on a mobile device.

scholarly journals Comparison of research and industry views on project managers’ competencies

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Moradi ◽  
Kalle Kähkönen ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Present Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Standards Of Practice ◽  
Management Personnel ◽  
Comprehensive Literature Review

Purpose The success of projects clearly relies on project management personnel and particularly on project managers. Their performance and capacities are based on the achieved competencies. The purpose of this paper is to address possible discrepancies between the views arising from the research results and standards of practice related to project managers’ competencies. Design/methodology/approach For reaching the aim of the study, a comprehensive literature review, covering previous studies and related standards of practice was conducted, and analyses of competencies in the studies and standards of practice containing the rank of competencies based on frequency of appearance were developed. Findings The findings are proposing four discrepancies between the results of previous studies and standards of practice: commonly existing/missing competencies; uneven priority of some competencies in the view of researchers vs standards of practice; uneven degree of consensus on the importance of competencies; and research results are more context-oriented than the standards of practice. In addition, 98 project managers’ competencies were identified, from which 68 were qualified as weighty ones. Moreover, a categorization of project managers’ weighty competencies was developed. Finally, a list of competencies of relevance for different project types and their targets is presented. Originality/value The findings of this study provide a contribution with respect of present knowledge over project managers’ competencies by recognizing certain discrepancies between research results and standards of practice. Another contribution of the study is the comprehensive list of competencies together with considerations of their relevance in different project contexts and in different project types.

scholarly journals Defining project efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youcef J.-T. Zidane ◽  
Nils O.E. Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Management Journal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Google Books ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper studies how the concepts of efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy are used in project management literature. The concepts relate to the degree of success or failure of projects and the degree to which the results are achieved. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of the concepts of efficiency, efficacy and effectiveness in project management literature and among practitioners. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an extensive literature review, initially from the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business. The first phase involved searching the words “efficiency”, “effectiveness” and “efficacy” in all articles of the journal, and then quantifying the results. This was followed by a qualitative search of the same articles with the aim of understanding how the terms “project efficiency”, “project efficacy” and “project effectiveness” are used. A further intensive literature review was then conducted in other literatures in the field of project management, including, but not limited to, International Journal of Project Management and Project Management Journal. Finally, the authors complemented the review by including theories from deep searches of Google Scholar and Google Books using the parameters “project efficiency”, “project effectiveness” and “project efficacy” and checked how the three concepts are used in other fields. Findings This research reveals there is wide diversity in interpretations of the three concepts among research scholars and practitioners, which makes it challenging to apply these three concepts appropriately and clearly. As a consequence, the authors propose a model for describing these concepts. Research limitations/implications This research is based on an academic and non-academic literature review. It identifies a number of inconsistencies in existing literature regarding the three concepts. Practical implications This review enriches understanding of project management. Clarifying the understanding of project efficiency, project effectiveness and project efficacy will help and support organisational improvement. A clear and aligned view of these concepts can also be a basis for measurements based on possible developed indicators. Originality/value This paper highlights the gap in the literature concerning the practical use and interpretation of the concepts “project efficiency”, “project effectiveness” and “project efficacy”.

Rethinking bibliographic utilities for library consortia

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 7-9
Author(s):  
Israel Odede
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Distributed Network ◽  
Network Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Consortia ◽  
Individual Ownership ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The paper aims to critically examine the bibliographic utility as a roadmap to increase library consortia and provide an insight into a new library consortia strategy that integrates librarians into a system of sharing both resources and knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a literature review approach with a focus on bibliographic utility as a necessary prerequisite for effective library consortia, which is a paradigm shift from the concept of individual ownership to a collective access of distributed network resources and knowledge. Findings The reviewed literature indicated that significant bibliographic utilities and integrated library systems are factors that shaped and developed consortia activities in libraries. Originality/value The bibliographic utility has limited literature, and a few published scholarly studies have combined bibliographic utility and library consortia as strategies to share resources and knowledge

scholarly journals The concept of neutrality: a new approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Macdonald ◽  
Briony Birdi
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Normative Framework ◽  
Contextual Awareness

