The workflow system and its applications

Recent information technological advances have led to the workflow system that provides an effective technical solution for productivity improvement and business process reengineering. Workflow is a network of activities, also commonly known as a business process, defined for a specific business objective. The fundamental principle of workflow technology is the separation of business process from (software) applications and data. This implies a flexible, adaptable system that can support dynamic business changes. This flexibility, however, is not built upon complexity. Instead, the system should be easily modified for a new business environment. On the other hand, a good workflow system facilitates individual tasks, and collectively the entire business process by providing accurate inputs (data, forms tools) and effective routing control. Workflow technology has a wide range of applications and, when appropriately implemented, can increase productivity, reduce operating costs, improve response to customer requests and shorten the business process cycle. A great opportunity for a company is in evidence to advance its competition edge to a new level through implementation of workflow technology in the next few years. This paper discusses workflow environments, system components, architecture, integrated applications for external program execution, and future trends.     

Global software development: an exploratory study of challenges of globalization,HRM practices and process improvement

The globalization of software development industry continues to experience a significant growth. The increased trend of globalization brings new challenges, increases the scope of the core functions of human resource management and impacts the dynamics of process improvement. The aim of this study is to explore the challenges of globalization and indicators of process improvement in distributed teams’ environment. This study also explores the impact of HRM practices on challenges of global software development, and, the impact of HRM practices and challenges of global software development on process improvement. The exploratory mixed method design is adapted as research methodology for this study. In this multi-method approach, study is completed in two phases. In first phase, qualitative data is collected, and analyzed to explore the study variables and their relationships in global software development environment. In second phase, quantitative data is collected, and analyzed to validate the findings of first phase. The findings of this study suggest that the challenges of global software development negatively impact the process improvement; but, effective HRM practices help to minimize the negative impact of challenges and positively impacts the process improvement in global software development environment.     

Application Development Using Fault Data

We develop a general model for software development process and propose a policy to manage system coordination using system fault reports (e.g., interface inconsistencies, parameter mismatches, etc.). These reports are used to determine the timing of coordination activities that remove faults. We show that under an optimal policy, coordination should be performed only if a “threshold” fault count has been exceeded. We apply the policy to software development processes and compare the management of those projects under different development conditions. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate how the fault threshold policy needs to be adjusted to changes in system complexity, team skill, development environment, and project schedule. Moreover, we compare the optimal fault threshold policy to an optimal release‐based policy. The release‐based policy does not take into account fault data and is easier to administer. The comparisons help to define the range of project parameters for which observing fault data can provide significant benefits for managing a software project.     

An object-oriented methodology for solving the RCPSPs with heuristics and metaheuristics

Because various heuristics and metaheuristics have been proposed to solve the well known NP-hard, resourceconstrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP), it is currently difficult to compare the computational efficiency of these heuristics implemented on different computers where, in addition, the computer codes may have been written in different computer languages. This problem is solved when all relevant heuristics can be applied within the framework of a single computer program. By use of the object-oriented programming (OOP) methodology, we developed a general software framework for the heuristics and metaheuristics for solving the RCPSP. Currently this includes six heuristics and two metaheuristics. The framework of the software allows a more advanced user to append more effective heuristics and play around with several parameters of these metaheuristics with a bare minimum of coding effort.     

WISCHE: A DSS for water irrigation scheduling

In this paper we present the models and the algorithms which are being used in a decision support system (DSS) to determine water irrigation scheduling. The DSS provides dynamic scheduling of the daily irrigation for a given land area by taking into account the irrigation network topology, the water volume technical conditions and the logistical operations. The system has been validated by the Agriculture Community of Elche (Spain) and annexed to their Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA). We present two heuristic approaches to solve the mixed 0–1 separable nonlinear program for irrigation scheduling implemented with free software.     

Development of a computer-aided production management course in industrial engineering curriculum

This paper describes the successful development and demonstration of an integrated computer-aided production management course which is very user-friendly and which facilitates integration of decisions. An icon-menu system that associates icons with the various decision models which were all implemented under the same environment allows students to easily integrate individual decision situations. Decisions were edited and their effect on other decisions confirmed that the hierarchical individual decisions situations in production management need to be integrated. The software developed runs on a personal computer coupled to a projection panel and overhead projector. This arrangement makes it an effective teaching facility for production management.     

The Effect of Liability and Patch Release on Software Security: The Monopoly Case

An abundance of flawed software has been identified as the main cause of the poor security of computer networks because major viruses and worms exploit the vulnerabilities of such software. As an incentive mechanism for software security quality improvement, software liability has been intensely discussed among both academics and practitioners for a long time. An alternative approach to managing software security is patch release, which has been widely adopted in practice. In this paper, we examine these two different ways of mitigating customer risk in the software market: liability and patch release. We study the impact of both mechanisms on a monopolistic software vendor's decision on security quality. We find the conditions under which each mechanism is effective in terms of improving security quality and increasing social surplus. The heterogeneous nature of loss is identified to be a key factor for the effectiveness of the liability mechanism. On the other hand, patch release can be effective and welfare‐enhancing regardless of the nature of loss as long as customers incur low patching cost, and/or the vendor incurs low patch development cost. We also examine the impact of customer misperception of the outcome from vulnerable software on the effectiveness of liability.     

