Case Study

2011 ◽  
pp. 215-236
Author(s):  
Judith Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Collaborative Writing ◽  
Online Help ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
Information Models ◽  
Efficiency Increase

The Technical Publications team at Sybase, Inc. maintains many thousands of pages of user documentation and online help topics for a diverse set of software products. Writing teams work in nine locations around the globe; a given project often involves writers from multiple locations. To achieve greater efficiency, increase opportunities for reuse, and improve user experience, the department is moving to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) from a variety of source formats. Early adopters realized the need for more detailed information models for several types of content than required by the DITA standard. This chapter discusses why models are a critical component to successful collaborative writing, especially for topic-oriented content. It then describes the collaborative processes and tools by which Sybase® Technical Publications team members propose, evaluate, develop, test, and enforce new content models, challenges encountered, and key success factors.

Rapid benchmarking: the case of a multinational dairy company

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubab Malik ◽  
Robin Mann ◽  
Rebecca Knapman
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Internal Benchmarking ◽  
The Right

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate and document a new approach to best practice benchmarking called rapid benchmarking. Rapid benchmarking is defined by the authors as an approach to dramatically shorten the typical length of time to conduct a successful best practice benchmarking project.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology involved a case study exploration of a multinational dairy company's best practice benchmarking approach using structured interviews and data collection to examine the speed and results achieved through its benchmarking approach and whether it was justified in naming it as rapid benchmarking. A comparison of the speed of the dairy company's approach was undertaken against 24 other organisations that had utilised the same benchmarking methodology (TRADE Best Practice Benchmarking). In addition, a literature review was undertaken to search for other cases of rapid benchmarking and compare rapid benchmarking with other rapid improvement approaches.FindingsThe findings revealed that the approach used by the dairy company was unique, with best practices being identified and action plans signed off for deployment within a five-day period (far quicker than the average time of 211 days reported by other organisations). Key success factors for rapid benchmarking were found to be allocating five dedicated days for the benchmarking team to spend on the project, identifying the right team members for the project, obtaining sponsorship support for the project and providing intensive facilitation support through a benchmarking facilitator.Research limitations/implicationsOnly one company was found to use a rapid benchmarking approach; therefore, the findings are from one case study. The depth of analysis presented was restricted due to commercial sensitivity.Practical implicationsThe rapid benchmarking approach is likely to be of great interest to practitioners, providing them with a new way of finding solutions and best practices to address challenges that need to be solved quickly or with minimal expense. For organisations that have been using benchmarking for many years, the research will enable them to re-evaluate their own benchmarking approach and consider if rapid benchmarking could be used for some projects, particularly for internal benchmarking where it is easier to apply.Originality/valueThis research is the first to identify and document a rapid benchmarking approach and the first to provide a detailed analysis of the length of time it takes to undertake best practice benchmarking projects (and each stage of a benchmarking project).

Success Factors for the Management of Global Virtual Teams for Software Development

2012 ◽  
pp. 239-249
Author(s):  
Javier García Guzmán ◽  
Javier Saldaña Ramos ◽  
Antonio Amescua Seco ◽  
Ana Sanz Esteban
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Global Virtual Teams ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Geographical Dispersion

The management of globally distributed software teams is complex because of problems of linguistic differences, geographical dispersion, different time zones, and the cultural diversity of the team members; what is particularly common in software development environments. These problems are amplified when a single software development team is composed of highly skilled individuals working in dispersed geographical locations, and they have to work as a team across distances. This paper describes several of the most important factors that contribute to the correct and effective management of global virtual teams for software development and underlying solutions are addressed to reduce cultural and time barriers. These factors are obtained from an industrial case study, which lasted 36 months, corresponding to a huge software development project that involved several global virtual teams. These success factors consider different perspectives as technology, human factors and process.

