Process Improvement Framework Research Articles

An Integrated Software Development Method with built-in Software Process Improvement Framework

The concept of a startup is growing around the world where innovation is the major driving force. Managing such a small startup company from both technical and administrative perspective is a challenging issue. Though several approaches for software development, like the waterfall model, agile model, SCRUM model are available, it is difficult to implement such a model with full features due to limited number of resources, lack of experienced resources and lack of enough financial capability. The scopes of software process improvement are even narrower in a situation where they hardly manage or adapt a methodology. As a result, small companies suffer and work without a good quality framework model. Companies struggle to produce quality software. In this work, we have suggested an integrated software engineering methodology, in which, the process improvement framework is a built-in phenomenon. Our system is dubbed as 3D model, where the Ds stand for Design, Develop and Deploy. Design indicates the design of the product making as well as the process design. Develop and Deploy is also hinting to the product and process. The process improvement is managed through observation and management, which are fed back into the system through proper documentation. We did some client surveys, organization surveys, and observed work patterns of a group of human resources for a period. We measured some of the parameters before and after the implementation of 3D model. We found that implementation of 3D model gives an improved process and product development environment with no extra manpower or extra costing.

Business Process Analysis and Modeling Using the Business Process Improvement Framework at the Internal Quality Assurance STMIK STIKOM Indonesia

STMIK STIKOM Indonesia is a college that organizes two study programs namely Informatics Engineering and Computer Systems. STIKI Indonesia has set SPMI in accordance with the PPEPP cycle. To ensure that SPMI can run as stipulated, the monitoring process is carried out with an Internal Quality Audit (AMI) facilitated by the STIKI Indonesia Internal Quality Assurance Institute (LPMI). Repeated business processes cause delays in obtaining the results of AMI's recapitulation, even though the results of the recapitulation are urgently needed as a report in the Senate Meeting to be evaluated as an effort to improve quality management at STMIK STIKOM Indonesia.
 Therefore the business process model that runs on the implementation of the Internal Quality Audit of STMIK STIKOM Indonesia will further be identified the existing problems and be analyzed and corrected. Business Process Improvement (BPI) is an approach or method that the writer will use to improve existing business processes at the AMI stage. BPI aims to improve business processes and ensure that issues in an organization's business processes are handled properly. Business process modeling that will be used is Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) which is a tool to describe or model business process diagrams based on flowchart techniques, arranged to create graphical models of business operations where there are activities and flow controls that define work order

Evaluation of a Health Care Transition Improvement Process in Seven Large Health Care Systems

PurposeYouth and young adults require systematic planning, transfer and integration into adult healthcare. A national health care transition (HCT) learning network (LN) shared strategies during monthly calls to improve HCTs using Got Transition™'s Six Core Elements. Among LN participants, we conducted a pre-post mixed-methods evaluation of this evidence-informed process improvement framework. Design and methodsLeaders from seven health systems in the LN recruited 55 participating practice sites (12 primary care, 43 specialty care, 47 pediatric care, and 8 adult care). Got Transition's Current Assessment (CA) of HCT Activities (possible score: 0–32) assessed implementation of HCT process improvements in all 55 sites at baseline (2015–2017) and again after 12–18 months. Pre-post results were compared overall and by type of practice (primary vs. specialty, pediatric vs. adult). In early 2018, health system leaders qualitatively described factors impacting HCT process implementation. ResultsOverall, baseline CA scores averaged 10.7, and increased to 17.9 after 12–18 months. Within each clinical setting, scores increased from: 10.8 to 16.5 among 12 primary care sites, 12.8 to 17.1 among 43 specialty sites, 12.4 to 17 among 47 pediatric sites, and 12 to 16.9 among 8 adult sites. All changes reached significance (p < 0.05). Qualitative feedback offered valuable feedback about motivators, facilitators and barriers to HCT process improvement. ConclusionsParticipating systems made substantial progress in implementing a structured HCT process consistent with clinical recommendations using the Six Core Elements. Practice implicationsThe diverse perspectives of participating health systems provide a model for creating sustainable HCT process improvements.

Continual Process Improvement for ITIL Service Operations: A Lean Perspective

ABSTRACTIT service management (ITSM) practitioners recognize the need for continuous improvement of IT services. Using a design science research approach, we develop a five – step process improvement framework for ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) service operations, based on the use of the Lean toolset. The proposed framework offers a structured approach for process improvement in practice and a basis for more systematic research.

