IT Team Research Articles

The petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) and the economics of an oil and gas project

When thinking about the key drivers of project value, the PRRT profile of a petroleum project may not be top of mind for non-tax teams. As a 40% tax on the upstream activities of a petroleum project, however, the PRRT can significantly impact on project NPV and non-tax teams can play an important role in optimising the PRRT profile of a project. For finance and legal teams, this may be as part of the due diligence, modelling, and contract negotiation phase of acquiring or disposing of an interest in a project. Operational and technical teams can play an important role in helping tax teams to understand a project so that they can apply tax technical concepts; for example, in determining the characterisation of expenditure. Properly substantiating PRRT expenditure is also of critical importance; finance, IT, commercial, and operational teams should be involved in developing systems that capture the information tax teams require to be able to quantify and evidence PRRT deductions. This extended abstract focuses on the practical ways in which non-tax teams can help optimise the PRRT profile and, in turn, the NPV of a petroleum project.

How knowledge management impacts performance in projects: An empirical study

This paper develops theory and tests the relationships between knowledge management and various aspects of performance in IT-enabled business projects. The proposed theory posits that knowledge management is instrumental to Project Performance when mediated by a new concept, Knowledge Alignment. The research model is tested on survey data from 212 IT-enabled business projects. Findings show that project managers who achieve Knowledge Alignment among the people and the artefacts from three parts of the project – the IT team, the business change team, and the governance team – can have a significant positive impact on the achievement of business value from the project. Achieving higher levels of Knowledge Alignment is shown to have no significant negative impact on attainment of schedule and budget targets. This is the first statistical study to demonstrate the effect of knowledge management and Knowledge Alignment on the attainment of project management targets and of business value in IT-enabled projects.

EMERGENCY NEUROMUSCULAR ADMISSIONS ARE AVOIDABLE: A REGIONAL AUDIT OF UNPLANNED HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS OF NEUROMUSCULAR PATIENTS 2009–2011: FINAL RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

IntroductionNeuromuscular diseases (NMD) require long–term multi–disciplinary care. In 2010–11 there were 5.3 million emergency admissions of which 213,000 related to neurological disorders. 13% of these (∼28,000) were secondary to NMD....

Queue Time Sensitivity Analysis Methodology

Queue time (QT) between consecutive process-steps is one of the factors affecting the quality of current products in semiconductors industry. Identification of process steps with queue time sensitivity is not an easy and quick analysis, and it requires a high number of lots. An effective tool for a quick identification of sensitivity of a specific operation to a queue time was developed at Micron Israel and it is applied on production material. The algorithm calculates the average absolute delta of responses between consecutive step QTs, where a minimal value is accepted in steps with a linear correlation between the QT and the response. This calculation results in a snap-shot of the impact of QT for specific responses, or failures modes, for the entire production line, where the step with minimal value of this parameter is easily detected. This algorithm was used on production material and indeed helped to detect a new QT dependency in specific process steps. The Queue Time Sensitivity Analysis (QTSA) algorithm is a novel methodology to detect correlation of QT in a single process step to a certain electrical EOL failure. It can be easily implemented in a fabrication site by the IT team. QTSA methodology is very efficient in detecting QT related issues and it can be used both in routine mode on baseline material and during significant elevation in EOL or in-line failures.

Finding a national audience for MTM

Finding a national audience for MTM

Diversity and diversification of Eumolpinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in New Caledonia

This study was possible thanks to funds provided by the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society (grant no. 8380-07), and a travel grant from the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund of the Linnean Society. The work benefited also from the support of the Juan de la Cierva Programme (Spanish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) to the first author, and the Fundacion BBVA to the other authors. The Spanish National Institute for Bioinformatics and the IBE's IT team helped in the set-up for parallelization of processes. Fieldwork was carried out under the special authorization n° 6024-626 2008/DENV/SMT from the Direction de l'Environment (Noumea, New Caledonia) to our host in New Caledonia.

ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION IN BINUS UNIVERSITY USING DELONE AND MCLEAN INFORMATION SYSTEM SUCCESS MODEL AND COBIT FRAMEWORK

The success of implementation of information system in an organization will supportthe organization in the process of achieving goals. Successful information system will support theorganization's day-to-day operations, so that problem can be resolved more quickly and easily. Theinformation system which has been developed and implemented is also necessary to measure thematurity level. Therefore, it can determine whether the implementation of information systemsmade in accordance with the goals of the organization. Measuring the success of informationsystems used the DeLone and McLean IS success model. To measure the maturity level ofinformation systems used COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology)frameworks that provides best practices for IT governance and control. The results of this analysiswill assist and support the IT team in order to develop and build information systems that better fitthe needs and goals of the organization.