Decreasing Chronic Absenteeism Among Institutional Staff

The effects of a behavioral attendance program on the amount of absences of 15 chronic attendance abusers in a state institution were investigated. The program involved three primary components of low monetary cost: systematic supervisory counseling with each staff member, commendation letters for criterion-achieved attendance levels, and a behavioral lottery system. The program was implemented on two workshifts in multiple baseline fashion and was accompanied by absentee reductions for the majority of staff on each shift. In total, 11 of the 15 chronically absent staff reduced their absenteeism during the program, although considerable variability across individual staff was observed. Results are discussed regarding the need for effective, low cost procedures for reducing absenteeism in state institutions and the advantages of focusing on those staff persons exhibiting chronic absenteeism.     

CIM implementation for job-shop environments

Abstract

Abstract. The small to medium-sized job-shop manufacturing industry can benefit most from the implementation of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) technology, to meet the increasing demand for high-quality and economically priced products. The injection mould making industry is a typical representative for this group, where a manufacturer would generally produce moulds which consist of parts that are standard to every mould type or very similar. Thus, manufacturing techniques, such as group technology (GT), and production planning and control (information) management systems could make significant contributions in improving the efficiency of design and production operations.

The objective of the project, presented in this paper, was the development of a GT-based classification and coding (C/C) system for injection mould parts especially for the design and process planning phases, and the development of a production planning and shop-floor control (SFC) information management system.

An extensive investigation was carried out on existing GT-based C/C systems. This investigation, followed by a thorough examination of many injection mould parts for determining geometric similarities, led to the development of part families (classes) required for GT implementation. An OPITZ-type GT system was developed, thereafter, for the C/C of the manufactured parts of the target company.

The production planning and control software that has been developed for the target company utilizes a relational data base management system. It consists of 13 application programs, which provide a tool of organizing information for efficient production planning and SFC. The programs are designed to cover all manufacturing operations of a job from the proposal to the final testing stage. Shop orders and dispatch lists are created using this software for effective and prioritized SFC. Shop status and job status reports are generated based on feedback information received through time card entries.     

A case study of production expansion planning in a soft-drink manufacturing company

This paper discusses the problem of production expansion planning in a soft-drink manufacturing company. We first formulate the problem as a large-scale transportation problem by making some realistic simplifications. We then program the transportation algorithm on a spreadsheet software to help solve the problem on a microcomputer. Through this case study we demonstrate how some standard OR technique can be combined with low-cost microcomputers to become an effective management tool to handle complex management decision problems.     

An Evaluation of Train-to-Code to Teach Implementation of PECS©

We evaluated the impact of a customized training program developed using an observation and behavioral coding software system (i.e., Train-to-Code) to teach implementation of Phase 3A of the Picture Exchange Communication System to four undergraduate students. The training program coached participants on all relevant steps of the procedure. To accomplish this, participants viewed multiple video exemplars of correct and incorrect implementation of each step in the sequence of behaviors, and coded these behaviors in accordance with a taxonomy developed by the experimenters. The training program provided prompts and feedback in real time based on participants’ current level of performance and required mastery of seven levels of training, each with fewer prompts and feedback, until an expert level of unprompted coding performance was demonstrated. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program on levels of procedural integrity during performance test probes conducted with a confederate learner before and after the completion of the training program. Results showed improved performance relative to baseline following training, and maintenance of performance at 2–4 weeks follow-up. A conceptual analysis of these findings will be discussed, along with implications for staff training in applied settings.     

Improving Computer Training Effectiveness for Decision Technologies: Behavior Modeling and Retention Enhancement*

Managers and analysts increasingly need to master the hands‐on use of computer‐based decision technologies including spreadsheet models. Effective training can prevent the lack of skill from impeding potential effectiveness gains from decision technologies. Among the wide variety of software training approaches in use today, recent research indicates that techniques based on behavior modeling, which consists of computer skill demonstration and hands‐on practice, are among the most effective for achieving positive training outcomes. The present research examines whether the established behavior‐modeling approach to software training can be improved by adding a retention enhancement intervention as a substitute for, or complement to, hands‐on practice. One hundred and eleven trainees were randomly assigned to one of three versions of a training program for spreadsheets: retention enhancement only, practice only, and retention enhancement plus practice. Results obtained while controlling for total training time indicate that a combination of retention enhancement and practice led to significantly better cognitive learning than practice alone. The initial difference in cognitive achievement was still evident one week after training. Implications for future computer training research and practice are discussed.     

Perceptions of effective leadership among Central Eurasian managers: A cultural convergence–divergence examination within a globalization context

The purpose of this study is to report on a research project that examined the responses of leaders from eight Central Eurasian countries concerning their perceptions of work-related values of effective organizational leaders. The respondents were participants in a two-week leadership development program held in Istanbul, Turkey. Content analysis of interview protocols and SYMLOG assessment methodology were used to explore two inter-related research questions regarding effective leadership concepts. The results yielded a profile of effective leadership for those interested in working in cross-national settings. The results also provided a cursory indication of the extent of trends in the processes of globalization and cultural convergence of Central Eurasian values, norms, and practices toward those of Western cultures regarding how effective leadership in organizations ought to be executed.     

