IS Development Research Articles

Business process modelling challenges and solutions: a literature review

We have presented a review of the challenges facing business PM. These challenges are categorized into three challenges: (1) between business and IT, difficulty of deriving IT goals from business goals challenges; (2) security issues on business PM challenges; and (3) managing customer power, the rapidly changing business environment and business process (BP) challenges. Also, it presents the limitations of existing business PM frameworks. For example, in the first challenge, the existing literature is limited because they fail to capture the real business environment. Also, it is hard for IT analysts to understand BPs. In the second challenges, the existing methods of IS development fail to successfully integrate security during all development process stages and only deal with specific security requirements, goals and constraints. In the third challenges, no research has been conducted in the area of separating customers into different priority groups to provide services according to their required delivery time, payment history and feedback. Finally, we outline possible further research directions in the business PM domain. A systematic literature review method was used. Our review reports on academic publications on business PM challenges over the 13 years from 2000 to 2012. There are 31 journals as well as the IEEE and ACM databases being searched to identify relevant papers. Our systematic literature review results in that there are 53 journal papers as being the most relevant to our topic. In conclusion, it is not easy to create a good business PM. However, the research have to pay much attention on the area of creating successful business PM by creating secure business PM, manage customer power and create business PM where IT goals can be easily derived from business goals.

Magnetic fabrics in the Western Central-Pyrenees: An overview

In the Western Central-Pyrenees numerous investigations during the past years have yielded an exceptional high density of localities (more than 700 sites) where the AMS and rock magnetic properties have been determined. This unique AMS dataset helps in understanding the orogenic evolution of the Pyrenees and its foreland basins. Processes related to AMS development in different structural units permit to identify: (i) an early recording of strain related to the transtensional or transpressional stages during the Early Triassic and Early Cretaceous, (ii) a moderate shortening related to the fold-and-thrust belt and foreland basin evolution during the Cretaceous–Tertiary orogenic stage, and (iii) a relatively strong deformation that produced cleavage related to the emplacement of basement thrusts in the Axial Zone during the Middle–Late Eocene. The main achievement of this contribution is the integration in cross-section and map-view of magnetic fabrics (orientation and parameters) in the western Central-Pyrenees, which allow constraining the processes affecting magnetic fabrics at the orogen scale. AMS results indicate: (i) a dominant bedding-controlled foliation, very sensitive to subtle layer parallel shortening (LPS) processes, especially in the foreland basins; (ii) magnetic lineations parallel to fold axes or strike of thrusts outside the cleavage front that can be deflected by vertical-axis rotations in particular areas; and (iii) an overall decrease of the definition of AMS fabrics (magnetic lineation or the anisotropy of the ellipsoid) associated with incipient cleavage and intersection lineation fabrics in the internal zones of the orogen. Therefore, AMS is a sensitive indicator to delineate the strain patterns at the orogen-scale, in particular, in those areas undergoing a modest degree of deformation.

The Innovation of Multiview3 for Development Professionals

AbstractThe Multiview Methodology for Information Systems Development has never been a widely used or mass‐market approach. It has always had a small user base, a localised approach to a global issue: coherent IS development. This paper concerns the underreported innovation of the Multiview3 methodology for Information systems analysis, design and development –specifically designed for non‐specialists working in developing countries. The innovation emerged from the identification of a methodological ‘gap’ in support for non‐specialists struggling with Information Systems problem structuring challenges. The Multiview3 story tells us how IS methodology can be innovated to address the needs of users. This version of Multiview is argued to be theoretically distinct from previous versions in terms of its focus (developing countries) and application (problem solving and co‐learning in practice).

Design and Implementation of the Query Subsystem in the Information System Based on Decision-Making

In this paper, Information System is introduced firstly, and then combining practical examples during our development of IS, on the basis of the establishment of the decision-making oriented query subsystem in large Information System, the query subsystem in the Information System based on decision-making is designed, moreover, the query subsystem is implemented following the query processing principle.

Intra- and Inter-organizational Controls in Outsourcing: Controlees’ Perspectives

Control is central to effective IS development. In the past, when the projects were carried out within the organization, controls were primarily intra-organizational. With outsourcing, controls are...

