IRSPAS 2017
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/18078
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Item A framework for agile implementation of ERP systems.(International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2017 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Rajakaruna, R. J. P. K.; Wijayanayake, W. M. J. I.An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is an integrated software system, typically offered by a vendor as a package that supports the seamless integration of all the information flowing through Business Processes, Business Intelligence, Business Integrations, Collaborations, etc. However, ERP implementation projects rank among the slow-moving, costly and challenging business solutions in an organization. Many ERP implementation projects are still executed adapting waterfall or similar traditional methodologies. While the usage of waterfall methodology in IT projects is diminishing, agile approaches usage is mounting. Agile movements provide proactive, active and reactive alternatives to traditional approaches by responding unpredictability and rapid volatility with well-timed, flexible and incremental iterations and empirical feedbacks. There are many approaches for agility. Among them, agile process management or agile project management can be considered as a broad approach that can be adopted by engineering, information technology, and new product or service development projects. Agile Software development is one of its popular applications. Although agile based IT approaches are originated in software development domain, parts of agile may be applicable in enterprise system implementations like ERP, to smooth many of the current ERP challenges. There is a tiny body of research on the relationship between agile approaches and ERP implementations. This research is intended to discuss on the need of agile approaches in ERP implementations and how agility and ERP implementations can coexist. In this case our research question is “Can the common ERP implementation challenges be solved by using agile approaches?” and if so, “How these challenges can be solved?” Analysis of literature, findings of business case studies and new suggestions are consolidated into a unique framework which encapsulates the best practices in ERP implementations and agile strategies. Focusing key agile strategies are Embracing Change, Business Value Prioritization, Effective Communication & Collaboration, Rapid feedback and Incremental Change. The proposed framework focuses on filling the knowledge gap related to agility in ERP system implementations while summarizing the best practices, critical success factors from managerial and technical perspectives, success dimensions and associated critical issues during the agile implementation of ERP life cycle. This study is also seeking to uplift the level of awareness on the applicability of agility for ERP implementation projects, and these findings can be effectively used by ERP Implementers, Vendors, Consultants, Project Managers and Researchers in their respective projects.Item Collaborative model to enhance informal communication within software teams.(International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2017 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Perera, H.; Wijayanayake, W. M. J. I.Communication is undoubtedly one of the key elements of successful modern software development, which directly influence on the coordination and teamwork in managing complex software projects. Many researchers have stated that informal communication plays a major role within a software organization than formal communication to achieve objectives. Majority of the knowledge and information within an organization will transfer through informal ways such as cubical chatting, informal emails, telephone calls etc. Informal communication is considered the most significant portion of communication for a software organization’s internal and external progress. Although most of the previous literature considered formal and informal communication together, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no study which had addressed informal communication in software development extensively. There exist many challenges within a software development team such as difficulties in requirements engineering, poor teamwork, poor sharing of resources etc. due to lack of informal communication. One of the main issues is that the best practices and strategies have not been followed within the informal communication network. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to develop a model to enhance the informal communication within a software team. There can be both horizontal informal communication and vertical informal communication present in an organization, and the employees informally communicating would differ accordingly. Also, the way and the extent of informal communication would differ from co-located software projects to global software projects. Taking these aspects into consideration, initially a survey on literature was conducted and with the use of grounded theory, challenges due to lack of informal communication and the best practices in order to mitigate the challenges were identified. Then an industrial analysis was conducted, and similarly, with the aid of grounded theory the challenges and best practices that were applied to real world companies were identified. A theoretical model to be followed in order to enhance and control the existing informal communication network that was developed by linking the challenges and the best practices that had been identified from both the literature survey and the industrial analysis. Finally, the applicability of the model was computed with a number of interviews that were conducted with the industry experts. The best practices introduced in the theoretical model enhances the software team’s informal communication and mitigates many currently existing challenges associated in requirements engineering, teamwork, task allocation etc. It also helps to effectively share knowledge and resources among the software team and increase the transparency among the software team. Further, it is applicable to any type of software team rather than including both local and global software development.Item Developing a model for knowledge management practices in SMEs of software development industry.