Tioxide: Computerization—The key to the future in financial planning

As the capability of new computer systems becomes increasingly sophisticated, so does the application of computer techniques to financial and strategic planning become more relevant to management. Planning and practically all forms of decision-making are concerned with the future, which necessarily is uncertain and therefore difficult to plan for. Forecasting methods, however, can suggest trends and it is possible to reduce the number of possible futures to a manageable number, in effect, creating scenarios. But the viewing of multiple scenarios in a manual accounting system is impractical, given the sheer volume of work, and this is where the facilities offered by computerization can assist decision-making greatly. The case study illustrated here concerns a multinational company with production facilities in seven different countries, using a sophisticated financial software packege for strategic and financial planning applications. The article traces the development of Tioxide's association with a financial modelling package, Planmaster, from initial use on a time-sharing basis to the changes in hardware manufacture which made it possible to run what is essentially a mainframe program on the desk-top microcomputer of the planning department.     

The Teaching-Family Model

A case study in program development and refinement is presented. We describe the Teaching-Family model and its history, the original research goal of developing a community-based program that was more humane, more effective in teaching communityliving skills, and less expensive than the traditional large state institutions prevalent when we began. We present the research on the components of the model and the outcome research on the complete model. We share the serious problems that occurred when we attempted to replicate the program in other communities. We argue that the subjective consumer feedback questionnaire (and the other components of the comprehensive quality refinement system that have evolved over the past 25 years) have played an important role in the survival and success of the model. We recommend that people interested in increasing the quality and survival rates of their human services programs may want to consider developing a similar technology driven by systematic reciprocal feedback from consumers and line staff instead of relying on unplanned consumer and staff feedback, as many programs do now. Such feedback helps us to continue improving the quality of the always evolving Teaching- Family model.     

基于CMM的软件研发组织竞争能力模型

软件开发市场的开放竞争环境,使软件项目招标有可能在大范围内得到软件研发组织的响应。参照CMM软件研发组织能力成熟度等级划分,提出竞争能力决定于客观上的能力适应度和主观上的经济适应度,且二者共同形成软件研发组织竞争能力的观点。通过建立竞争能力模型,分析指出不同等级软件研发组织对不同规模的软件项目具有不同的竞争能力,以及不同等级软件研发组织在市场策略上应当关注的重点。     

交通环境承载力动态离散计算方法及应用

本文应用系统工程的原理和方法分析了污染物在环境系统中的输入输出模式,然后尝试性地建立了交通环境承载力的动态离散量化模型并给出了该模型的应用,从而为交通管理部门规划城市交通规模,确定交通环境整治方向,实现城市交通可持续发展提供科学决策依据。     

Engineering of a decision support system for underground coal mine planning and production scheduling

This paper reports on the development of a computer-based management information system at Datong Coal Company, the largest subsidiary of China National Coal Corporation. Particularly presented is the development methodology of a decision support system for underground coal mine planning and production scheduling, including an integration of computer graphics, database management, mathematical modelling and knowledge engineering techniques and a coupling of life cycle and prototyping software engineering processes to support systems quality assurance.     

Optimal Coordination in Distributed Software Development

The construction of a software system requires not only individual coding effort from team members to realize the various functionalities, but also adequate team coordination to integrate the developed code into a consistent, efficient, and bug‐free system. On the one hand, continuous coding without adequate coordination can cause serious system inconsistencies and faults that may subsequently require significant corrective effort. On the other hand, frequent integrations can be disruptive to the team and delay development progress. This tradeoff motivates the need for a good coordination policy. Both the complexity and the importance of coordination is accentuated in distributed software development (DSD), where a software project is developed by multiple, geographically‐distributed sub‐teams. The need for coordination in DSD exists both within one sub‐team and across different sub‐teams. The latter type of coordination involves communication across spatial boundaries (different locations) and possibly temporal boundaries (different time zones), and is a major challenge that DSD faces. In this study, we model both inter‐ and intra‐sub‐team coordination in DSD based on the characteristics of the systems being developed by the sub‐teams, the deadline for completion, and the nature of division adopted by the sub‐teams with respect to development and integration activities. Our analysis of optimal coordination policies in DSD shows that integration activities by one sub‐team not only benefit that sub‐team (as is the case in co‐located development) but can also help the other sub‐teams by providing greater visibility, thereby resulting in a higher integration frequency relative to co‐located development. Analytical results are presented to demonstrate how the characteristics of the projects and the sub‐teams, and the efficiency of communication across the sub‐teams, affect coordination and productivity. We also investigate the pros and cons of using specialized integration sub‐teams and find that their advantage decreases as the project schedule becomes tighter. Decentralized decisions and asymmetric subsystems are also discussed.