Recommender system for software project planning one application of revised CBR algorithm

Project management is an experience-driven and knowledge-centralized activity. Therefore, project managers require some assistance to reduce the uncertainty at the early stage of constructing project plans. To overcome the predicament faced by project managers, this investigation proposes a hierarchical criteria architecture (HCA) to enable project managers to describe project requirements adequately. Furthermore, to solve HCA problems, a revised case-based reasoning (RCBR) algorithm, is presented and a recommender system for software project planning is implemented, based on multiple objectives decision techniques and the mining approach. Finally, the proposed RCBR algorithm is successfully applied to analyze 41 real projects from a software consultancy in Taiwan. Experimental results demonstrate that RCBR can efficiently provide related information to help project managers to construct project plans at an early stage. Additionally, the knowledge discovery process of RCBR provides project managers with results similar to what-if analysis. The knowledge can enable project managers to obtain feasible information to re-schedule project resources, and bargain with their customers in the early project planning stage.     

Development of a data mining-based analysis framework for multi-attribute construction project information

Data mining techniques extract repeated and useful patterns from a large data set that in turn are utilized to predict the outcome of future events. The main purpose of the research presented in this paper is to investigate data mining strategies and develop an efficient framework for multi-attribute project information analysis to predict the performance of construction projects. The research team first reviewed existing data mining algorithms, applied them to systematically analyze a large project data set collected by the survey, and finally proposed a data-mining-based decision support framework for project performance prediction. To evaluate the potential of the framework, a case study was conducted using data collected from 139 capital projects and analyzed the relationship between use of information technology and project cost performance. The study results showed that the proposed framework has potential to promote fast, easy to use, interpretable, and accurate project data analysis.     

Discriminative effect of user influence and user responsibility on information system development processes and project management

Context

User participation in information system (IS) development has received much research attention. However, prior empirical research regarding the effect of user participation on IS success is inconclusive. This might be because previous studies overlook the effect of the particular components of user participation and other possible mediating factors.

Objective

The objective of this study is to empirically examine how user influence and user responsibility affect IS project performance. We inspect whether user influence and user responsibility improve the quality of the IS development process and in turn leads to project success, or if they have a direct positive influence on project success.

Method

We conducted a survey of 151 IS project managers in order to understand the impact of user influence and user responsibility on IS project performance. Regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship among user influence, user responsibility, organizational technology learning, project control, user-developer interaction, and IS project management performance.

Results

This study shows that user responsibility and user influence have a positive effect on project performance through the promotion of IS development processes as mediators, including organizational technology learning, project control, and user-IS interaction.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that user responsibility and user influence respectively play an important role in indirectly and directly impacting project management performance. Results of the analysis imply that organizations and project managers should use both user participation and user influence to improve processes performance, and in turn, increase project success.     

Evolutionary optimization of model specification searches between project management knowledge and construction engineering performance

Many studies have attempted to specify alternative model configurations as fitting empirical data with the aid of structural equation modeling (SEM) method. However, significant path searching between constructs has increased in difficulty and complexity. One way to enhance modeling efficiency is evolutionary optimization by genetic algorithm (GA). This study applies the project management (PM) knowledge possessed by construction personnel and uses techniques, tools, and skills (TTS) to explore the causal relationship between TTS usage and construction engineering project performance (PP). A questionnaire survey is used to empirically measure the effectiveness of PM TTS on PP. The research framework is first defined by hypotheses supported by the literature. The GA is then applied to the model fitting process to optimize the structural paths. Analytical results show that evolutionary optimization for singular and multiple goodness of fit effectively searches the SEM specifications. By using GA in SEM procedure, researchers can perform automated specification searches to find the best empirical model fit to the data.     

Pre-project partnering impact on an information system project,project team and project manager

Information system (IS) managers have long recognised the need to use project management approaches in the design and delivery of their system development projects. The result has been the widespread use of project teams headed by a project leader or manager. However, given the fact that there has been a low success rate for IS projects, there is a growing need to seek out new methods and controls for projects. One approach involves the practice of altering the project environment prior to the commencement of project tasks. To determine whether such pre-project activities may be effective, a model is proposed and tested relating the activities to the performance of the project manager and characteristics of an effective project team. Data from a sample of 186 project team members indicate that the pre-project activities lead to more effective teams and managers and eventually to project success. Thus, it is important that organisations begin work on projects at an earlier stage.     