Continuous process improvement implementation framework using multi-objective genetic algorithms and discrete event simulation

PurposeContinuous process improvement is a hard problem, especially in high variety/low volume environments due to the complex interrelationships between processes. The purpose of this paper is to address the process improvement issues by simultaneously investigating the job sequencing and buffer size optimization problems.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a continuous process improvement implementation framework using a modified genetic algorithm (GA) and discrete event simulation to achieve multi-objective optimization. The proposed combinatorial optimization module combines the problem of job sequencing and buffer size optimization under a generic process improvement framework, where lead time and total inventory holding cost are used as two combinatorial optimization objectives. The proposed approach uses the discrete event simulation to mimic the manufacturing environment, the constraints imposed by the real environment and the different levels of variability associated with the resources.FindingsCompared to existing evolutionary algorithm-based methods, the proposed framework considers the interrelationship between succeeding and preceding processes and the variability induced by both job sequence and buffer size problems on each other. A computational analysis shows significant improvement by applying the proposed framework.Originality/valueSignificant body of work exists in the area of continuous process improvement, discrete event simulation and GAs, a little work has been found where GAs and discrete event simulation are used together to implement continuous process improvement as an iterative approach. Also, a modified GA simultaneously addresses the job sequencing and buffer size optimization problems by considering the interrelationships and the effect of variability due to both on each other.

Developing an integrated framework for using data mining techniques and ontology concepts for process improvement

Process, as an important knowledge resource, must be effectively managed and improved. The main problems are the large number of processes, their specific features, and the complicated relationships between them, which all lead to the increase in complexity and create a high-dimensionality problem. Traditional process management systems are unable to manage and improve processes with a high volume of data. Data mining techniques, however, can be employed to identify valuable patterns. With the aid of these patterns, suggestions for process improvement can be presented. Further, process ontology can be applied to share the process patterns between people, facilitate the process understanding, and develop the reusability of the extracted patterns for process improvement.This study presents a combined three-part, five-stage framework of data mining, process improvement, and process ontology. To evaluate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed framework, a real process dataset is applied. Two clustering and classification techniques are used to discover valuable patterns as the process ontology. The output of these two techniques can be considered as the recommendations for improving the processes. The proposed framework can be exploited to support process improvement methodologies in organizations.

Knowledge management in small software development organisations: A South African perspective

Background: Software organisations have been experiencing software development failures since the beginning of software development. Globally, latest Standish Group CHAOS reports indicate that only 29% of projects are successful. In South Africa (SA), the ITWeb report (2013) indicates that only 11% of all projects are successful. Intervention strategies such as software process improvement (SPI) frameworks and new software development methodologies such as agile methods have been introduced to address this issue. These intervention strategies do not seem to be effective because software development projects continue to fail. To address this issue, software organisations are turning to knowledge management (KM). This is because software development is a knowledge-intensive task.Objectives: The study aimed to investigate KM practices in small, medium and micro (SMMEs) software development organisations in SA and to determine if KM has benefited the organisations.Method: Fifteen software development project managers from 15 software development SMMEs were interviewed. Content analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: The study found six KM practices in the organisations: knowledge acquisition, creation, storage, sharing, organisation and application. The study found that KM has benefited organisations by making them effective, efficient and productive.Conclusions: The study concluded that software development organisation have adopted KM, although informally, and that KM practices have improved organisational routines and processes.

Software Process Improvement Frameworks as Alternative of CMMI for SMEs: A Literature Review

Software Process Improvement Frameworks as Alternative of CMMI for SMEs: A Literature Review

Toward a Simplified Software Process Improvement Framework for Small Software Development Organizations

ABSTRACTFor decades, software developers have struggled with delivering high-quality systems. To address the issues related to poor quality software, many use software process improvement (SPI) models such as the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) to guide the software development process. However, implementing these initiatives in small software development organizations is particularly challenging due to the high cost and complexity involved. To address these issues, this study proposes a simplified SPI framework (based on the CMMI) that small organizations can use to help improve software development. Conducted in four English-speaking Caribbean countries, this study uses focus groups with information systems (IS) professionals to arrive at a consensus on the content of a simplified SPI model. The model was assessed using data from a survey of small software development organizations’ practices across the four countries. The resulting model, called the SPI model for small organizations (SPIM-S) is deemed less cumbersome and complex to implement, in comparison to its counterpart, the CMMI. It should therefore be less disruptive to implement—offering practitioners an alternative guide in their quest for high-quality software.

Global Monitoring and Control: A Process Improvement Framework for Globally Distributed Software Development Teams

ABSTRACTGlobal software development (GSD), a fundamentally different paradigm from traditional software engineering, has observed continuous growth and lot of acceptance in the last few years. Organizations gain many advantages of GSD, but face additional challenges not observed in collocated teams’ environment. Literature reveals that existing process improvement frameworks do not explicitly accommodate the complex and challenging needs of GSD. In literature, it is found that one of the major challenges is weak monitoring and controlling of distributed teams. In this study, therefore, we developed a process improvement framework to improve the monitoring and controlling of distributed teams in a GSD environment. The proposed framework is constructed by using grounded theory methodology, and it is validated by using the methods of face validity, content validity, construct validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The detailed analysis depicts that the proposed framework is a valid framework for global monitoring and control in a GSD environment.