Factors Affecting Project Performance of IS Development: Evidence from Japanese IT Vendors

Factors Affecting Project Performance of IS Development: Evidence from Japanese IT Vendors

The Complex Effects of Shared Domain Knowledge on IS Development: A Simulation-Based Theory Development

Information systems development (ISD) requires the integration of both application domain knowledge and technology knowledge. However, knowledge specialization complicates the IS analysis and design process. The business unit, who is ultimately responsible for making business design choices for the system, holds ample functional domain knowledge but possesses less technology knowledge, while the IS unit, who is responsible for making technical design choices, has deep technology knowledge but less functional domain knowledge. Furthermore, ISD projects are characterized by interdependencies in design choices not only within but also across business and technical domains. Prior research tends to suggest a uniform positive effect of shared domain knowledge between business and IS units on ISD performance. Although a few studies have argued that the effect may not be uniformly positive, little research has explored the complex effect of shared domain knowledge. Since organizations invest substantial resources to develop shared domain knowledge, it is crucial to uncover the conditions under which it affects ISD performance differently. We model the systems analysis and design process as an iterative design problem solving process by which the ISD team, composed of business and IS units with heterogeneous and overlapping knowledge bases, seeks to discover a system design that produces the greatest business value. Using simulations based on the NK fitness landscapes model, we find that shared domain knowledge does not affect ISD performance when ISD complexity is very low or when all interdependencies of design choices exist within the same unit, that it increases robustness of ISD performance across different distributions of design choice interdependencies, and that ISD performance is higher when shared domain knowledge is unevenly distributed between business and IS units or when its distribution matches that of the design choice interdependencies. Based on these findings and our reasoning, we posit eight propositions that advance the theory of shared domain knowledge.

Developing the Agile IS Development Practices in Large-Scale IT Projects: The Trust-Mediated Organizational Controls and IT Project Team Capabilities Perspectives

This paper is based on multiple case studies on the construction of the Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games that investigated the processes of instilling agile IS development practices in large-scale IT projects. This study develops useful theoretical constructs that will help researchers and practitioners who wish to learn about agile IS development practices as developed in large-scale IT projects. Adopting a contingent view, we uncover four factors that are critical in this development processes, namely: project uncertainty profile and project completion urgency; IT project team capabilities; organizational control mechanisms; and trust relationships among the IT project team, the vendors, and the users. Depending on the unpredictable nature of the project and the trust level among the IT project team, the vendors, and the users, we have uncovered the IT project team capabilities and the organizational control mechanisms that are needed to assure the success of a large-scale IT project. We posit that the interplay between the IT project team capabilities and the trust-mediated organizational control mechanisms forms the theoretical basis that defines agile IS development practice in large-scale IT projects. We argue that our findings provide insights to practitioners who are attempting to introduce agile IS development practices into any large-scale IT project. From a research perspective, the theory developed in this paper also sheds light on the importance of adopting a contingency view when researching agile IS development practices in a large-scale IT project and the factors to consider. This underpinning theoretical perspective will aid in the design of all future researches.

A Prospective Epidemiological Study of Acute Mountain Sickness in Nepalese Pilgrims Ascending to High Altitude (4380 m)

BackgroundEach year, thousands of pilgrims travel to the Janai Purnima festival in Gosainkunda, Nepal (4380 m), ascending rapidly and often without the aid of pharmaceutical prophylaxis.MethodsDuring the 2012 Janai Purnima festival, 538 subjects were recruited in Dhunche (1950 m) before ascending to Gosainkunda. Through interviews, subjects provided demographic information, ratings of AMS symptoms (Lake Louise Scores; LLS), ascent profiles, and strategies for prophylaxis.ResultsIn the 491 subjects (91% follow-up rate) who were assessed upon arrival at Gosainkunda, the incidence of AMS was 34.0%. AMS was more common in females than in males (RR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.23, 2.00), and the AMS incidence was greater in subjects >35 years compared to subjects ≤35 years (RR = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.36, 1.95). There was a greater incidence of AMS in subjects who chose to use garlic as a prophylactic compared to those who did not (RR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.26, 2.28). Although the LLS of brothers had a moderate correlation (intraclass correlation = 0.40, p = 0.023), sibling AMS status was a weak predictor of AMS.ConclusionsThe incidence of AMS upon reaching 4380 m was 34% in a large population of Nepalese pilgrims. Sex, age, and ascent rate were significant factors in the development of AMS, and traditional Nepalese remedies were ineffective in the prevention of AMS.

