scholarly journals Using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Slack: A Case Study of Coordination in Large-Scale Distributed Agile

Author(s):  
Viktoria Stray ◽  
Nils Brede Moe ◽  
Henrik Vedal ◽  
Marthe Berntzen

Today, many large-scale software projects have members working from home, which has changed the way teams coordinate work. To better understand coordination in this setting, we conducted a case study through which we examined two teams in a large-scale agile project by observing meetings and conducting 17 interviews. Through the lens of Relational Coordination Theory (RCT), we analyzed the use of the goal-setting framework Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and the collaboration tool Slack. Slack was used for frequent, timely, and problem-solving communication and, and its use decreased the number of planned meetings. However, discussions often started on Slack and continued in virtual ad-hoc meetings. The use of OKRs facilitated knowledge sharing, helped the teams align their goals, and provided inter-team insights. The main implication of our research is that projects using OKRs need to support project members, especially in formulating the key results that align and motivate the teams to work toward the same mission.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria Stray ◽  
Nils Brede Moe ◽  
Henrik Vedal ◽  
Marthe Berntzen

Today, many large-scale software projects have members working from home, which has changed the way teams coordinate work. To better understand coordination in this setting, we conducted a case study through which we examined two teams in a large-scale agile project by observing meetings and conducting 17 interviews. Through the lens of Relational Coordination Theory (RCT), we analyzed the use of the goal-setting framework Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and the collaboration tool Slack. Slack was used for frequent, timely, and problem-solving communication and, and its use decreased the number of planned meetings. However, discussions often started on Slack and continued in virtual ad-hoc meetings. The use of OKRs facilitated knowledge sharing, helped the teams align their goals, and provided inter-team insights. The main implication of our research is that projects using OKRs need to support project members, especially in formulating the key results that align and motivate the teams to work toward the same mission.


2022 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0

Knowledge can play an important role in ascertaining an organization’s competitive edge if the knowledge of employees is nurtured and utilized as an asset with a potential to improve service delivery. The study focused on knowledge sharing at the Thomas Mofolo Library in Lesotho to determine if knowledge sharing was being used to improve service delivery at the Library. A case study design that triangulated interviews and questionnaires was used in this study. Quantitative data was processed using software packages. Data from the interviews was analyzed through content analysis based on the objectives of the study. This study established that staff recognized the need to share knowledge. However, knowledge sharing occurred on an ad hoc basis. There was a limited use of technology-based and human-based mechanisms of sharing knowledge. The study suggests practical knowledge-sharing practices that may contribute to improved service delivery in a library setup. As a case study, study may also contribute to the development of theory about the phenomenon.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davar Rezania ◽  
Noufou Ouedraogo

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the ad hoc problem of developing capabilities for knowledge transfer between various constituencies of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project. The paper studies how an ERP project develops ability to network, link, and integrate its various knowledge resources over time. Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducted a case study of an ERP project, from its initiation in 2008 to its completion in 2011. Findings – The case demonstrates the dynamics of development of knowledge transfer capacities through ad hoc problem solving. The paper identifies five mechanisms used in this case for the development of knowledge transfer capacities. Practical implications – Ad hoc problem solving mechanisms demonstrated in this paper can be intentionally planned and utilized in similar projects to enable interaction, integration, and institutionalization. Originality/value – Even though ad hoc problem solving as a model for change is prevalent in many organizations, studies of ad hoc problem solving capabilities as a mechanism for change are not extensive. This case describes ad hoc mechanisms that foster change and development of knowledge transfer capacities during large IT project implementations.