Implementing a 4C Approach to Quality Improvement.

Designing a quality improvement activity can be labor intensive and intimidating to facilitators who have not been specially trained in process improvement methodologies. To simplify the process, a team was formed with the specific task of developing a basic model that addresses key concepts in change theory. The 2010 Institute of Medicine report stresses the importance of health care professionals working together, collaboratively, to use data to improve patient outcomes and improve care nationally. In addition, as noted in Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (2013), competencies have been developed to promote frontline problem solving including using data for quality improvement, providing safe care, functioning in collaborative teams, respecting and addressing patient and family concerns, applying evidence-based practice, and using informatics to make decisions. The team completed a search of the literature on change theory to identify the factors that are imperative to address when initiating a process improvement cycle. Kotter's Model of Change provided direction and guidance on the creation of the 4C model, which involves centering on issue, collaborating with team members, using the change process, and celebrating successes. This model has been implemented in a multihospital system as a framework for process improvement with such initiatives as preventing hospital-acquired infections, implementing patient safety initiatives, and addressing human resource concerns such as turnover and patient satisfaction.

A Life Cycle-Based Performance-Centric Business Process Management Framework For Continuous Process Improvement

A Life Cycle-Based Performance-Centric Business Process Management Framework For Continuous Process Improvement

A Systematic Literature Review of Agile Maturity Model Research

Background/Aim/Purpose: A commonly implemented software process improvement framework is the capability maturity model integrated (CMMI). Existing literature indicates higher levels of CMMI maturity could result in a loss of agility due to its organizational focus. To maintain agility, research has focussed attention on agile maturity models. The objective of this paper is to find the common research themes and conclusions in agile maturity model research. Methodology: This research adopts a systematic approach to agile maturity model research, using Google Scholar, Science Direct, and IEEE Xplore as sources. In total 531 articles were initially found matching the search criteria, which was filtered to 39 articles by applying specific exclusion criteria. Contribution:: The article highlights the trends in agile maturity model research, specifically bringing to light the lack of research providing validation of such models. Findings: Two major themes emerge, being the coexistence of agile and CMMI and the development of agile principle based maturity models. The research trend indicates an increase in agile maturity model articles, particularly in the latter half of the last decade, with concentrations of research coinciding with version updates of CMMI. While there is general consensus around higher CMMI maturity levels being incompatible with true agility, there is evidence of the two coexisting when agile is introduced into already highly matured environments. Future Research: Future research direction for this topic should include how to attain higher levels of CMMI maturity using only agile methods, how governance is addressed in agile environments, and whether existing agile maturity models relate to improved project success.

A business process improvement framework for knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial ventures

Pushed by the transition towards the knowledge economy, as well as several other change drivers, an ever-increasing number of knowledge intensive ventures are relying on operational knowledge intensity in order to generate value. Through their interaction with their varied stakeholders—from actors within their supply chains to educational and financial institutions—knowledge intensive enterprises are increasingly becoming a key component of regional economic stability. Within their complex environment, these organisations lack the support of suitable frameworks to inform their efforts to optimise, adapt and improve their underlying business processes in order to maximise the efficiency of their performance and pursue growth ambitions. This paper examines the distinct nature of knowledge intensive entrepreneurial ventures (KIEs) and the applicability of current business process improvement (BPI) frameworks to their setting. Finally, a KIE-oriented business process improvement framework is developed through an integrative adaptation of the concepts of knowledge intensity and knowledge management to the principles of business process redesign and re-engineering reported in existing literature. The proposed framework contributes to the existing literature in the subject of BPI modelling for knowledge intensive entrepreneurial ventures by addressing a distinct set of improvement concerns that this type of organisations face at a process level.

Lean Healthcare Framework for Sri Lankan Healthcare Supply Chains: A Case Study of Teaching Hospitals

This paper aims to show how lean six-sigma philosophy can be integrated to improve productivity of the patient care supply chains. Case study approach was used and three main hospitals in Sri Lanka were studied where the results can be generalized as applicable to other contexts. The main outcome of the research, lean six sigma process improvement framework was developed to address cost effectiveness, waste reduction and quality improvements in terms facilities, input resources and processes through blending lean six sigma best practices. Efforts to apply lean healthcare concept into different aspects of healthcare supply chain is rare in existing literature thus the paper fills the gap in the literature through addressing wide range of supply chain components.