(International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2017 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Gajadeera, H.; Wijayanayake, W. M. J. I.For centuries, scientists, philosophers and intelligent laymen have been concerned about creating, acquiring, and communicating knowledge and improving the re-utilization of knowledge. However, it is only in the last few years or so that a distinct field called “knowledge management” (KM) has emerged. KM is based on the premise that human beings are unable to draw on the full potential of their brains. Thus, organizations are generally not able to fully utilize the knowledge that they possess. Through KM, organizations seek to acquire or create potentially useful knowledge, and to make it available to those who can use it at a time and place that is appropriate for them to achieve maximum effective usage in order to positively influence organizational performance. It is generally believed that if an organization can increase its effective knowledge utilization by only a small percentage, great benefits will result. The main focus of KM research to date has been on processes and structures within large organizations in order to improve their performance and competitive standing, assuming that those organizations have the necessary resources at hand. It is found from the literature, the studies for implementing KM in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have not been systematically investigated. Since, Software development is knowledge intensive, it requires knowledge that embeds in software products and knowledge that describe development process as well as organizational processes. Hence, managing knowledge is a critical capability for SMEs, because it helps them leverage their most critical resource in Software development. The research work presents a conceptual model combining insights across software industry in SMEs as a means of implementing KM concepts evaluating the effects on people and organization, technology, workflows and processes for the effective decision making in the roadmap for the success of the organization. The population was divided in to subcategories, small, medium and large scale software companies and then random samples were taken from each category. Primary data was collected from the samples by administering a structured questionnaire and interviews. The research discovered that SMEs do not manage knowledge the same way as larger organizations. Viewing SME knowledge management practices as scaled down versions of the practices found in larger organizations is incorrect. SMEs have understandable resource constraints, and hence have to be creative in working around these limitations in order to manage knowledge. The proposed model integrates concepts such as Knowledge infrastructure, Knowledge combination, Knowledge evaluation, Knowledge filtering, Knowledge Repository, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Application and Knowledge Performance in accordance with the SME in software industry. The results of this study would help SMEs to better understand the KM discipline, to facilitate its adoption and to prioritize its practices.Item A conceptual model for coordination and control of virtual teams in software industry.(International Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2017 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Koggalahewa, L.; Wijayanayake, W. M. J. I.During the last couple of decades, we’ve witnessed a steady and irreversible trend towards globalization of business. Economic forces are relentlessly turning national markets into global markets while emerging competition and corporations reach across national boundaries. More than a decade ago, seeking lower costs and access to skilled resources, many organizations began to experiment with remotely located software development facilities with outsourcing. With this trend, emerges virtual teams. Virtual teams are work arrangements where team members are geographically dispersed, have limited face-to-face contact, and work interdependently through the use of electronic communication media to achieve common goals. Managing virtual teams is more difficult than managing co-located teams. As a result, virtual team leaders need additional leadership skills than co-located team leaders. Since there is a lower level of co-presence, team leaders also have less influence, impact and information on team status, progress and milestones. There is also a difficulty to develop strategies to manage and resolve conflicts, motivate team members, and build trust and cohesion among team members. The objective of this research is to identify the factors influencing virtual team work and strategies to facilitate better coordination and control among virtual teams in software development context. Previous research literature was reviewed on the coordination process of co-located teams and virtual teams to find the factors that affect the coordination process of virtual teams in software development. Then, a conceptual model was developed to analyze the impact of each factor in virtual team coordination. The applicability of the model was reviewed by conducting interviews with software industry personnel. After that, a questionnaire will be used to collect data to validate the conceptual model which indicates the impact of the identified factors in the coordination process of virtual teams. Research was focused more on the middle level managers of the organizations, virtual team leaders and project managers in software industry that it can be used for better coordination of the software projects with virtual teams.