Showing papers by "Capgemini published in 2008"

Predictors of Formal Control Usage in IT Outsourcing Partnerships

Abstract: Client control over the vendor has been identified as a critical factor in successfully managing information technology outsourcing relationships. Though prior studies have suggested that “how much” control is exercised has significant ramifications for individuals and firms, relatively few studies have operationalized and studied this important concept. In this study, we define the amount of formal control as the variety of mechanisms used by a client to exercise control over a vendor and the extent to which the mechanisms are used. We use literature on transaction cost economics and organizational control to build a model of the antecedents of the amount of formal control. The study uses data from 138 client-vendor matched pairs working in eight large, long-term, ongoing outsourcing arrangements to test specific hypotheses. The results suggest that clients who have technical or relationship management knowledge, or have high levels of trust in their vendors, use formal control mechanisms to a lesser extent. On the other hand, task uncertainty was found to be positively associated with the amount of formal control, and the degree of core competency involved in the outsourced activity was not found to be related to the amount of formal control. These results are discussed, and implications for research and practice are drawn.

Stakeholder Perception of Enterprise Architecture

Abstract: Enterprise Architecture (EA) is increasingly being used by large organizations to get a grip on the complexity and inflexibility of their business processes, information systems and technical infrastructure. Although seen as an important instrument to help solve major organizational problems, effectively applying EA seems no easy task. Efficient collaboration between architects and EA stakeholders is one of the main critical success factors for EA. The basis for efficient collaboration between architects and EA stakeholders is mutual understanding. In EA research, there has been much focus on the role of the architect; there is little research on the EA stakeholder. In this article we present the cognitive structure of four EA stakeholder groups, revealing how they expect the EA function to help them achieve their goals. With this we gain understanding of the EA stakeholder and provide the basis for better collaboration between architects and EA stakeholders.

Designing the Enterprise Architecture Function

Abstract: Enterprise Architecture (EA) is becoming an increasingly mature field of work, but many large organizations still struggle with implementing an integral and truly effective EA function. The literature provides a fragmented picture of the EA function, describing the various separate elements that make up the total package of activities, resources, skills, and competences of the EA delivery function. In our view, the EA function reaches beyond EA delivery and also includes the stakeholders, structures and processes involved with EA decision making and EA conformance. A holistic and integral view on the EA function is essential in order to properly assess an EA function on its performance, and to allow identifying the key points of improvement. In this article, we give such a description of the EA function, which provides the reference model in EA function performance assessments as part of our Normalized Architecture Organization Maturity Index (NAOMI) approach.

A method for engineering a true service-oriented architecture

Abstract: Service oriented architecture (SOA) is currently the most discussed concept for engineering enterprise IT architectures. True SOA is more than web services and web services style of communication. In the first place, it is a paradigm for structuring the business of an enterprise according to services. This allows companies to flexibly adapt to changing market demands. Subsequently, it is a paradigm for structuring the enterprise IT architecture according to those business services. This paper presents a concrete method and rules for engineering an enterprise IT architecture towards a true SOA. It can be seen as an instantiation of roadmaps in enterprise architecture frameworks.

Competencies and Responsibilities of Enterprise Architects

Abstract: This paper is not concerned with enterprise architecture as a product or as a process, but rather concerns itself with the professionals who are responsible for the creation of the products and the execution of the associated processes: the enterprise architects.

Firm-Specific Knowledge and Competitive Advantage: Evidence and KM Practices

Abstract: Firm-specific, idiosyncratic knowledge is increasingly being recognized as a possible source of competitive advantage in today's business world, where more traditional sources seem to become less effective, to the extent of suggesting new approaches to strategy theory and even to the theory of the firm. This is routinely confirmed by the preliminary results from an on-going study of knowledge management (KM) approaches and practices used in Spanish firms. In this study, several senior management respondents unambiguously consider firm-specific knowledge very important for their firms' competitiveness, although they recognize, not surprisingly, that general purpose knowledge is also needed and in a higher proportion. However, when the specific KM practices used are analysed, it turns out that the majority of them do not seem to be particularly well geared to firm-specific knowledge development and usage, and neither for the effectiveness of the associated learning activities and processes. This suggests what could be a fundamental mismatch between the type of knowledge involved and appropriate KM practices. In this paper we present preliminary evidence stemming from the aforementioned study, make an attempt to characterize the kind of mismatches detected, and suggest ideas for further research on the practical and theoretical implications of the results obtained. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Integrating System Dynamics with Object-Role Modeling

Abstract: We put Object-Role Modeling (ORM) to work in the context of the creation of System Dynamics (SD) models. SD focuses on the structure and behavior of systems composed of interacting feedback loops. The art of SD modeling lies in discovering and representing the feedback processes and other elements that determine the dynamics of the system (typically, a process in an organization). However, SD shows a lack of instruments for discovering and expressing precise, language-based concepts in domains. At the same time, the field of conceptual modeling has long since focused on deriving models from natural expressions. We therefore turn to ORM as a prime example of this school of thought to integrate its strong natural language based modeling approach into the creation of SD models. A two-step schema based approach for transforming an ORM domain model into a SD stock and flow diagram is presented. We discuss how typical ORM conceptualization can be linked to SD conceptualization and how such a transformation can be performed. Examples are provided.

