Reconciling agility and architecture: a theory of agile architecture

<p>The purpose of agile software development is to enable the software development team to respond to change and learn from change so that it can better deliver value to its customer. If an agile software development team spends too much time planning and designing architecture up-front then the delivery of value to the customer is delayed or otherwise compromised, and responding to change can become extremely difficult. Not doing enough architecture design increases exposure to risk and increases the chance of failure. The balance between architecture and agility is not well understood by agile practitioners or researchers. This thesis is based on grounded theory research involving 44 participants from 36 organisations, all working in agile software development and who are either experienced in architecture design or are closely involved with architecture. The thesis presents a theory that describes how agile software teams design an agile architecture with reduced up-front design and which is able to respond to change, helping teams find a balance between architecture and agility. The theory describes six forces that affect the agility of the architecture and up-front design, and five strategies that teams use in response to those forces to determine how much effort they put into up-front design. Understanding these forces and strategies helps agile teams to determine how much up-front design is appropriate in their contexts.</p>

Reconciling agility and architecture: a theory of agile architecture

<p>The purpose of agile software development is to enable the software development team to respond to change and learn from change so that it can better deliver value to its customer. If an agile software development team spends too much time planning and designing architecture up-front then the delivery of value to the customer is delayed or otherwise compromised, and responding to change can become extremely difficult. Not doing enough architecture design increases exposure to risk and increases the chance of failure. The balance between architecture and agility is not well understood by agile practitioners or researchers. This thesis is based on grounded theory research involving 44 participants from 36 organisations, all working in agile software development and who are either experienced in architecture design or are closely involved with architecture. The thesis presents a theory that describes how agile software teams design an agile architecture with reduced up-front design and which is able to respond to change, helping teams find a balance between architecture and agility. The theory describes six forces that affect the agility of the architecture and up-front design, and five strategies that teams use in response to those forces to determine how much effort they put into up-front design. Understanding these forces and strategies helps agile teams to determine how much up-front design is appropriate in their contexts.</p>

Emergent Properties of Land Systems: Nonlinear Dynamics of Scottish Farming Systems from 1867 to 2020

Dynamics of arable and pastoral farming systems in Scotland over the period 1867–2020 are documented using time series analysis methods, including for nonlinear dynamical systems. Results show arable and pastoral farming, at a national scale, are dynamic over a range of timescales, with medium- and short-term dynamics associated with endogenous system forces and exogenous factors, respectively. Medium-term dynamics provide evidence of endogenous systems-level feedbacks between farming sectors responding to change in world and national cereal prices as an economic driver, and act to dampen impacts of exogenous shocks and events (weather, disease). Regime shifts are identified in national cereal prices. Results show change and dynamics as emergent properties of system interactions. Changes in dynamics and strength of endogenous dampening over the duration of the study are associated with dynamical changes from major governmental policy decisions that altered the boundary conditions for interdependencies of arable and pastoral farming.

Metrics, metrics, metrics: the emergence of technological universities in Ireland

Purpose This paper aims to explore the experiences, attitudes and expectations of higher education managers in relation to the increased use of metrics. Specifically, the authors examine a system of metrics which was introduced as part of the process for establishing Technological Universities in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach A total of 12 managers were interviewed. The authors present data from the interviews in which the authors explore: the previous use of metrics; the impacts of the introduction of metrics; and the future use of metrics. A mix of narrative structuring and thematic analysis is used. Findings The introduction of metrics evokes a mixed reaction from the managers. The metrics allow performance in a range of activities to be measured, assessed and benchmarked. However, there are both direct and indirect impacts of the transition to a metric-based system, which the authors explore using six themes. Originality/value The authors apply the Academics Responding to Change model proposed by Trowler (1998) as the theoretical lens. This helps to capture the complex mix of direct and indirect effects that metrics can have on activities both at an individual and institutional level.

Transitioning to the workforce – resilience building workshop for pharmacy interns

Introduction: This short report describes the piloting of a resilience building workshop for pharmacy interns to aid with the transition from university to the workforce. Methods: A 2-hour workshop was designed focussing on responding to change and exploration of real-life examples that interns had encountered in the workplace. The workshop involved a combination of whole and small group discussions, problem-solving and self-reflection. A total of 108 interns participated in the workshop as part of The University of Sydney Pharmacy Intern Training Program. Conclusion: Pharmacy educators must continue to embed resilience training in curricula to promote graduates’ readiness to transition and deal with adversity in the contemporary workforce.

Ars moriendi as social reality : articulation of the good death in the United States

Death and dying are often theorized as micro-level processes, focusing on the experience of the death process from the perspective of the dying, or in the context of grief and psychological healing on the part of the bereaved. While these academic analyses have merit, their analytic utility is limited. Death, dying, bereavement, and memorial are social processes that require multidisciplinary investigation. Utilizing sociological, religious studies, and ritual studies methodologies, this dissertation explores ars moriendi, or the good death, as a process enmeshed within the macro-structural forces of political, religious, economic, and social institutions. Through these discrete case studies, the dying and the bereaved are recentered as active agents driving and responding to change within the contemporary American death industry.

Towards Regulatory-Compliant MLOps: Orazivio’s Journey from a Machine Learning Experiment to a Deployed Certified Medical Product

Agile software development embraces change and manifests working software over comprehensive documentation and responding to change over following a plan. The ability to continuously release software has enabled a development approach where experimental features are put to use, and, if they stand the test of real use, they remain in production. Examples of such features include machine learning (ML) models, which are usually pre-trained, but can still evolve in production. However, many domains require more plan-driven approach to avoid hazard to environment and humans, and to mitigate risks in the process. In this paper, we start by presenting continuous software engineering practices in a regulated context, and then apply the results to the emerging practice of MLOps, or continuous delivery of ML features. Furthermore, as a practical contribution, we present a case study regarding Oravizio, first CE-certified medical software for assessing the risks of joint replacement surgeries. Towards the end of the paper, we also reflect the Oravizio experiences to MLOps in regulatory context.

Fabrication and Properties of Smart Temperature Epoxidized Natural Rubber

Temperature-responsive polymers are smart materials due to responding to change in surrounding temperature and are applicable for different applications. Here, we prepared the smart rubber from epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) latex, N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) as monomer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a surfactant and potassium persulfate (KPS) as free radical initiator. The temperature responsiveness of the grafted copolymers was investigated using water swelling and compared with that of pure ENR. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the grafted copolymer was found to be in the range 20-40 ˚C whereas the ENR was not responsive to temperature. The temperature-responsiveness of the grafted copolymer near human body temperature can be utilized to be fabricated as biomedical materials. Based on this study, the temperature-responsive ENR-graft-NVCL would potentially be used as a novel responsive rubber-based material in various applications.

Responding to Change in Higher Education: The Case of the Nonprofit Leadership Studies Program at Murray State University and Program Identity

Nonprofit studies programs have grown over the past three decades in both number and size. Although scholars have devoted increasing attention to both the field of study and its infrastructure, not much attention has been devoted to the administration of these programs. This study reviews the over three-decade-long history and development of the nonprofit leadership studies program at Murray State University and reflects on the various challenges the program has faced, including enrollment concerns, program reorganization, and declining resources. This analysis highlights the importance of developing a clear program identity, which in this case was shaped around the concepts of service learning and student philanthropy. The conclusions extrapolate broad recommendations that can serve as a road map to similar programs that face common budgetary and enrollment challenges in a changing higher education landscape.