一种用于恶意行为检测的规划识别方法

恶意行为检测是通过观察分析智能体一系列行为过程中的动作和行为识别其行为目的的方法.为了排除智能体行为的复杂性、误导性带来的影响,以隐马尔可夫为基础构造规划识别方法,综合分析多个智能体行为之间的关联关系推测行为目的性.文章提出恶意行为检测模型的整体框架,简述了复杂数据下的特征抽象方法,进而提出基于隐马尔可夫实现的规划识别...     

Money is not everything: A typology of crowdfunding project creators

While studies focus on how crowdfunding promotes the launch of innovative products or services through two-sided (creator-investor) platforms and digital tools, knowledge on the creator-side motivation is limited. To address this knowledge gap, our study identifies four types of crowdfunding project creators—social entrepreneur, fund seeker, indie producer, and daring dreamer—based on four motivations—achievement, monetary need, prosociality, and relationship building. We also examine how crowdfunding projects’ characteristics differ by the creator type and which characteristics are critical for enhancing projects’ performance. The study extends crowdfunding literature by deepening knowledge of creator-side motivation and contributes to crowdfunding practices by suggesting platform operators ways to attract and promote different types of project creators.     

Impacts of collaborative IS on software development project success in Indian software firms: a service perspective

The collaborative work of team members has become a common occurrence in software development projects. Collaborative information systems (CIS), designed to facilitate and support teamwork, appear critical for software project success. However, the quality and convenience of the services and functions delivered by CIS have not received robust attention in academia. Hence, the current study investigates the role of the CIS service characteristics of service quality and service convenience in teamwork and software development project success using DeLone and McLean’s (D&M) Information System (IS) Success Model as the theoretical framework. This study incorporates the success indicators of teamwork quality, teamwork performance, and project success as measured by software quality and project performance. Data from 153 Indian software companies confirm that collaborative IS services, as well as teamwork quality/performance, are central to software development project success. We believe that the findings of this study will be helpful to project managers of software development firms.     

How experienced project managers assess risk

Software development projects, given their diverse and abstract nature, offer unique challenges and risks. Although a substantial body of literature has been written to address project risk management, my experience in the field led me to question whether this literature accurately mirrors the concerns of real-world project managers. To confirm my suspicions, I surveyed 14 experienced application systems developers, all located in Ireland. All survey participants manage custom-built, software-intensive application development projects that originate from external clients. The survey focused on three major areas: (1) Which characteristics of the customer, the application, and so on, do experienced software project managers consider important when planning new development projects for new, external clients? (2) How do these characteristics relate to accepted software project risk drivers? (3) Do most project managers characterize new projects in generally the same way, or do different project managers use different perceptual lenses when viewing new projects? This survey of a homogenous group of project managers revealed a surprising diversity of risk management concerns     

Firm size and performance: A study on the use of electronic commerce by container transport operators in Hong Kong

In this study, we examine the relationship between firm size and the use of electronic commerce (EC) by container transport operators in Hong Kong and their performance implications. Using data collected from a sample of container shipping operators in Hong Kong, we identified internal and external drivers that affect the use of EC by container transport operators. Our findings indicate that large firms tend to adopt EC at a higher level of sophistication. This study also investigates the relationship between the use of EC and firm performance. Our results show that sales growth is positively related to the use of EC and firm size. To understand how firm size affects firm performance, we use a structural equation model (SEM) to examine their structural relationships. Our findings indicate that firm size positively influences sales growth. On the other hand, sales growth affects the profitability of a firm. Although customer satisfaction does not have a direct impact on profitability, our SEM suggests that customer satisfaction is a significant variable that affects the sales growth of firms.     

The development of a knowledge-based system for information systems project development consulting

The foundation for a successful software development project is a well-conceived project plan which establishes the overall framework for effective project management. Two major functions of planning an information systems development project are: 1) the selection of an appropriate development strategy; and 2) the assessment of risk associated with the development of the system. This paper describes the development of a knowledge-based expert system to assist in choosing the most appropriate development approach to use when planning an information systems development project and when assessing the risk associated with that project. The knowledge base consists of a set of rules addressing both tasks. Case examples of the use of the expert system are also given.     