Author(s):  
Farley Simon Nobre ◽  
Andrew M. Tobias ◽  
David S. Walker

Chapter XI presents results, analyses, and conclusions about the industrial case study. From a micro perspective, it presents findings of the management control system of the organization process performance. In particular, it gives special attention to the analysis of data of a set of five successive large-scale software projects which were engineered and managed in the Telecommunications Management Networks (TMN) Section of NEC of Brazil (NOB). These data include project cost (C) and project requirements completeness (R) and they represent the state variables of the software process of the TMN Section. C and R are fed into the cognitive machine which performs the computation of performance indexes of the software process of the TMN Section. The performance indexes include Customer Satisfaction (CS) and Project Management Quality (PMQ). The process of mapping the inputs (C and R) to the outputs (CS and PMQ) was illustrated earlier in Figure 10.2. In this perspective, organization process performance is synonymous with the TMN Section’s process performance. From a macro perspective, this chapter presents analysis and conclusions about the main correlations between measures of organization process improvement and organizational cognition. Findings indicate that improvements in the level of organization process performance are associated with improvements in the level of organization process maturity. Proceeding further, we associate these results with improvements in the degree of organizational cognition. Chapter XI also outlines the main contributions and limitations found with the implementation of The Capability Maturity Model in the organization of study.


Author(s):  
John Domingue ◽  
Dieter Fensel

AbstractWe believe that the future for problem solving method (PSM) derived work is very promising. In short, PSMs provide a solid foundation for creating a semantic layer supporting planetary-scale networks. Moreover, within a world-scale network where billions services are used and created by billions of parties inad hocdynamic fashion we believe that PSM-based mechanisms provide the only viable approach to dealing the sheer scale systematically. Our current experiments in this area are based upon a generic ontology for describing Web services derived from earlier work on PSMs. We outline how platforms based on our ontology can support large-scale networked interactivity in three main areas. Within a large European project we are able to map business level process descriptions to semantic Web service descriptions, to enable business experts to manage and use enterprise processes running in corporate information technology systems. Although highly successful, Web service-based applications predominately run behind corporate firewalls and are far less pervasive on the general Web. Within a second large European project we are extending our semantic service work using the principles underlying the Web and Web 2.0 to transform the Web from a Web of data to one where services are managed and used at large scale. Significant initiatives are now underway in North America, Asia, and Europe to design a new Internet using a “clean-slate” approach to fulfill the demands created by new modes of use and the additional 3 billion users linked to mobile phones. Our investigations within the European-based Future Internet program indicate that a significant opportunity exists for our PSM-derived work to address the key challenges currently identified: scalability, trust, interoperability, pervasive usability, and mobility. We outline one PSM-derived approach as an exemplar.


Author(s):  
A. Olfati ◽  
M. Rahimi ◽  
M. Ravanshadnia

Debris treatment after earthquake is very important matter especially after large-scale disasters. Efficient debris treatment is leading to faster reconstruction. Particularly, this article examines fuzziness in debris treatment planning. The problem reduces to a standard transport problem by fundamental formulation. A fuzzy debris transport problem for supply and demand formulated fuzzy constraints. A problem-solving algorithm by referring numerical example demonstrates an irrelevant approach. Realistic debris transport planning can be defined by using the recommended method.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 578
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Teppati Losè ◽  
Filiberto Chiabrando ◽  
Fabio Giulio Tonolo

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is nowadays a standard approach in several application fields. Researches connected with these systems cover several topics and the evolution of these platforms and their applications are rapidly growing. Despite the high level of automatization reached nowadays, there is still a phase of the overall UAVs’ photogrammetric pipeline that requires a high effort in terms of time and resources (i.e., the georeferencing phase). However, thanks to the availability of survey-grade GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers embedded in the aerial platforms, it is possible to also enhance this phase of the processing by adopting direct georeferencing approaches (i.e., without using any ground control point and exploiting real time kinematic (RTK) positioning). This work investigates the possibilities offered by a multirotor commercial system equipped with a RTK-enabled GNSS receiver, focusing on the accuracy of the georeferencing phase. Several tests were performed in an ad-hoc case study exploiting different georeferencing solutions and assessing the 3D positional accuracies, thanks to a network of control points. The best approaches to be adopted in the field according to accuracy requirements of the final map products were identified and operational guidelines proposed accordingly.


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