Synthesizing Context for a Sports Domain on a Mobile Device

Abstract: In ubiquitous computing environments there are an increasing number and variety of devices that can generate context data. The challenge is to timely acquire, process, and deliver these data to context-aware applications. The role of context synthesis is to generate new knowledge, as a result of a reasoning process applied to context information that is already present in the system. The success of this mechanism mainly depends on the response time that the end-user or an application must wait for the response to a context query. This paper describes and evaluates an approach to context synthesis on a mobile device to be used by a set of applications in a sports domain. A scenario based on a live race at the Super Prestige Cyclocross in Gieten, Netherlands demonstrates the use of context synthesis to dynamically compose gaps and groups of cyclists in order to provide a nearly real-time virtual ranking service.

Components of disaster-tolerant computing: analysis of disaster recovery, IT application downtime and executive visibility

Abstract: This paper provides a review of disaster-tolerant Information Technology (IT). The state of traditional disaster recovery approaches is outlined. The risks of IT application downtime attributable to the increasing dependence on critical information technology operating in interdependent, interacting complex infrastructure systems are reviewed. General disaster tolerance techniques are summarised. While content-specific approaches currently undertaken to understand and avoid cascading failures in systems are extant, opportunities exist to extend this complex systems independence analysis to the private business sector in the form of disaster tolerance. The high level of complexity of relationships between IT application availability and numerous secondary and tertiary effects of a disaster on systems that are dependent on other systems for availability has not yet been fully explored.

Toward a unified service delivery process for next-generation services

Abstract: In this paper, a framework for a unified service delivery process is proposed for next-generation services within the context of an end-to-end service delivery architecture (SDA). The framework defines service as a provisionable capability of the SDA that is either a connectivity service, a communication service, or a support service. The platform operator (PO) and the service operator (SO) have separate roles in the service delivery value chain. The customer and end user also have different roles, in receiving services and conducting self-services.

Intercultural Aspects of Project Management in India

Abstract: Emerging economies such as India offer a unique mix of low wage rates and highly skilled and motivated personnel. However, many resources and project managers are comparatively inexperienced when it comes to cultural aspects of doing business. Indians may have traveled on business and become aware of some of the differences between individual countries; Europeans are likely to have worked mostly within their own countries and hence have limited experience with Asian cultures. To become effective members of the global workforce, Indians and Europeans need to learn more about some of the peculiarities of their respective cultures.

Field Study: Influence of Different Specification Formats on the Use Case Point Method

Abstract: The Use Case Point method (UCP method) allows early, easy estimation of the anticipated effort during a software development project. The basis for such estimation in real industrial projects is commonly a number of rough specifications in different formats and of differing granularity. The success of the UCP method and comparability of the results depend above all on whether and how good use cases can be identified and weighted from the specifications. Within a field study, a total number of more than 200 UCP estimations based on eight different specification formats have been performed. The estimations have been compared quantitatively and qualitatively with regard to the reproducibility of effort estimation and with regard to expert valuations. With the help of statistical methods a mean variance (variation coefficient) between 13 % and 48 % was found depending on the specification format. Thus, a valuation of specification formats for improving estimation accuracy could be derived with the help of variance analysis.

Große Softwareprojekte

Abstract: Die Aufwandsschatzung von grosen Individualsoftware-Entwicklungsprojekten auf Basis einer fruhen Grobspezifikation gilt heute weiterhin als eine sehr schwierige Aufgabe fur Softwarehauser und ist nicht zufriedenstellend gelost. Wirtschaftliche Uberlegenheit verlangt bessere Schatzgenauigkeit (,,Survival of the fittest estimator“), da im gestiegenen Wettbewerb bevorzugt der niedrigste Angebotspreis beauftragt wird. Dieser Beitrag zeigt auf, dass insbesondere fur Grosprojekte die heute weit verbreitete intuitive Expertenschatzung durch eine metrikbasierte Schatzmethode zur Validierung zu erganzen ist. Mit UCP 2.0 wird eine solche in der Praxis erprobte Methode vorgestellt, welche die ,,Use Case Points“-Methode signifikant verbessert hat. Es ist gelungen, die wichtigsten Projekteinflussgrosen in der Aufwandsschatzung zu normieren und somit reproduzierbar zu machen.