The Issue of IT Project - The Project Team and its Environment

The modern business world is closely associated with IT projects. Unfortunately, research reports still have unsatisfactory percentage of projects completed successfully. The reasons for this phenomenon are not, however, in the field of technology and methodology, but in the human factor. This article is going to meet this phenomenon, dealing with issues of IT project from the perspective of project teams. Established specification types of IT teams and detailed the risks posed by them to implement IT projects, as their environment. This is the stage which is the basis for studies to develop IT teams capable of effective and efficient implementation of IT projects.

Entrepreneurship Opportunities in Green Computing

Green Computing is the emerging computing technology. It is mainly used to save and protect the environment as well as optimize energy consumption and try to keep green environment. It also refers to environmentally sustainable computing. Saving energy or reduction of carbon footprints is main aspects of Green Computing. This research is mainly focusing on various opportunities which are available to entrepreneur in green computing by checking awareness and usage of green computing in management students of IMSCD&R, Ahmednagar. A questionnaire was prepared to check the level of awareness and usage of green computing. The questionnaires were given to IMSCD&R students. Almost all students use computers for their study/ work. Only 17% of the students recycle their old computer and 59% resale their old computer. 65% of the students are aware about recycling paper but 14% only use recycled paper for printing. Less than 50% of all the students are aware about green computing it means most of the students are not aware about green computing. The research finding established that more awareness is required in order to make IT users to take greener approaches of using technology and associated gadgets. There are different opportunities for entrepreneur to start a new business as well as give rise to the employment as follows, 1. e-Waste recycle center. 2. e-Waste collection center. 3. Recycle paper manufacturing unit. 4. Recycle packaging manufacturing unit. 5. Efficiency Consulting: Offer business analysis of their data centers energy consumption and propose cost-saving changes. 6. Green Data Center Design and Construction. 7. IT Training: Enhance overall efficiency by teaching best practices to IT teams at large corporations.

The Complexities of Implementing Global HRM Systems: A Case Study on the Subsidiary Perspective

In this paper, we provide a qualitative analysis of the complexities involved during global e-HRM (Electronic Human Resource Management) implementation. While many studies rely on theory embedded in the Change and International Management literatures, we add relevant Strategic Information Systems literature to enrich the localization- standardization debate. We present findings from a case study in which we zoom in on the particular challenge of global integration versus local responsiveness of e-HRM systems. We consciously eschew the most common, headquarters’ perspective, and take a local site lens, analyzing the experiences of a local IT department in charge of implementing a global e-HRM strategy. We find that although this implementation was staged as a success by the organization, there were many unexpected and negative outcomes at the local level. These appeared to arise from a non-participative approach by global IT, with inadequate consideration of changes in the role, relationships and relative power of the local IT and HR teams. We suggest that desired corporate IT outcomes such as consolidation, cost reduction, improved data sharing and business intelligence should not be pushed on the local units at the expense of flexibility in equally important local HR initiatives. However, balancing the requirements of flexibility and standardization in a large-size, multinational firm is non-trivial, and cannot be achieved without seriously enabling the engagement of the multiple stakeholder perspectives involved.

Localising versus standardising electronic human resource management: complexities and tensions between HRM and IT departments

In this paper, we provide an analysis of the complexities involved during global e-HRM (Electronic Human Resource Management) implementation. We present findings from a case study on the challenge of global integration versus local responsiveness of e-HRM systems. We take a local site lens, analysing the experiences of a local IT department in charge of implementing a global e-HRM strategy. Although this implementation was hailed as a success by the organisation, there were many unexpected and negative outcomes at the local level. These appeared to arise from a nonparticipative approach by global IT, with inadequate consideration of changes in the role, relationships and relative power of the local IT and HR teams. We suggest that desired corporate IT outcomes should not be forced on the local units at the expense of flexibility in equally important local HR initiatives. However, balancing the requirements of HR flexibility and system standardisation in a large-size, multinational firm is non-trivial.

The cloud challenge: realising the benefits without increasing risk

The obvious benefits of cloud computing, coupled with rapid advancements in enterprise mobility, have led to the widespread adoption of browser-based applications in the enterprise, with or without the knowledge of the IT department. However, this encroachment on traditional application delivery has led to enterprise security being downgraded to a ‘one size fits all’ model that robs CISOs of the granularity required to comply with regulations governing data protection, privacy and corporate governance. Richard Walters of SaaSID examines how to extend corporate policies to maintain security and compliance. Public cloud services are moving into the enterprise through the increasing use of employee-owned devices, either as part of formal Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies or informally as a result of employees adopting their own web-based applications on corporate devices. In March 2012, Ovum analyst Samok Roy drew attention to the Bring Your Own Software (BYOS) issue, where employees use applications based on public cloud services to process corporate data – often without the knowledge of the IT team. Roy asserted that the ungoverned use of ‘freemium’ apps, or public cloud services, posed as great a risk to data and corporate compliance as the well-documented BYOD risk.

