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Publication A Coevolving Systems Approach to the Organization of Agile Software Development(2009) Vidgen, Richard; Wang, XiaofengDespite the popularity of agile methods in software development and increasing adoption by organizations there is debate about what agility is and how it is achieved. The debate suffers from a lack of understanding of agile concepts and how agile software development is practiced. This paper develops a framework for the organization of agile software development that identi¿es enablers and inhibitors of agility and the emergent capabilities of agile teams. The work is grounded in complex adaptive systems (CAS) and draws on three principles of coevolving systems: match coevolutionary change rate, maximize self-organizing, and synchronize exploitation and exploration. These principles are used to study the processes of two software development teams, one a team using eXtreme Programming (XP) and the other a team using a more traditional, waterfall- based development cycle. From the cases a framework for the organization of agile software development is developed. Time pacing, self-management with discipline and routinization of exploration are among the agile enablers found in the cases studies while event pacing, centralized management, and lack of resources allocated to exploration are found to be inhibitors to agility. Emergent capabilities of agile teams that are identi¿ed from the research include coevolution of business value, sustainable working with rhythm, sharing and team learning, and collective mindfulness.Publication Health promoting school indicators: schematic models for children.(Emerald, 2007-06) Nic Gabhainn, Saoirse; Sixsmith, Jane; Delaney, Ellen-Nora; Moore, Miriam; O'Higgins, Siobhan; Department of Health and Children (Health Promotion Unit)Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to outline a three-stage process for engaging with students to develop school level indicators of health; in sequential class groups students first generated, then categorised indicators and finally developed schematic representations of their analyses. There is a political and practical need to develop appropriate indicators for health-promoting schools. As key stakeholders in education, students have the right to be fully engaged in this process. Design/methodology/approach - The sample in this paper comprised 164 students aged 16-17 years in three medium-sized Dublin schools. In the first classroom, students answered the question "If you moved to a new school, what would it need to have to be a healthy place?" on individual flashcards. In the second classroom students classified the flashcards into groups using a variation of the card game "snap". In the third classroom, students discussed the relationships between the developed categories and determined how the categories should be presented. These procedures were repeated twice in three schools, resulting in six developed schemata. Findings - The paper finds that the six sets of categories showed remarkable similarity - physical aspects of the school predominated but emotional and social health issues also emerged as potential indicators. The schema demonstrated the holistic perspectives of students. They illustrate the importance of relationships and the physical and psycho-social environment within schools. Originality/value - The paper illustrates that students can productively engage in the process of indicator development and have the potential to act as full stakeholders in health-promoting schools. The methods enabled student control over the data generation, analysis and presentation phases of the research, and provided a positive, fun experience for both students and researchers.Publication A coevolving systems approach to the organization of agile software development.(Institute of Management Sciences, 2009) Wang, Xiaofeng; Vidgen, RichardDespite the popularity of agile methods in software development and increasing adoption by organizations there is debate about what agility is and how it is achieved. The debate suffers from a lack of understanding of agile concepts and how agile software development is practised. This paper develops a framework for the organization of agile software development that identifies enablers and inhibitors of agility and the emergent capabilities of agile teams. The work is grounded in complex adaptive systems (CAS) and draws on three principles of coevolving systems: match coevolutionary change rate, maximise self-organizing, and synchronize exploitation and exploration. These principles are used to study the processes of two software development teams, one a team using eXtreme Programming (XP) and the other a team using a more traditional, waterfall-based development cycle. From the cases a framework for the organisation of agile software development is developed. Time pacing, self-management with discipline and routinisation of exploration are among the agile enablers found in the cases studies while event pacing, centralised management and lack of resources allocated to exploration are found to be inhibitors to agility. Emergent capabilities of agile teams that are identified from the research include coevolution of business value, sustainable working with rhythm, sharing and team learning, and collective mindfulness.Publication Implementing e-government in Ireland: a roadmap for success.(IGI Global, 2003-10)E-government provides unparalleled opportunities for governments to streamline processes and improve customer service. As a result, achieving successful citizen centric e-government has become a key concern for many governments. This paper analyses the Irish Government's evolutionary path to the provision of successful e-Government. The success factors and stages of evolution of e-government are identified and a detailed examination of how the Irish Government successfully implemented its e-government strategy is presented. The lessons learnt from this case provide a valuable roadmap for the successful attainment of citizen centred e-government in other jurisdictions.Publication E-tailing in Ireland: A review of Ireland's top 25 retailers(Mercury Publications Ltd., 2003) Scott, Murray; Golden, William; Hughes, MartinElectronic commerce provides a new sales channel for traditional retailers (Gulati and Garino, 2000, Griffith and Krampf, 1998). Yet, many traditional retailers have been slow to embrace the new technology (Bellman, 2001, De-Kare Silver, 2000, Maruca, 1999). However, others Clicks & Bricks retailers have successfully integrated physical operations with online stores (Enders and Jelassi, 2000, Willcocks and Plant, 2001). This paper assesses the current state of cyber retailing in Ireland and seeks to evaluate the impact electronic commerce has had on the retail sector. The top 25 