The Rightshore® Model

Abstract: Nowadays, there is a wide range of experiencewith offshoring IT services. Delivery from offshore locations is strongly established in the United States and the United Kingdom, while continental Europe still lags behind. In Europe, nearshore models still dominate the market. A framework for building an optimal combination of onsite, nearshore, and offshore delivery capabilities is provided by Capgemini’s Rightshore® model.

Understanding concerns with ontologies

Abstract: Concern orientation gives us methodological tools for managing the system complexity. Separation of concerns in the aspect oriented software development (AOSD) allows architects to structure and developers to better manage complex systems by mapping the whole system in a multi-concern space and focusing one problem at a time. Certainly, there is a lot of confusion in AOSD about what a concern is. In this context, we defined as more precisely as possible the concern concept in information engineering. From our point of view, a concern is a care of one or more stakeholders involved in the construction or evolution of an information system in its natural environment. In order to make accurate the meaning of the concern concept, in this paper we introduce CONO (CONcerns Ontology), an ontology of the concern concept, which formally describes its meaning as we gave in our definition. Each concern might be described by its high-level specification that is a description formed by the problem specification of the concern and the roles of the stakeholders, which have that concern. The concepts from the high-level specifications constitute the stakeholders' vocabulary and can be used in the construction of an ontology of the new information system.

Case Study: Testing for the Utilities Sector

Abstract: Research has shown that offshore software testing saves companies up to 75% over in-house costs. It also improves the quality and reliability of the testing effort. Moreover, it is a low risk way of developingmature offshore outsourcing skills. This article describes how the testing function of a utility sector project was implemented successfully using the Rightshore® concept, and explains the key challenges and the lessons learned during the course of the project.

SNI : High Level Model for IHM Design and Mock-up

Abstract: This paper presents SNI, Interactions Navigational Diagram, as a UI representation model allowing to design a CUI in accordance with users requirements and to generate automatically a skeleton of the wished software, using model transformation. To do so, two model levels are proposed. The conceptual level (SNI) specifies the functional navigation in the software independently of any technical platform. The logical level describes the dynamic chaining and the detailed definition of UI components according to a particular development platform (GUI, WEB, Multimodal…). This paper presents these two model levels, their respective metamodels and the software tool "VisualSNI" allowing to build the SNI and to generate a mock-up in the JSF framework automatically.

Case Study: Data Migration for a Global Semiconductors Manufacturer

Abstract: The customer is a global leader in consumer electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, and medical equipment. The program objective was to create a global core template and then rollout the template to the existing plants all over the world. There were many sub-projects involved, among them also a data migration stream. The following provides an overview of the scope, setup and challenges for the data migration stream, which was delivered predominantly from offshore.

Applying Multi-agent Systems Coordination to the Diabetic Healthcare Collaboration

Abstract: Diabetic healthcare is characterized by the collaboration problem, which is manifested by problems of accessibility and interoperability To improve the problem situation, we propose a Multi-agent Systems approach The interactions among the diabetic healthcare actors are categorized on three levels: collaboration, coordination, and communication Agents are designed to work on the coordination and communication levels, and support the collaboration among human actors This paper presents a project Integrated Mobile Information Systems for diabetic healthcare (IMIS) to demonstrate how to apply Multi-agent Systems coordination to the collaboration among healthcare actors

How to Start a Rightshore® Project

Abstract: This chapter describes how to successfully kick off an offshore project and fully leverage the maximum potential of the offshore concept. It furthermore covers some of the main challenges in offshore projects and how to adjust project management to handle these challenges. Finally, the chapter offers some practical advice as well as some examples of what can happen if project management fails to handle these challenges in time. Please note that the chapter does not focus on a package software implementation alone, although examples of ERP development projects are used throughout. Instead, the content of this chapter can be applied to all types of distributed projects.

Face recognition using facial expression: a novel approach

Abstract: Facial expressions are undoubtedly the most effective nonverbal communication. The face has always been the equation of a person's identity. The face draws the demarcation line between identity and extinction. Each line on the face adds an attribute to the identity. These lines become prominent when we experience an emotion and these lines do not change completely with age. In this paper we have proposed a new technique for face recognition which focuses on the facial expressions of the subject to identify his face. This is a grey area on which not much light has been thrown earlier. According to earlier researches it is difficult to alter the natural expression. So our technique will be beneficial for identifying occluded or intentionally disguised faces. The test results of the experiments conducted prove that this technique will give a new direction in the field of face recognition. This technique will provide a strong base to the area of face recognition and will be used as the core method for critical defense security related issues.