Who Owns Applications?

Most organizations do a terrible job of defining the responsibilities of application ownership. The IT team can build, install, and manage an application, a system, or a device, but the business side of the house must define the project (to ensure it fits a corporate need) and monitor it (to ensure that, over time, the investment continues to provide value). There can be decades between application “inception” and “decommissioning,” during which time a lot of handoffs and shared responsibility can occur across the organization. Here, I discuss some techniques and key axioms to help manage this life cycle, particularly in the early stages.

When STAR meets the Clouds – Virtualization & Cloud Computing Experiences

In recent years, Cloud computing has become a very attractive paradigm and popular model for accessing distributed resources. The Cloud has emerged as the next big trend. The burst of platform and projects providing Cloud resources and interfaces at the very same time that Grid projects are entering a production phase in their life cycle has however raised the question of the best approach to handling distributed resources. Especially, are Cloud resources scaling at the levels shown by Grids? Are they performing at the same level? What is their overhead on the IT teams and infrastructure? Rather than seeing the two as orthogonal, the STAR experiment has viewed them as complimentary and has studied merging the best of the two worlds with Grid middleware providing the aggregation of both Cloud and traditional resources. Since its first use of Cloud resources on Amazon EC2 in 2008/2009 using a Nimbus/EC2 interface, the STAR software team has tested and experimented with many novel approaches: from a traditional, native EC2 approach to the Virtual Organization Cluster (VOC) at Clemson University and Condor/VM on the GLOW resources at the University of Wisconsin. The STAR team is also planning to run as part of the DOE/Magellan project. In this paper, we will present an overview of our findings from using truly opportunistic resources and scaling-out two orders of magnitude in both tests and practical usage.

Better Budget Planning

Every CIO dreads that painful fall ritual of building a budget for coming year. During this process, we're confronted with a laundry list of user needs- or wants, to be more precise-and a set of constraints imposed by CFO and CEO. Once we add in base-load tasks (to keep lights on), tactical upgrades, messy but strategic IT changes, and our own goals for IT team development, we're left with a massive list, sometimes referred to as the unachievable many. As budget process moves forward, we typically find ourselves in crossfire between these competing forces. Eventually, organization collaborates, fights, or dictates its way to a for coming year. Dwight Eisenhower once said, In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable. I experienced this firsthand while serving in military, quickly learning that nearly every plan degrades as real events unfold. However, process of planning (gathering correct information,having clear goals, understand ing risk, and outlining an approach that's more like a path than a tightrope) was key to being able to successfully adapt as situation evolved. So, as we move into budget planning season, I thought it might be useful to discuss core concepts of a healthy budget planning process.

Beyond Expertise Seeking: A Field Study of the Informal Knowledge Practices of Healthcare IT Teams

CSCW has long been concerned with formal and informal knowledge practices in organizations, examining both the social and technical aspects of how knowledge is sought, shared, and used. In this study, we are interested in examining the set of activities that occur when co-located knowledge workers manage and resolve issues by seeking, sharing, and applying their informal knowledge. Informal knowledge seeking involves more than identifying the expert who has the knowledge or accessing the knowledge through physical artifacts. It also involves working with that expert to identify and apply the appropriate knowledge to the particular situation. However, our understandings of how people collaboratively work together to find, share and apply this knowledge are less well understood. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted a field study of how professionals in three IT teams of a regional hospital managed and resolved IT issues. These knowledge workers used various collaborative practices such as creation of ad-hoc teams and the use of email to identify, share, and use informal knowledge to resolve IT issues. In addition, particular team practices such as how issues are assigned affected these knowledge activities. Our findings highlight how informal knowledge activities are affected by a variety of implicit and sometimes subtle features of the organization and that organizational knowledge management systems should support informal knowledge seeking activities and collaboration amongst the knowledge sharers.

Managing global IT teams

Successful global IT team managers combine general distributed team management skills enhanced with cultural sensitivity.

IT without Hardware

Five years from now, some mid-size businesses might be functioning without any company-owned IT hardware. Although this might initially be true for only a small subset of industries and firms, others will find themselves some where on the continuum between "only company assets" and "no company assets," with the trend heading toward fewer corporate devices. As a CIO, the author asks what will the IT teams should start doing now to prepare.