Greater Accountability, Less Red Tape

2012 ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Paul Madden
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive System ◽  
Electronic Record ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Red Tape ◽  
Australian Standard

Australian governments are early adopters of many electronic record-keeping and reporting systems, and the Australian Standard Business Reporting (SBR) Program evolves this further. This paper examines the evolution from government-centric technologies and standards to collaborative, open, and community standards-based systems. It describes the SBR Program as a case study in the development of seamless business-to-government reporting, which delivers significant reductions in reporting costs for business. The flexibility and universality of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is an important element in the SBR approach. The benefits to business and government reveal immediate and practical benefits that expand with the growing number of users of these standards and technologies. The open, collaborative processes that have been driven by the SBR Program are consistent with the current directions of e-government in various countries. Technology in government is interactive and viewed in terms of a complex adaptive system, which needs to grow, respond, and interact with systems used by businesses in the Australian and international communities. The use of XBRL in the SBR Program increases the integrity of data that is provided to multiple parties, eliminating the need to transform financial data in a business’s system to the various semantic differences currently imposed.

scholarly journals A validated model for the scoping process of quality requirements: a multi-case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Olsson ◽  
Krzysztof Wnuk ◽  
Slinger Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Quality Requirements ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Improvement Potential ◽  
Do So

AbstractQuality requirements are vital to developing successful software products. However, there exist evidence that quality requirements are managed mostly in an “ad hoc” manner and down-prioritized. This may result in insecure, unstable, slow products, and unhappy customers. We have developed a conceptual model for the scoping process of quality requirements – QREME – and an assessment model – Q-REPM – for companies to benchmark when evaluating and improving their quality requirements practices. Our model balances an upfront forward-loop with a data-driven feedback-loop. Furthermore, it addresses both strategic and operational decisions. We have evaluated the model in a multi-case study at two companies in Sweden and three companies in The Netherlands. We assessed the scoping process practices for quality requirements and provided improvement recommendations for which practices to improve. The study confirms the existence of the constructs underlying QREME. The companies perform, in the median, 24% of the suggested actions in Q-REPM. None of the companies work data-driven with their quality requirements, even though four out of five companies could technically do so. Furthermore, on the strategic level, quality requirements practices are not systematically performed by any of the companies. The conceptual model and assessment model capture a relevant view of the quality requirements practices and offer relevant improvement proposals. However, we believe there is a need for coupling quality requirements practices to internal and external success factors to motive companies to change their ways of working. We also see improvement potential in the area of business intelligence for QREME in selecting data sources and relevant stakeholders.

Greater Accountability, Less Red Tape

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Madden
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive System ◽  
Electronic Record ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Business Reporting ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Red Tape ◽  
Australian Standard

Australian governments are early adopters of many electronic record-keeping and reporting systems, and the Australian Standard Business Reporting (SBR) Program evolves this further. This paper examines the evolution from government-centric technologies and standards to collaborative, open, and community standards-based systems. It describes the SBR Program as a case study in the development of seamless business-to-government reporting, which delivers significant reductions in reporting costs for business. The flexibility and universality of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is an important element in the SBR approach. The benefits to business and government reveal immediate and practical benefits that expand with the growing number of users of these standards and technologies. The open, collaborative processes that have been driven by the SBR Program are consistent with the current directions of e-government in various countries. Technology in government is interactive and viewed in terms of a complex adaptive system, which needs to grow, respond, and interact with systems used by businesses in the Australian and international communities. The use of XBRL in the SBR Program increases the integrity of data that is provided to multiple parties, eliminating the need to transform financial data in a business’s system to the various semantic differences currently imposed.

scholarly journals How Teams Communicate about the Quality of ML Models: A Case Study at an International Technology Company

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (GROUP) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Jumana Almahmoud ◽  
Robert DeLine ◽  
Steven M. Drucker
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
General Term ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Technical Issues

Machine learning (ML) has become a crucial component in software products, either as part of the user experience or used internally by software teams. Prior studies have explored how ML is affecting development team roles beyond data scientists, including user experience designers, program managers, developers and operations engineers. However, there has been little investigation of how team members in different roles on the team communicate about ML, in particular about the quality of models. We use the general term quality to look beyond technical issues of model evaluation, such as accuracy and overfitting, to any issue affecting whether a model is suitable for use, including ethical, engineering, operations, and legal considerations. What challenges do teams face in discussing the quality of ML models? What work practices mitigate those challenges? To address these questions, we conducted a mixed-methods study at a large software company, first interviewing15 employees in a variety of roles, then surveying 168 employees to broaden our understanding. We found several challenges, including a mismatch between user-focused and model-focused notions of performance, misunderstandings about the capabilities and limitations of evolving ML technology, and difficulties in understanding concerns beyond one's own role. We found several mitigation strategies, including the use of demos during discussions to keep the team customer-focused.

scholarly journals Research on Project Success Factors within the Construction Industry of Ghana: Evidence from Wide Horizon Ghana Limited