Industrialization of Application Implementations

Abstract: Integrated software packages are at the heart of any medium to major sized company. More than fifteen years after the start of the worldwide ERP boom in the early 90s, the forces of globalization and the proliferation of communication technology are about to push the package implementation industry to a new level of maturity.

Transforming the Front-office

Abstract: Offshoring requires a new, re-organized front-office to bridge the distance between design activities onsite and build activities offshore. This article analyses the new role of the front-office, illustrates the delivery models, and explains the revised set of required capabilities.

Defining performance indicators for industrial and logistic cross-enterprise processes: Theoretical and empirical considerations

Abstract: Some theoretical landmarks are discussed allowing to situate the performance indicators in relation to the business scope and objectives, the information systems, and the information technologies, and to guarantee completeness, effectiveness, and efficiency of defining and implementing these indicators. An enterprise architecture framework is proposed, and a declination of the approach as a roadmap is experienced with a business case, starting from an inceptive point, the concern, which ontological specification is developed and enriched. Some optimisation and governance solutions, both in the business scope and in the IS & IT scope, are briefly discussed, with reference to an enterprise generic model. Finally, the paper proposes some definitions for the major concepts related to the performance management.

Offshoring in India: Opportunities and Risks

Abstract: India’s success in the IT industry is mainly driven by three factors: human capital, a thriving industry, and the creation and utilization of synergies between knowledge-based sectors. However, offshoring exposes companies to different levels of risk compared to their home countries. Furthermore, India’s growth is not unlimited, and its insufficient infrastructure and the number of criminal elements in the political arena are hurdles which will have to be cleared. The current expansion of the IT industry in India causes the market to overheat, with all the related challenges in terms of quality and costs.

Case Study: Preparation of Training Materials for Manufacturing Industries

Abstract: The client is a large multinational and present in more than 130 countries offering numerous product lines. The program aims to build, run and deploy SAP in these countries by the year 2010. In order to deliver such a complex engagement, Rightshore® centers were actively used in the project. This article provides an overview of one of the sub-projects of the program: the development of end user training material. This involved over 4500 person days of effort, of which around 3000 were delivered from Rightshore® centers. “Information systems practitioners and researchers widely acknowledge that providing appropriate end user training is critical to successfully implementing systems, and key to promoting productive use of the technology.”

Software Controlling

Abstract: Die Entwicklung von grosen Softwaresystemen erfordert ein effektives und effizientes Projektmanagement. Insbesondere muss im Hinblick auf die Softwarequalitat in die Entwicklungsprozesse ein zielgerichtetes Risikomanagement integriert werden. Der bisher meist verfolgte ,,klassische“ Ansatz des Projektcontrollings fokussiert vielfach nur auf die Erreichung von externen Qualitatseigenschaften des Endprodukts (wie der Erfullung funktionaler Anforderungen, die vom Anwender wahrgenommen werden) und die Einhaltung von Zeit- und Budgetvorgaben. Die Erfahrung aus vielen lang laufenden Projekten zeigt, dass im Hinblick auf nachhaltige Entwicklung eine feinkornigere und ganzheitlichere Betrachtung der Qualitat von Softwaredokumenten und Entwicklungszwischenprodukten notwendig ist, um qualitatsbezogene Projektrisiken fruhzeitig zu erkennen und geeignete Steuerungsmasnahmen im Entwicklungsprozess ergreifen zu konnen. Bei Capgemini sd&m (Munchen) wird deshalb gerade unter dem Begriff Software Controlling ein Bundel von technischen und organisatorischen Masnahmen zum ganzheitlichen qualitatsbezogenen Risikomanagement in Softwareprojekten eingefuhrt. Wesentliche Komponenten sind ein Qualitatsmodell auf der Grundlage eines aus bisherigen Projekterfahrungen gewonnenen Kennzahlensystems, das interne Produkteigenschaften mit Aufwands-, Test- und Fehlerdaten verknupft, ein in die Entwicklungsumgebung integrierter Projektleitstand und spezifische Prozesselemente zur Qualitats- und Risikobewertung auf der Grundlage der Kennzahlen.

Case Study: Software Development for a Global Manufacturing Company

Abstract: The client is a world leader in power distribution and control systems. The program is a global SAP implementation with rollouts to 136 countries across the world. In order to deliver these projects in the required timeline, major parts of the project have been delivered from abroad. The following article provides an overview of the delivery of (pre-dominantly ABAP) developments for the template and different rollout projects summing up to over 11,000 Person Days (PD).