Managing knowledge on communication and information flow in global software projects

Communication is a key success factor of distributed software projects. Poor communication has been identified as a main obstacle to successful collaboration. Global projects are especially endangered by information gaps between collaborating sites. Different communication styles, technical equipment, and missing awareness of each other can cause severe problems. Knowledge about actual and desired channels, paths, and modes of communication is required for improving communication in a globally distributed project. However, many project participants know little about communication and information flow in their projects. In this contribution, we focus on knowledge about communication and information flow. It is acquired by modelling on‐going and desired flows of information, including documented and non‐documented channels of information flow. We analyzed a distributed software project from the information flow perspective. Based on the findings, we developed specific techniques to improve information flow in distributed software development according to the FLOW Method. In a second distributed project, we evaluated one of the techniques. We found the FLOW mapping technique to be suitable for effectively spreading knowledge about communication and information flow in global software projects.     

Assessment and evaluation of the radiological situation in the late phase of a nuclear accident

An overview of existing approaches on assessing and evaluating the radiological situation in the late phase of a nuclear accident is given in this paper. Special attention is paid to the weak points of existing approaches and to problems to be solved in the future. Assessment of the radiological situation can be based on both monitoring data and model predictions. Approaches have been developed for many years in both categories and have meanwhile reached some kind of maturity and also operational applicability. Nevertheless, some areas exist where significant improvements could be achieved in the near future, e.g. by combining monitoring data and model predictions, by improving the modelling of urban areas or by improving existing radioecological models.     

No pain, no gain: The conditions under which upward comparisons lead to better performance.

In 3 studies, the authors explored the relation between threatening upward social comparisons and performance. In an initial study, participants were exposed to comparison targets who either threatened or boosted self-evaluations and then completed a performance task. Participants exposed to the threatening target performed better than those in a control group, whereas those exposed to the nonthreatening target performed worse. In Study 2, self-affirmation prior to comparison with threatening targets eliminated performance improvements. In Study 3, performance improvements were found only when the performance domain was different from the domain of success of the comparison target. These boundary conditions suggest that increases in performance following social comparison arise from individuals' motivations to maintain and repair self-evaluations. Implications for the study of the behavioral consequences of social comparison are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing stereotype threat from priming effects: On the role of the social self and threat-based concerns.

It has been argued that priming negative stereotypic traits is sufficient to cause stereotype threat. The present research challenges this assumption by highlighting the role of the social self and targets' concerns about confirming a negative group-based stereotype. Specifically, in 3 experiments the authors demonstrate that stereotype threat adversely affects the test performance and threat-based concerns of targets (but not nontargets) because only targets' social self is linked to the negative group stereotype. Trait priming, however, harms the test performance of both targets and nontargets but has no effect on their threat-based concerns because trait priming does not require such a link between the social self and the group stereotype. Moreover, the authors show that merely increasing the accessibility of the social self in nonthreatening situations leads to the underperformance of targets but has no meaningful effect on nontargets' test performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The referents of trait inferences: The impact of trait concepts versus actor–trait links on subsequent judgments.

The authors investigated the hypothesis that when trait inferences refer to abstract behavior labels they act as a general interpretation frame and lead to assimilation in subsequent judgments of an ambiguous target, whereas when they refer to a specific actor–trait link they will be used as a scale anchor and lead to contrast. Similar to G. B. Moskowitz and R. J. Roman's (see record 1992-31124-001) study, participants who were instructed to memorize trait-implying sentences showed assimilation, and participants who were instructed to form an impression of the actors in these sentences showed contrast. However, exposure to trait-implying sentences that described actors with real names and were accompanied with photos of the actors resulted in contrast under both memorization and impression instructions (Experiment 1). Furthermore, contrast ensued when trait-implying sentences were accompanied with information that suggested a person attribution, whereas assimilation ensued when that information suggested a situation attribution, independent of processing goals (Experiment 2). These findings are interpreted as support for referent-based explanations of the consequences of trait inferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moods as spotlights: The influence of mood on accessibility effects.

Three studies explore the manner in which one's mood may affect the use and impact of accessible information on judgments. Specifically, the authors demonstrated that positive and negative moods differentially influence the direction of accessibility effects (assimilation, contrast) by determining whether abstract traits or concrete actor-trait links are primed. Study 1 investigated the impact of positive versus negative mood on the judgmental impact of trait-implying behaviors and found that positive moods lead to assimilation and negative moods to contrast. In Study 2, this effect was replicated in a subliminal priming paradigm. In Study 3, it was demonstrated that the type of information activated by trait-implying behaviors is indeed mood dependent, such that abstract trait information is activated in a positive mood, whereas specific actor-trait links are activated in a negative mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quality control for machine strength graded timber

The quality assurance of timber properties is important for the safety of timber structures. In the current study, the quality control options of timber are analysed for changing material quality under the prism of the different growth regions. Therefore, the control options—machine and output control in accordance with EN 14081—are simulated, and the performance is assessed and compared using 279,235 timber pieces from a production facility. For the data with only grading information available, the real properties were simulated based on 4158 specimens, for which destructive test results are also available. The results indicate that timber with desired material property values can be produced by both machine and output control. In direct comparison to machine control, the output control delivers timber which matches the requirements more frequently as quality shifts can be detected. Whenever lower timber quality is identified, the settings are increased. The output control system for multiple growth regions is not sensitive enough when the current attribute chart given in EN 14081-3 is used. With higher sampling rate the sensitivity can be increased. With the tested option—yield optimization—no additional yield improvement compared to machine control could be achieved.     

Effects of grading procedures on the scatter of characteristic values of European grown sawn timber

The natural scatter in mechanical properties of sawn timber must be reduced by grading the material either visually or mechanically. Depending on the grading procedure, the scatter of these properties varies. This study deals with their variation as influenced by the grading procedure. The effect of the grading principle is analyzed based on 4,893 sawn timber specimens from several European natural forests with widths up to 167 mm and depths up to 284 mm and using the method given in EN 14081-2:2010, CEN, Brussels (2010). Grading models for visual grading and machine grading are derived considering different source countries, strength classes and strength class combinations. Material safety factors for the graded material are then estimated in accordance with ISO 2394 (1998) to evaluate the grading outcomes. Analyzing and comparing the lower 5th-percentile to the requirements of EN 384: 2009, CEN, Brussels (2009), it is found that the actual strength for class C24 can be up to 20 % lower than required by the standard. This is true, regardless of whether the timber is graded visually or by an advanced grading machine using dynamic modulus of elasticity and knots. Low strength values can be expected especially in cases where a batch of timber is graded into a single strength class and reject only. High coefficients of variation of the graded material lead to the conclusion that high material safety factors are needed. On the contrary, if the material is graded by a machine and into more than two strength classes in one pass, it can be shown that the required material safety factors can be lower.