Irish retail firms were identified and the web site (if existing) of these companies were then accessed and evaluated based on factors relating to web site functionality, technical sophistication and information provision. The research found the cyber retailing market in Ireland to be buoyant and growing. The high incidence of web presence amongst the top twenty-five retailers illustrates that Irish retailers are pursuing cyber strategies. Furthermore, a high proportion of these retailers are actively pursuing cyber-retailing. However, a majority of these web adopters do not support online sales and it is evident that within a large section of the Irish retail sector the Internet is still being thought of as a medium primarily for information dissemination to support the existing business. Furthermore, the low instance of customisation features provides evidence to suggest that web sites are being implemented in a sub-optimal manner.Publication An assessment of biometric identities as a standard for e-government services.(Inderscience, 2005-03) Scott, Murray; Acton, Thomas; Hughes, MartinThis paper investigates the applicability and potential use of biometrics for e-government services. An in-depth case study is presented outlining the development of e-government services in Ireland, highlighting potential areas for growth in biometrics and also areas for caution in the implementation of the underlying technologies. Biometrics is becoming an important international standard as an authentication technology providing cross-border immigration and security controls; however, the case for biometrics in e-government services is more complex. As an enabler of e-services, the implementation of this technology is challenged by a wider set of more profound societal issues including citizen privacy, security and trust. However, the rapid development and adoption of this technology has the potential to inform and hasten its diffusion into wider e-government usage. Specifically, this paper examines the current attitudes to the feasibility of biometrics as a component in the delivery of e-government services.Publication The influence of quality on e-commerce success: an empirical application of the Delone and Mclean IS success model(IGI Global, 2010-01) Sharkey, Ultan; Scott, Murray; Acton, ThomasThis research addresses difficulties in measuring e-commerce success by implementing the DeLone and McLean (D&M) model of IS success (1992, 2003) in an e-commerce environment. This research considers the influence of quality on e-commerce success by measuring the information quality and system quality attributes of an e-commerce system and the intention to use, user satisfaction and intention to transact from a sample of respondents. This research provides an empirical e-commerce application of the updated IS success model proposed by DeLone and McLean (2003). This paper found significant relationships between Information Quality and System Quality and three success dimensions: intention to use, user satisfaction and intention to transact. It found the following information and system quality constructs to be most important in predicting e-commerce success: ease of understanding, personalisation and reliability. In particular, that reliability is more important than usability where transactions are concerned and security is important to transactional zones of e-commerce systems, but is not the most important factor.Publication An assessment of biometric identities as a standard for e-government services.(Mercury Publications Ltd., 2003-03) Scott, Murray; Golden, William; Hughes, MartinThis paper investigates the applicability and potential use of biometrics for e-government services. An in-depth case study is presented outlining the development of e-government services in Ireland, highlighting potential areas for growth in biometrics and also areas for caution in the implementation of the underlying technologies. Biometrics is becoming an important international standard as an authentication technology providing cross-border immigration and security controls; however, the case for biometrics in e-government services is more complex. As an enabler of e-services, the implementation of this technology is challenged by a wider set of more profound societal issues including citizen privacy, security and trust. However, the rapid development and adoption of this technology has the potential to inform and hasten its diffusion into wider e-government usage. Specifically, this paper examines the current attitudes to the feasibility of biometrics as a component in the delivery of e-government services.Publication 'Lots Done, More To Do': the Current State of Agile Systems Development Research(2009) Abrahamsson, Pekka; Conboy, Kieran; Wang, XiaofengPublication Where agile research goes: starting from a 7-year retrospective (report on agile research workshop at XP2009)(2009) Wang, Xiaofeng; Lane, Michael; Conboy, Kieran; Pikkarainen, MinnaThis report summarizes the key findings from a workshop at the 10th International Conference on Agile Processes and eXtreme Programming in Software Engineering (XP2009) called "Agile Research" A 7-Year Retrospective", held in Sardinia in May 2009. The workshop was based on an open discussion around past papers presented at the conference, identifying current gaps and areas for future research. A research topic map has been drawn and several future research directions have been highlighted as the results of running the workshop.Publication An Assessment of Biometric Identities as a Standard for E-Government Services(2005) Scott, Murray; Acton, Thomas; Hughes, MartinThis paper investigates the applicability and potential use of biometrics for E- Government services. An in-depth case study is presented outlining the development of E-Government services in Ireland, highlighting potential areas for growth in biometrics and also areas for caution in the implementation of the underlying technologies. Biometrics is becoming an important international standard as an authentication technology providing cross-border immigration and security controls; however, the case for biometrics in e-government services is more complex. As an enabler of e-services, the implementation of this technology is challenged by a wider set of more profound societal issues including, citizen privacy, security and trust. However, the rapid development and adoption of this technology has the potential to inform and hasten its diffusion into wider e-government usage. Specifically, this paper examines the current attitudes to the feasibility of biometrics as a component in the delivery of E-Government services.Publication Building a dolmen: an ISD approach to the management of innovation(Springer, 2008-10-24) Costello, Gabriel; Conboy, Kieran; Donnellan, BrianThis paper addresses a ¿challenge in practice¿ by