Purpose Neutrality is a much debated value in library and information science (LIS). The “neutrality debate” is characterised by opinionated discussions in contrasting contexts. The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature by bringing these conceptions together holistically, with potential to deepen understanding of LIS neutrality. Design/methodology/approach First, a literature review identified conceptions of neutrality reported in the LIS literature. Second, seven phenomenographic interviews with LIS professionals were conducted across three professional sectors. To maximise variation, each sector comprised at least one interview with a professional of five or fewer years’ experience and one with ten or more years’ experience. Third, conceptions from the literature and interviews were compared for similarities and disparities. Findings In four conceptions, each were found in the literature and interviews. In the literature, these were labelled: “favourable”, “tacit value”, “social institutions” and “value-laden profession”, whilst in interviews they were labelled: “core value”, “subservient”, “ambivalent”, and “hidden values”. The study’s main finding notes the “ambivalent” conception in interviews is not captured by a largely polarised literature, which oversimplifies neutrality’s complexity. To accommodate this complexity, it is suggested that future research should look to reconcile perceptions from either side of the “neutral non-neutral divide” through an inclusive normative framework. Originality/value This study’s value lies in its descriptive methodology, which brings LIS neutrality together in a holistic framework. This framework brings a contextual awareness to LIS neutrality lacking in previous research. This awareness has the potential to change the tone of the LIS neutrality debate.

Return to relevance

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6
Author(s):  
Robert Fox
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Library Science ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Web Presence ◽  
Design Philosophy ◽  
Information Professionals

Purpose – In order to continue to respond to patron needs in a relevant way, it is necessary to continuously reevaluate the central message that the library website is intended to convey. It ' s necessary to question assumptions, listen to user needs, and shift our paradigm to make the library web presence as effective as possible. Design/methodology/approach – This is a regular viewpoint column. A basic literature review was done prior to the column being written. Findings – The library Web site remains, in many respects, the “first face” of the library for patrons. To remain relevant, traditional methodologies used in library science may need to be set aside or catered to the needs of the patron. Originality/value – Various methods regarding design philosophy are explored which may be of use to information professionals responsible for the design and content of the library Web sites.

Dynamic capabilities vs. innovation capability: are they related?

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidija Breznik ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Dynamic Capability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Innovation Capability ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation capabilities. It links dynamic capability with innovation capability and indicates the ways they can be related. Design/methodology/approach – The relationships between dynamic and innovation capability were investigated through a systematic literature review. Findings – The review indicates that common characteristics exist between of the both fields, which demonstrate six relationships. Additionally, findings show some inconsistencies and even contradictions. Originality/value – In this paper, the authors have compared dynamic capabilities, a relatively new approach in the field of strategic management, with innovation capabilities, a widely recognised crucial domain for sustained competitiveness. Since both areas address issues that are essential to today's environment, future research should seek to clarify both concepts, by undertaking some new research and developing comprehensive and unambiguous framework.

Serious games: leverage for knowledge management

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Bayart ◽  
Sandra Bertezene ◽  
David Vallat ◽  
Jacques Martin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exploratory Investigation ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Research Show ◽  
Significant Factors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if the use of “serious games” with students can improve their knowledge acquisition and their academic performance. Design/methodology/approach – The research is an exploratory investigation resorting to the use of a serious game to evaluate the evolution of the students’ competencies in project management, through questionnaires processed using a structural “learning model.” Findings – This research shows indeed that the use of “serious games” improves the knowledge acquisition and management competencies of the students with the evidencing of significant factors contributing to this improvement. Practical implications – The findings of this research show that serious games can be an effective tool to be used in teaching students particularly as traditional methods are less and less accepted by today's students. Originality/value – Although the use of games is not something new in education, it is still limited in teaching practices in higher education. This experiment can help lecturers and trainers to resort to them in their pedagogy and to conceive them according to variables that can enhance their effectiveness.

Existentialism and organizational behaviour

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Blomme ◽  
Kirsten Bornebroek‐Te Lintelo
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Behaviour ◽  
Important Input ◽  
Emergent Change ◽  
Organisational Behaviour ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis article aims to develop a conception consisting of insights from complexity theory and additional notions from Weick's sense‐making theory and existentialism for examining organization behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThis paper carries out a literature review of Karl Weick's theory of sense‐making and some notions from existentialism to discuss the possible contributions to complexity theory and with this a further comprehension of organizational behaviour.FindingsFour existential conditions, namely death, freedom, existentialism and meaninglessness, give a further comprehension of Weick's concept of equivocality. Equivocality is an important input for organizing processes. The complexity of organizing processes is an object for examining organizational behaviour from a complexity scientific standpoint. The authors argue that the concept of equivocality and with this the states of equilibrium in an organization can be approached with examining the states of the mentioned four existential conditions.Practical implicationsAn important point of application for change managers in an organization is equivocality. The increase of equivocality will lead to a shift in the state of equilibrium in which new themes will emerge and corresponding organisational behaviour. The level of equivocality is due to the presence of existential fears. Hence, change managers should focus on existential themes and anxieties in an organization to advance emergent change.Originality/valueNew in this paper is the usage of notions from existentialism to elaborate Weick's conception of sense‐making. Also this paper discusses the possible contribution of this elaboration to research of organisational behaviour from the perspective of complexity theory.

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