The mediating role of psychological contract breach in IS outsourcing: inter-firm governance perspective

A substantial body of previous research on the client–vendor relationship has identified inter-organizational partnerships and formal contracts as important governance mechanisms for outsourcing performance. Successful IS development through outsourcing, however, may be more dependent on the people who execute the project in the field than on inter-firm relationships and agreed-upon formalities. Among individual-level variables, the special importance of psychological contracts has recently been noted in IS literature. This study investigates the mediating role of psychological contract breach between these two firm-level governance factors and outsourcing performance. By analyzing matched responses from project managers, vendor participants, and system users, we found that the effects of explicit legal contracts and partnership quality on outsourcing outcome are fully mediated by the client's perception of breach by the vendor. This study offers an extended theoretical perspective on the governance of firm-level collaboration, especially revealing that the benefits of formal contracts and inter-organizational partnerships eventually translate into satisfactory outsourcing outcomes for system users through each party's perception of breach on the individual level. Moreover, discrepancy was observed in this study between the client and vendor regarding the impact of legal contracts on individuals’ psychological contract while that of partnership was prominent in both sides.

Involving End Users to Mitigate Risk in IS Development Projects

In this paper the authors aim to gain insight into the relationship between user participation modes and project risk factors, and then they constructed a model that can be used to determine how user participation can be successfully applied in ISD projects with a given set of risk factors. The authors performed an in-depth literature review, which aims to clarify the concept of user participation as part of risk management. They then report on the results of a case study in Cap Gemini where we conduct an exploratory research of the application of user participation in practice. For this exploratory research, a quantitative and qualitative research method was designed in the form of a survey and interviews. Through the results from their case study, the authors gained insight into the relationship between user participation and IS project risk and also determine how user participation can be used to mitigate such risk.

The Dynamics of Sustainable IS Alignment: The Case for IS Adaptivity

Our research addresses one of the most vexing issues in IS, that of how IS alignment occurs. Even more vexing, and largely unaddressed, is the issue of sustainable IS alignment. We address sustainable IS alignment as a dynamic, multi-faceted, and non-deterministic process based on the complexity theory worldview. The complexity theory worldview conceives of organizations and IS as complex adaptive systems (CAS) that co-evolve over time. Sustainable IS alignment results when an organization’s complex adaptive IS adapt to remain in alignment with the constantly-changing (that is, evolving) organization’s goals. Our co-evolutionary theory of IS alignment links bottom-up, emergent processes that foster adaptivity with top-down, formal organizational processes essential to established organizations. We illustrate the theory by applying it to the co-evolution and therefore adaptation of enterprise architectures and IS development projects. Our research on the role of co-evolution in sustainable IS alignment contributes to IS research in general and to prior research on IS alignment in particular, and has implications for achieving sustainable IS alignment. We believe that portraying organizations and their IS as complex adaptive systems that co-evolve provides both research and practice with a way to move forward in their endeavors to realize the potential benefits from using IS to enable businesses.

Interactive and diagnostic uses of management control systems in IS projects: Antecedents and their impact on performance

We attempted to determine how formal management control systems (MCS) are used by project managers in IS development (ISD) contexts. This involved investigating the antecedents of two types of project MCS use (interactive and diagnostic), and their direct and moderated impact on project performance. PLS analysis of data collected in a survey of 93 projects indicated that project managers’ level of discretion positively affected their level of interactive use of project MCS but did not influence their diagnostic use. Our findings also showed that interactive use of MCS enhanced performance when task uncertainty (task novelty and complexity) of an ISD was high, but worsened it when task uncertainty was low. Finally, diagnostic use of MCS apparently increased project performance when an ISD task uncertainty was low, but did not reduce it when task uncertainty was high. Overall, these results were stable across different size projects.

Data architectures for an organizational memory information system

A framework is developed that supports the theoretical design of an organizational memory information system (OMIS). The framework provides guidance for managing the processing capabilities of an organization by matching knowledge location, flexibility, and processing requirements with data architecture. This framework is tested using three different sets of data attributes and data architectures from 147 business professionals that have experience in IS development. We find that trade‐offs exist between the amount of knowledge embedded in the data architecture and the flexibility of data architectures. This trade‐off is contingent on the characteristics of the set of tasks that the data architecture is being designed to support. Further, the match is important to consider in the design of OMIS database architecture.

Functional analysis of the novel mycorrhiza‐specific phosphate transporter AsPT1 and PHT1 family from Astragalus sinicus during the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