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
Saviour Ayertey Nubuor ◽  
Xu Hongyi ◽  
Samuel Kwadwo Frimpong
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Project Failure ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Wide Horizon

The purpose of this investigation is to identify the key determinants of project success within the construction industry of Ghana using Wide Horizon Ghana limited as a case study. A self-administered questionnaire is used to gather primary data from relevant stakeholders within the scope of the study. The results showed that project manager’s influence and leadership style, project team members’ coordination, availability of resources and funds, organizational success and client’s satisfaction as well as the completion of projects on time were the main project success factors in the industry. Negative influences from stakeholders among others were seen as factors that contribute to project failure. It is recommended that Construction project managers or leaders should pay more attention to these success factors to ensure project success or minimize the rate of project failure within Ghana and the West African sub-region.

Maximizing Expertise and Collaboration to Support Students With Brain Injury: A Case Study in Speech-Language Pathology

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1267-1282
Author(s):  
Jessica Salley ◽  
Sarah Krusen ◽  
Margaret Lockovich ◽  
Bethany Wilson ◽  
Brenda Eagan-Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Medical Setting ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Team Members ◽  
School Activities ◽  
School Based ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Specialized Education

Purpose Through a hypothetical case study, this article aimed to describe an evidence-based approach for speech-language pathologists in managing students with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly within a formal statewide-supported school-based brain injury team model, such as the BrainSTEPS Brain Injury School Consulting Program operating in Pennsylvania and Colorado. Conclusion Upon transitioning from the medical setting back to school, children with TBI present with unique educational needs. Children with moderate-to-severe TBIs can demonstrate a range of strengths and deficits in speech, language, cognition, and feeding and swallowing, impacting their participation in various school activities. The specialized education, training, and insight of speech-language pathologists, in collaboration with multidisciplinary medical and educational team members, can enable the success of students with TBI when transitioning back to school postinjury ( DePompei & Blosser, 2019 ; DePompei & Tyler, 2018 ). This transition should focus on educational planning, implementation of strategies and supports, and postsecondary planning for vocations or higher education.

Effects of Financial Inclusion on Startup Establishment in OECD Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinh Thi Thanh Van ◽  
Nguyen Thuc Trang
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Academic Researchers ◽  
Financial Index ◽  
Enterprise Survey

Financial inclusion and startup are two topics, which recently get attention of academic researchers and policy makers in Vietnam. One of the important factors for setting up a successful startup is the financial capability of the owners. Therefore, financial inclusion has a strong correlation with startup establishment. This article tested the effects of several factors in financial index (findex) developed by World Bank on startup establishment in some OECD countries. The result showed that borrowing from friends and relatives along with from credit institutions and opening a debit account at banks have  significant impacts on startup establishment in these countries. Finally, the article presented several recommendations for policy makers to stimulate the startup growth in Vietnam in the next time. Key words startup, financial inclusion, startup establishment References 1. Colman Msoka (2015), “Financial inclusion and microfinance in Tanzania”, Inclusive growth: Tanzania Country Report2. Endeavor-GEM, 2011, “High-Impact Entrepreneurship Global Report”3. Eric Ries, 2012, “The Lean Startup” book”, http://www.stpia.ir/files/The%20Lean%20Startup%20.pdf 4. European Startup Monitor, 2015, “European Startup Monitor 2015”, http://europeanstartupmonitor.com/fileadmin/presse/download/esm_2015.pdf 5. Jennifer Dahlin Ivarsson (2014), “Mobile-banking and entrepreneurship: Is there a link? A case study on South Africa”, Nationalekonomiska Institutionen, Box 7082, ISSN 0283 – 15896. Maher Al-Mahouq (2010), “Success factors of small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs): The case of Jordan”, Anadol University jourmal of social sciences, Cilt/Vol.: 10 – Say/No:1-16 (2010)7. Mohammed S.Chowdhury (2013), “Success factors of entrepreneurs of small and medium sized enterprises: Evidence from Banladesh”, Business and Economic Research, ISSN 2162 – 4860, 2013, Vol.3, No.2.8. OECD, 2015, “Entrepreneurship at a Glance 2015”9. Roman Angela, 2011, “SME’s sector access to finance: An overview”10. Yao Wang, 2014, “What are the biggest obstacles to growth of SMEs in developing countries? An empirical evidence from an enterprise survey”, JED 210 Paper

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document