A conceptual hybrid framework for industrial process improvement: integrating Taguchi methods, Shainin System and Six Sigma

Design of Experiments (DoE) has evolved as powerful industrial statistics tool for managing and improving processes in diverse industries. The three broad approaches of DoE in practice: classical or traditional methods, Taguchi methods and Shainin System (SS), have their merits and demerits for a extensive industrial experimentation. Nonetheless, the power of these DoE approach is not fully harnessed in established process improvement frameworks in industries. On the other side, Six Sigma DMAIC is a well-accepted methodology for improving process capability through focus on customer’s requirement (CTQ). The use of DoE in traditional DMAIC framework is limited to quantification of influence factors on CTQ. To offer a contribution to this paucity, this paper proposed a conceptual Six Sigma/DOE hybrid framework aiming to integrate SS, Taguchi methods and Six Sigma DMAIC for process improvement in complex industry environment. A case on improving DF generation process in shock absorber assembly was developed to validate the effectiveness of the framework for intricate problem-solving.

Using the NIATx Model to Implement User-Centered Design of Technology for Older Adults.

What models can effectively guide the creation of eHealth and mHealth technologies? This paper describes the use of the NIATx model as a framework for the user-centered design of a new technology for older adults. The NIATx model is a simple framework of process improvement based on the following principles derived from an analysis of decades of research from various industries about why some projects fail and others succeed: (1) Understand and involve the customer; (2) fix key problems; (3) pick an influential change leader; (4) get ideas from outside the field; (5) use rapid-cycle testing. This paper describes the use of these principles in technology development, the strengths and challenges of using this approach in this context, and lessons learned from the process. Overall, the NIATx model enabled us to produce a user-focused technology that the anecdotal evidence available so far suggests is engaging and useful to older adults. The first and fourth principles were especially important in developing the technology; the fourth proved the most challenging to use.

A Mixed-Methods Research Framework for Healthcare Process Improvement

The healthcare system in the United States is spiraling out of control due to ever-increasing costs without significant improvements in quality, access to care, satisfaction, and efficiency. Efficient workflow is paramount to improving healthcare value while maintaining the utmost standards of patient care and provider satisfaction in high stress environments. This article provides healthcare managers and quality engineers with a practical healthcare process improvement framework to assess, measure and improve clinical workflow processes. The proposed mixed-methods research framework integrates qualitative and quantitative tools to foster the improvement of processes and workflow in a systematic way. The framework consists of three distinct phases: 1) stakeholder analysis, 2a) survey design, 2b) time-motion study, and 3) process improvement. The proposed framework is applied to the pediatric intensive care unit of the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. The implementation of this methodology led to identification and categorization of different workflow tasks and activities into both value-added and non-value added in an effort to provide more valuable and higher quality patient care. Based upon the lessons learned from the case study, the three-phase methodology provides a better, broader, leaner, and holistic assessment of clinical workflow. The proposed framework can be implemented in various healthcare settings to support continuous improvement efforts in which complexity is a daily element that impacts workflow. We proffer a general methodology for process improvement in a healthcare setting, providing decision makers and stakeholders with a useful framework to help their organizations improve efficiency.

A model-based approach to refine process parameters in smart manufacturing

This article describes a model-based approach for defining and refining process parameters in dynamically changing, smart manufacturing environments. This approach uses equation-based models to predict how part quality will respond to changes in that environment. The results from these models provide the major inputs into a process-parameter-optimization technique, which is used to set the values for various process parameters. In developing these models, we integrated various concepts from process improvement frameworks, such as Define–Measure–Analyze–Improve–Control and Monitor–Analyze–Plan–Execute–Knowledge, with techniques from model-based engineering. After describing the approach, we demonstrate its use in an additive manufacturing process example.

Improvement process selection framework for the formation of improvement solution alternatives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) processes within a flow-line production-improvement activity. Investigation can lead to understanding of how a process improvement framework influences the decision and fulfillment of the potential to successfully change the operation process. Design/methodology/approach – The improvement process selection (IPS) framework is built systematically by incorporating all related decision criteria with suitable tools required to select improvement alternatives. The process consists of three phases: identification, prediction, and selection. The IPS framework is validated through a case study of a company that was carrying out a flow-line production-improvement project. Findings – The developed framework is used to prioritize the problem scope and select the solutions from various options. The case study illustrates the process through which the developed framework provided a systematic approach in identifying the solutions and achieving the desired performance improvement. Prediction result analysis shows the framework achieved sustainable process improvement changes and prevents management levels from higher risks in failure improvement. The feedback of the case study has verified the robustness of the framework. Practical implications – Quantitative improvement tools, such as MCDM employed in the IPS framework are vital for better understanding of the improvement impact of changes. Thus, the improvement solution alternatives can be analyzed in more comprehensive ways by considering numerous performance metrics in order to select the best improvement alternatives. Originality/value – The IPS framework can assist the company in determining optimal decisions in relation to selection of improvement alternatives. As a result, production performance can be affected positively.