A proposal for a recursive object-oriented life-cycle

Groups of people working in concert perform most commercial, industrial or in-house software development. These groups are often quite diverse. This panel brings together object-oriented consultants and developers as well as practitioners and researchers interested in human factors and user-centered design, project management and technical writing. The panel will address the question, To successfully complete today's projects, does object-oriented development as practiced today do an adequate job of supporting ALL of the participants who must collaborate?

Quality control and due diligence in project management: Getting decisions right by taking the outside view

Approaches to competence development have tended to focus on training to reach a required level of performance in simple and reproducible contexts, rather than in the more complex and hard-to-replicate contexts that characterize real-world projects, especially projects that involve people from other cultures. This paper explores how the Serious Games approach can be exploited to create skills in dealing with cross-cultural issues in project management. The degree of difference this can make to real-world performance is so dramatic that managers who have experienced it are seeing it not as a way to add Incremental Improvements to TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) but as more of a Radical Innovation – a revolutionary change. Some of the main skills required in project management are reviewed, and different models of cross-cultural analysis applied to understand how the challenges of managing projects are increased by cultural issues. Our testbed for this is an EU project TARGET that is developing the next generation TEL approach. We describe its approach and look at how the TARGET serious game can be designed to achieve enhanced cross-cultural skills in users.KeywordsSerious gamesinter-culturalrole playingcompetence development environments

Innovation and knowledge diffusion in megaprojects is one of the most complicated issues in project management. Compared with conventional projects, megaprojects typically entail large-scale investments, long construction periods, and conflicting stakeholder interests, which result in a distinctive pattern of innovation diffusion. However, traditional investigation of innovation diffusion relies on subjective feedback from experts and frequently neglects inter-organizational knowledge creation, which frequently emerges in megaprojects. Therefore, this study adopted project network theory and modeled innovation diffusion in megaprojects as intra- and inter-organizational learning processes. In addition, system dynamics and fuzzy systems were combined to interpret experts’ subject options as quantitative coefficients of the project network model. This integrated model will assist in developing an insightful understanding of the mechanisms of innovation diffusion in megaprojects. Three typical network structures, namely, a traditional megaproject procurement organization (TMO), the environ megaproject organization (EMO), and an integrated megaproject organization (IMO), were examined under six management scenarios to verify the proposed analytic paradigm. Assessment of project network productivity suggested that the projectivity of the TMO was insensitive to technical and administrative innovations, the EMO could achieve substantial improvement from technical innovations, and the IMO trended incompatibly with administrative innovations. Thus, industry practitioners and project managers can design and reform agile project coordination by using the proposed quantitative model to encourage innovation adoption and reduce productivity loss at the start of newly established collaborations.

One of the important issues in project management is estimation of project completion time. Moreover, dynamic process of project progress and the use of new knowledge in this procedure are vital issues in estimation of project completion. By considering this dynamic process and Earn Value Management (EVM) features in project management, a decision base from estimation models has been presented in this paper. This method is presented by clustering samples in the fuzzy way and by providing an ensemble model from estimators which use the possession rate in each cluster. Therefore, final estimation rate not only uses the combination of all estimators' results, but also imports a degree of fuzziness in decision making which plays a significant role in uncertainty. One of the obvious features of this method is higher reliability that this method makes in comparison with every individual existing method in the ensemble. The second important feature of this method is its robustness against the existence of a weak estimator in ensemble. Therefore, the proposed method is in a way that the existing weak estimators in the ensemble have little impact on final results. Furthermore, controlling the number and the kind of existing regression models in ensemble is another main property of the proposed model. By employing stronger models in this ensemble, the rate of accuracy and reliability can be remarkably increased.

A number of issues facing managers in the organization and management of projects in technology-oriented organizations are identified. The purpose is to explore the nature and orientation of the project form of organization along with the unique roles and responsibilities of project managers. Several problems relating to the human side of project management are also discussed. Causes of project failure are explored along with action strategies for enhancing project success. Discussion is based on the author's research experience and the literature in the project management field. >

One of the key important issues in project management is trade off between cost and time in such a way that the project is completed in the shortest time and minimum cost. Genetic algorithm is a practical approach for such optimization problems. In this paper, an algorithm is presented to solve the time-cost tradeoff problem (TCTP) using genetic algorithm. In this algorithm in order to search the problem space two control variables are used. Also an intelligent mutation operator is presented to approximate to the projectpsilas optimal point. Comparing this algorithm with Siemens classical algorithm shows the higher speed of proposed algorithm because in this algorithm many computations of paths in projectpsilas network graph are not needed.