Arbuscular mycorrhizas contribute significantly to inorganic phosphate (Pi) uptake in plants. Gene networks involved in the regulation and function of the Pht1 family transporters in legume species during AM symbiosis are not fully understood. In order to characterize the six distinct members of Pht1 transporters in mycorrhizal Astragalus sinicus, we combined cellular localization, heterologous functional expression in yeast with expression/subcellular localization studies and reverse genetics approaches in planta. Pht1;1 and Pht1;4 silenced lines were generated to uncover the role of the newly discovered dependence of the AM symbiosis on another phosphate transporter AsPT1 besides AsPT4. These Pht1 transporters are triggered in Pi-starved mycorrhizal roots. AsPT1 and AsPT4 were localized in arbuscule-containing cells of the cortex. The analysis of promoter sequences revealed conserved motifs in both AsPT1 and AsPT4. AsPT1 overexpression showed higher mycorrhization levels than controls for parameters analysed, including abundance of arbuscules. By contrast, knockdown of AsPT1 by RNA interference led to degenerating or dead arbuscule phenotypes identical to that of AsPT4 silencing lines. AsPT4 but not AsPT1 is required for symbiotic Pi uptake. These results suggest that both, AsPT1 and AsPT4, are required for the AM symbiosis, most importantly, AsPT1 may serve as a novel symbiotic transporter for AM development.

The organizational citizenship behavior of IS personnel: Does organizational justice matter?

In developing a successful IS development project today, good IS personnel are crucial. However, just achieving and maintaining their skills is not sufficient; they must contribute to the project in a meaningful fashion, including their supportive activity: organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). However, IS personnel have different motivational factors, informal behavior patterns, and exhibit OCBs different from those in other fields. In addition, projects present a different face than operations in an organization and alter the context of OCBs. This combination leads to a unique setting where the perceptions of equity by IS employees in project teams are unlikely to follow patterns established for functional operations. To determine if perceived equity can lead to desirable attitudes and behavior in this novel setting, we surveyed IS team members of development projects. Data from 298 respondents in 47 project teams indicated that equity, as measured by perceptions of justice, add to job commitment, which serves as a mediator between the justices and OCBs. Project leaders of teams with IS personnel must therefore work to improve the perception of equity in the distribution of rewards and treatment.

Enterprise Knowledge-Based Generation of Class Model

The article presents Knowledge- Based MDA Class Model (UML notation) generation technique. Knowledge-Based MDA approach is a progressive Information Systems development method which combines the main components of traditional MDA and the best practices of Knowledge-Based Information Systems Engineering. The main advantage of such method is that problem domain knowledge acquainted at user requirements acquisition and business modelling stages are validated against formal criteria, in such way reducing empirical factors that could negatively impact the whole IS development process. The starting point of Class model generation process is a selection of particular entity from the Enterprise Model as the main class. System Analyst is able to select one of four elements types for class model generation process: Actor, Process, Information Activity and Flow. The main steps of Class model generation from Enterprise Model are presented in this article as well as Class model generation example. The final result of the generation process is the particular Class model that specifies static structure of the particular problem domain and can be used as business entities framework for developers of Information Systems. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.19.2.1717

Knowledge Sharing in Offshore Software Development: A Vendor Perspective

Increasingly, companies are outsourcing complex IT projects to offshore locations. Such globalization trend has led to challenges for both clients and vendors. The objective of this research is to enhance our understanding of offshore IS development project success from the lens of knowledge sharing. From the vendor's perspective, we investigate the mediating role played by knowledge sharing in the success of offshore software development and identify factors that contribute to knowledge sharing in offshore software development. A survey method was used to collect data in China and validate the research model. Our findings confirm that knowledge sharing mediates the impact of the use of methodology and relationship with clients on the success of offshore software development projects; particularly, knowledge sharing has more impact on process efficiency than on product quality. This study contributes to the theoretical understandings on how development methodology and vendors' relationship with clients help overcome the challenges in off shoring software development (OSD), and how knowledge sharing functions as a mediator between these factors and success of OSD. The findings also help vendors identify critical determinants of knowledge sharing in OSD and suggest strategies to execute OSD.

Adoption of New Information Economics to Achieve Information System Success in IS Outsourcing Implementation

This research in progress paper aims to study the level of business-IT disconnection between IS outsourcing client and vendor. System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as a general model for Information System Development and Design is just a formal sequential development guideline for Information System development. However, due to SDLC's inherent deficiency, it does not ensure efficient coordination of interlinked business and software design activities between business management client and information system specialist vendor. In this study, a research model proposed to reveal the relationship between adoption of NIE and system success in IS outsourcing firms. The main objective of this study is to resolve business-IT disconnection between IS outsourcing client and vendor. The results will assist the IS development for IS outsourcing client and vendors.  Index Terms—system development life cycle (SDLC), new information economics (NIE), information system outsourcing (IS Outsourcing), IS outsourcing client and IS outsourcing vendor.

Decoupling of paramagnetic and ferrimagnetic AMS development during the experimental chemical compaction of illite shale powder

Decoupling of paramagnetic and ferrimagnetic AMS development during the experimental chemical compaction of illite shale powder