A novel technology approach to pain management in children with burns: A prospective randomized controlled trial

Background Non-pharmacological approaches to supporting young children through painful medical procedures are an essential component of burn pain management protocols. New technology developed from collaborations between healthcare professionals and IT teams can enhance the preparation and distraction approaches used with children. This study follows on from previous studies using such technology, and aim to determine whether levels of pain and distress using a combined preparation and distraction content can be further reduced, and offer more efficient clinical outcomes. Methods Forty children (3–10 years) undergoing acute burn care procedures were randomized to two groups: (1) Standard Distraction (SD) Group and (2) Multi Modal Distraction (MMD) Group (combined protocol of procedural preparation and distraction). Pain intensity and child distress were measured prior to and during the procedure. Clinical utility end points were also included; length of treatment, days to healing and adverse pain events. Results A combined MMD protocol significantly reduced pain intensity ( p < 0.001) and distress scores ( p < 0.001) when compared to SD. Length of treatment ( p < 0.05), days to healing and the number of pain adverse events were also reduced ( p < 0.05) with the use of the MMD protocol. Conclusions A combined MMD protocol reduces the pain experiences for young children during burn care procedures. When compared with a previous MMD trial, outcomes reiterated the use of procedural preparation as an essential component of non-pharmacological approaches. In addition to minimizing pain and distress, this innovative technology reduced treatment length and pain adverse events, and may have an impact on reducing days to healing, providing evidence of clinical efficacy and utility.

A global collaboration to deploy help to China

A firsthand account of an international team effort to install the Sahana disaster-management system in Chengdu, Sichuan after an earthquake. On Monday May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck in Sichuan Province in southwestern China, destroying homes, schools, hospitals, roads, and vital power and communication infrastructure. More than 45 million people were affected---tens of thousands were killed, hundreds of thousands injured, millions of people were evacuated and left homeless, and millions of buildings were destroyed. When the earthquake hit, several members of what became an international, volunteer, disaster-management IT team were attending a workshop in Washington, D.C. The workshop was organized by the IBM Office of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs department to train IBM personnel and others in the use and deployment of Sahana, a free and open source software (FOSS) disaster management system. Sahana, which means relief in Sinhalese, is a Web-based collaboration tool that helps manage information resources during a disaster recovery effort. It supports a wide range of relief efforts from finding missing persons, to managing volunteers, tracking resources, and coordinating refugee camps. Sahana enables government groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the victims themselves to work together during a disaster recovery effort. Over the next several weeks, the team members, distributed among several cities (Beijing and Chengdu in China, Hartford and New York in the U.S., and Colombo in Sri Lanka), worked together over global communication channels to configure and deploy Sahana in Chengdu, in order to support the disaster recovery effort there. The organizations involved in the collaboration included: • The Lanka Software Foundation (LSF), developers of the Sahana system. Three LSF members, led by the second author, were conducting the training workshop. • Various departments of IBM , including Business Continuity and Resiliency Services. Ten employees led by the fourth author, who organized the workshop, were receiving instruction in how to deploy and use Sahana. • The Humanitarian FOSS Project (H-FOSS), an NSF-funded effort aimed at revitalizing undergraduate computing education. Four students and their mentors, the first and third authors, were attending the workshop as developers and undergraduate members of the Sahana community. • IBM China . Initially, local teams in Beijing and Chengdu consisting of corporate citizenship, government relations, and technical professionals led in demonstrating Sahana to local officials, securing buy-in, and establishing channels to proceed. Then a large team of developers, language specialists, and others, including a team based in Chengdu, Sichuan, eventually took charge of the deployment effort in Chengdu. The fifth author was a member of the China development team. Almost immediately after the earthquake, discussions were held between IBM, IBM China, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Chengdu city government in Sichuan province. Once the Chengdu government expressed real interest in deploying Sahana, a team was formed to begin the process of localizing Sahana---that is, translating its user interface into simplified Chinese. The team was led by executives and software developers from IBM-China and assisted by Sahana team members in Colombo and student H-FOSS volunteers in Hartford. The team's organizational structure followed the normal procedure involved in previous Sahana deployments---a local group in close proximity to the incident supported by volunteers from the global Sahana community. In this case IBM-China, including some who were directly affected by the disaster, took the lead in deploying Sahana over an intensive three-week period. The decision by the Chengdu government to proceed with the deployment was taken on May 21, 2008 and a revised and localized version of Sahana was deployed in Chengdu on May 25. On June 12 we learned that 42 families had been reunited with the help of Sahana. This article provides an inside look at the deployment effort. It describes how a diverse, multidisciplinary team---professional programmers, software engineers, executives from a large global enterprise, students, faculty, and humanitarian IT specialists from a global FOSS community---worked together to assist the earthquake recovery effort. The success of the collaboration illustrates the power of virtual communities working across international boundaries using a variety of electronic communication software. It also demonstrates that the Internet has truly made us all neighbors and is constantly forcing us to redefine our concept of community.