PurposeThis paper aims to devise a case-controlled method combined with Bradford Hill criteria for causal inference of contractual disputes in construction projects. It is a genuine attempt in a systematic method from research design to execution for causal issues where only observational data is available.Design/methodology/approachThe authors located insufficient top management support as the putative pathogen of construction disputes based on a literature review, an interview and Delphi surveys. A questionnaire survey was then conducted to collect case-controlled data to ensure comparability, in which for each disputed project put in the experimental group, the authors sought for a dispute-free project of similar characteristics. The incidence rates of insufficient top management support in the experimental and control groups were then examined by Bradford Hill criteria as an alternative to the test of intervention effect.FindingsThe association of insufficient top management support and construction disputes was tested to conform with the Bradford Hill criteria with case-controlled data where applicable and logical deduction where statistical tests were not applicable. With a clear, positive, reasonable and statistically significant association, while excluding methodological biases, confounding and chance, the authors reached a causal verdict of insufficient top management support causing contractual disputes.Originality/valueThis paper supports the validity of applying a case-controlled method combined with Bradford Hill criteria in investigating causal issues in project management, especially the verdict of causal inference based on empirical data. In addition, the located root cause of contractual disputes could inform project management personnel with reasoned strategies for dispute avoidance.

The Object-Oriented Software Development Method (OOSD) includes object-oriented requirements analysis, as well as object-oriented design. OOSD is a practical method of developing a software system which focuses on the objects of a problem throughout development. OOSD's focus on objects early in the development, with attention to generating a useful model, creates a picture of the system that is modifiable, reusable, reliable, and understandable — the last perhaps most important because the picture of a software system created by a development method must be an effective device for communication among developers, customers, management, and quality-assurance personnel.Most object-oriented methods competing for the attention of the software developer actually apply traditional Structured Analysis (function-based), or variations of Structured Analysis, to requirements activity, and work through a transition process to an object-oriented design [1,2,7,10,11]. In these methods the developer begins with functionally-based requirements analysis, and only reaches an object-oriented design by the intermediary step of converting a traditional, functionally-decomposed data flow diagram (DFD) to an object-oriented DFD (or equivalent). In this conversion process, objects are identified through a set of heuristics which group “transformations” in the DFD generated during requirements analysis. These methods carry a number of interesting but unfortunate burdens. Lower-level objects, which directly relate to real-world objects, are easily identified, but higher-level objects are generally more arbitrary, so that developers do not consistently identify a hierarchy of objects which achieves significant improvement in software engineering goals (e.g., reliability, maintainability, reusability). The heuristics for identifying objects usually relate the DFD transforms to the object that controls execution of an operation, rather than the object which “owns” the operation. These methods generally ignore the need to convert behavior descriptions of the DFD transforms into behavior descriptions of the objects. Finally, the use of Structured Analysis in an otherwise object-oriented approach complicates the tracing of requirements by forcing the developer to look first to DFD transforms and their behavior descriptions, and then to the objects.

Return on Investment (ROI) remains one of the most challenging and intriguing issues facing human resource development and performance improvement professionals. Drawing on their expertise in developing and implementing ROI programs in human performance and training, Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., Timothy W. Bothell and G. Lynn Snead demonstrate how you can effectively apply ROI to project management.Today, almost every industry requires employees to manage multiple projects with competing priorities, critical deadlines, and unexpected interruptions—rendering everyone a project manager in some respect. Most employees feel the pressure of juggling any number of key projects simultaneously. Organizations have responded by investing large amounts of both time and money to improve project management, and most strive to justify the efforts and resources dedicated to improving this goal. 'The Project Management Scorecard' is a welcome relief for anyone managing a project or multiple projects, as well as the trainers, human resource development staff, or supervisors charged with measuring, evaluating, and managing project managers.Project Management is one of the hottest topics in business management today, affecting nearly every individual in any organization across the globe. Let three HRD experts show you how to apply the hugely popular ROI process to the key organizational issue of successful project management including:* Project management issues and challenges* Measuring reaction and satisfaction* How to calculate and interpret ROI* Capturing business impact data* Measuring skill and knowledge changes during the project* Monitoring the true costs of the project solution* Converting business measure to monetary values* Forecasting ROIThe authors' step-by-step approach allows you to begin the ROI process immediately. Start measuring the success of your project management results today.