大型复杂项目管理在智慧医疗项目中的应用

围绕大项目整体管理,首先从大项目特征、计划过程、实施和控制等方面展开论述,详细介绍了如何化解在项目实践中遇到的项目工作复杂度高、整体协调不一致、团队实施绩效低等问题,确保项目整体通过验收并如期上线,获得了较好的社会效益和经济效益,最后对项目整体管理中的几点不足进行了总结。     

Load balancing in project assignment

In this paper, we study a project assignment problem. Specifically, a set of projects, each of which needs to be finished over a project development cycle, are to be assigned to a group of identical engineers over a discrete planning horizon. The workload of the projects is different and fluctuates over their development cycles. In each period, engineers have a maximum allowed workload. The objective of the problem is to assign the projects to engineers with the objective of balancing the total workload among the engineers; the load balance is measured by the difference between the maximum and the minimum total workload. Such a problem is new to the literature. After proving the problem is strongly NP-hard, we propose a two-stage heuristic approach to solve it. Extensive numerical experiments show that the proposed approach can achieve optimal or nearly optimal solutions for all test cases; such performance is much better than what can be obtained from an IP model solved with ILOG CPLEX. An analysis of the algorithm has also been provided to explain how the superior performance has been achieved.     

How the user liaison's understanding of development processes moderates the effects of user-related and project management risks on IT project performance

Managing risks in information technology projects is a prime concern for both researchers and practitioners. However, little is known on how key project-based knowledge, such as the user liaison's understanding of development processes (ULUDP), affects the relationship between risk and performance. Using quantitative data collected from 63 completed projects, ULUDP has been empirically proven to weaken the negative effects of user-related and project management risks on product performance. Although the effect of the project management risk on performance remains negative, this effect decreases significantly with high levels of ULUDP, whereas user-related risk affects performance insignificantly in such situations.     

A case of data warehousing project management

The strategic value of data warehousing (DWG) for information management and decision support has been well acknowledged. Given scant research on the topic, this case study was intended to investigate the project planning and implementation approaches taken at one of the biggest insurance companies in the US. The company recognized that improved information management and delivery would be crucial to execute its long-term business goal, and DWG was given the highest priority. On this premise, the company pursued a pilot project. This case investigated project management issues of DWG and methodical approaches adopted by IT staff during the pilot project.     

面向项目绩效评价的软件过程改进模型与决策支持研究*

在探讨项目绩效与过程改进关系基础上,分析了传统的模型驱动的软件过程改进模型的不足,论述了项目绩效驱动的过程改进的理论框架。为实现该框架,建立了面向项目绩效的过程改进决策支持系统逻辑模型,并提出了持续绩效评价及过程改进的软件项目开发策略。     

基于改进NSGA-II算法求解多目标资源受限项目调度问题

资源受限项目调度问题(resource constrained project scheduling problem, RCPSP)要求在满足相关约束的条件下安排各活动开始时间,从而达到某一目标的最优,具有很强的应用背景,并受到众多学者的广泛关注.经典的RCPSP模型以最小化项目工期为单一目标,忽略了资源使用率等因素对项目整体的影响,使其与实际应用仍有较大差距.基于经典的RCPSP模型,引入最优资源均衡为另一目标,将模型扩展为多目标模型,丰富了RCPSP模型的应用场景.同时,考虑到新模型中各活动间存在大量的控制关系,使用传统的启发式多目标算法需要耗费大量的时间对不可行解进行判断,求解性能较低,提出一种新的算法框架NSGA-IIs.该算法框架基于活动间控制关系将各活动分成若干子集,并在初始化和交叉变异等阶段以子集为基本单位产生新的个体,能够较好地避免不可行解的产生,提高算法的效率.使用解集覆盖度作为评价指标,通过实例数据集的实验表明,与已有的求解RCPSP的经典算法相比,所提出的算法具有明显的优越性.     

面向工程机械行业的项目管理系统研究与实现

对项目管理系统的研究现状进行了分析,并总结了企业项目管理中存在的问题,结合项目管理知识、企业的业务流程和项目管理经验,按照工作分解结构的思想,提出了分阶段逐层分解的项目计划制订模式.对任务的生命周期、交付物管理进行了重点阐述,构建了项目管理框架体系,并进行了开发和实施.任务生命周期管理,是贯穿整个系统设计的核心.     

Leveraging geographic and information technology scope for superior performance: an exploratory study in international banking

Here we investigate the relationship between the use of geographic and information technology (IT) scope as complementary factors to affect the value of products, the cost of operations and the overall performance of firms. We introduce the IT/Geographic Scope Matrix (IGSM) as a framework with which to study and understand the relationship in order to better manage the firm. We develop expectations that the consistent use of either high or low levels of IT and geographic scope may result in better firm performance than inconsistent use, where high levels of one are matched with low levels of the other. We apply the IGSM in a study of eleven firms, all of which provide financial services, specifically international cash management and trade finance, to firms in Hong Kong. The results of our study suggest that the IGSM may be a useful tool for IS planning and research and have implications for the co-ordination of business and IT planning.