There are many benefits claimed for the use of object-oriented software development methods, and in particular object-oriented analysis methods for software development. The benefits which are cited typically include.a. An understandable and maintainable system structure.b. Clean partitioning which allows the system to evolve as technology changes.c. Enhanced potential for reuse of components.

J.D. Edwards is a provider of the new generation of ERP and collaborative commerce solutions. This case study describes the challenges faced internally by the company to upgrade to the latest enterprise software it would sell to the world. Dubbed Project PROOF, the project started in June 2001 and was completed in November 2002. The perspectives of the CIO, the program manager, and other key personnel are presented. The case study highlights the issues that arise in an enterprise software implementation project. In addition, the case touches upon issues of project management, process redesign, and marketing. The case study uses a multimedia format to add richness and detail. Although J.D. Edwards was acquired in 2003, the issues discussed are relevant to current business practices.

J.D. Edwards is a provider of the new generation of ERP and collaborative commerce solutions. This case study describes the challenges faced internally by the company to upgrade to the latest enterprise software it would sell to the world. Dubbed Project PROOF, the project started in June 2001 and was completed in November 2002. The perspectives of the CIO, the program manager, and other key personnel are presented. The case study highlights the issues that arise in an enterprise software implementation project. In addition, the case touches upon issues of project management, process redesign, and marketing. The case study uses a multimedia format to add richness and detail. Although J.D. Edwards was acquired in 2003, the issues discussed are relevant to current business practices.

The efficiency of software development (i.e. producing good software products based on an efficient software process) must be controlled by a quantification of the software development methodologies. This is a main aspect of a successful method/technology change in the area of software maintenance as a means of method adaptation. The descriptions of object-oriented (OO) methods or comparisons of some of these features are usually given by a listing of their features. These descriptions describe the functionality of a particular development method but often fail to address quality issues like efficiency, maintainability, portability, maturity, etc. This paper describes the evaluation of technology change related to OO development methods. It discusses the applicability of metrics-based evaluation as an indicator of the quality assurance of the OO development process.

The increasing integration between digital transformation and sustainability values profoundly influences project management. Not only does digitalisation make processes more efficient, but it also enables ESG objectives to be attained. In our study, we conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to examine the impact of digital technology and sustainability on the field of project management. Drawing on keyword networks and text mining analysis, we reveal the most significant trends in terms of research and pinpoint the areas in which digitalization enables sustainable development in projects. Using the PRISMA methodology, we reviewed English-language articles from 2018 to 2023 in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. With VOSviewer’s network analysis and text mining, we investigated the intersection of digital innovation, sustainability, and project management. Keyword clustering identified seven prevailing thematic topics, including key terms such as “change management,” “sustainable development,” and “agile,” highlighting the increasing importance of ESG considerations in project management practices. As a continuation of our previous research, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the 5th and 6th topics and aim to address the following research questions: ● What are the main trends and patterns emerging in the international literature regarding the integration of ESG principles into project management? ● Based on keyword network analyses, which keywords play a key role in the relationship between ESG and project management? ● According to the results of text mining analyses, which thematic areas deserve special attention in the context of sustainability, organizational change, and change management within project management? The research outcomes indicate that corporate strategies increasingly adopt methods that consider ESG compliance at the organizational level, particularly in in supply chain management, digitalization in construction, and risk management. ESG compliance is becoming more widely integrated into project management to establish sustainable and competitive corporate operations. The research has the potential to pave the way for exploring the practical application of ESG approaches in industries and project environments.