describing the initial stage of an information systems development (ISD) project to support the management of innovation within a subsidiary of APC-MGE. To begin with, a review is presented of relevant literature on the management of innovation and on information systems development. The background of the case study is outlined and the advantages of a dialogical action research approach to ISD are discussed. Then the development of a conceptual model using the organizational analysis approach of Multiview2 is described. The work proposes to make a contribution in a number of areas. Firstly it provides empirical evidence of the role of innovation in an organizational transformation and the challenge of designing an information system to support this objective. Secondly it presents an example of using dialogical action research, recently introduced to the MIS discipline by Mårtensson & Lee, to develop an information system. Future work will involve tracking the implementation of the concept in order to evaluate its impact on the organization.Publication Turning Time from Enemy into an Ally using the Pomodoro Technique(Springer, 2010) Wang, XiaofengTime is one of the most important factors dominating agile software development processes in distributed settings. Effective time management helps agile teams to plan and monitor the work to be performed, and create and maintain a fast yet sustainable pace. The Pomodoro Technique is one promising time management technique. Its application and adaptation in Sourcesense Milan Team surfaced various benefits, challenges and implications for distributed agile software development. Lessons learned from the experiences of Sourcesense Milan Team can be useful for other distributed agile teams to turn time from enemy into an ally.Publication Proposing a formalised model for mindful information systems offshoring(Springer Verlag, 2009-10-26) Costello, Gabriel; Donnelan, BrianThe central thesis of this paper is that Mathematical Economics can provide a novel approach to the examination of offshoring business decisions and provide an impetus for future research in the area. A growing body of research indicates that projected cost savings from IT offshoring projects are not being met. Furthermore, evidence suggests that decision-making processes have been more emotional than rational, and that many offshoring arrangements have been rushed into without adequate analysis of the true costs involved. Building on the concept of mindfulness and mindlessness introduced to the IS literature by Swanson and Ramiller, a cost equation is developed using ¿deductive reasoning rather than inductive study¿ in the tradition of mathematical economics. The model endeavours to capture a wide range of both the quantitative and qualitative parameters. Although the economic model is illustrated against the background of a European scenario, the theoretical framework is generic and applicable to organisations in any global location.Publication Seeking the face of innovation with the ethical compass of Emmanuel Levinas.(Springer Verlag, 2008) Costello, Gabriel; Donnellan, BrianA recent biographer has described the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas as being permeated by one simple but profound theme: western philosophy has at best ignored and at worst suppressed the ¿Other¿. The approach of this study involved a concept-centric examination of innovation terminology assembled from key papers in the area. The analysis presents evidence of the lack of regard in the literature for the human dimension, with the notable exception of the work of Andrew Van de Ven and his collaborators. Consequently, an ethical definition of innovation is proposed inspired by the theoretical lens of Levinas. We argue that the work makes a practical and philosophical contribution to the emerging debate on ethics by the IS community. Furthermore, we suggest that our analysis has implications for DOI research increasingly being carried out in an open-innovation paradigm.Publication The triple helix, open innovation and the DOI research agenda.(Springer Verlag, 2007-01-07) Costello, Gabriel; Donnellan, BrianThis paper examines the implications for research on the diffusion of innovations (DOI) arising from a growing body of literature in two related fields. The first area concerns the debate on the role of regional and national systems of innovation in the innovation process. The second area deals with the argument that enterprises must move from a 'closed innovation' to an 'open innovation' paradigm. The review is presented in the context of a case study being undertaken in a subsidiary of American Power Conversion (APC) located in the West of Ireland. Based on the preliminary stages of our work, we present a conceptual 3-D model of Rogers' innovation-decision process and suggest a series of propositions to stimulate future research efforts.Publication The wizard of OZ: instilling a resilient heart into self-service business applications(Springer, 2006) Costello, GabrielSpeech enabled business applications are characterized by complex implementations that bring together language processing technologies, applications development, and end-user psychology. Resilience is critical to maintaining business to customer relationships when implementing these self-service solutions. The Wizard-of-Oz experiment is a valuable technique for simulating and building human¿machine prototypes to ensure successful deployment of the completed service. This paper proposes the simplification and diffusion of the methodology to facilitate the growth in demand for automated e-business transactions.Publication Agility from first principles: reconstructing the concept of agility in information systems development(Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS), 2009-09) Conboy, KieranAwareness and use of agile methods has grown rapidly among the information systems development (ISD) community in recent years. Like most previous methods, the development and promotion of these methods have been almost entirely driven by practitioners and consultants, with little participation from the research community during the early stages of evolution. While these methods are now the focus of more and more research efforts, most studies are still based on XP, Scrum, and other industry-driven foundations, with little or no conceptual studies of ISD agility in existence. As a result, this study proposes that there are a number of significant conceptual shortcomings with agile methods and the associated literature in its current state, including a lack of clarity, theoretical glue, parsimony, limited applicability, and naivety regarding the evolution of the concept of agility in fields outside systems development. Furthermore, this has significant implications for practitioners, rendering agile method comparison and many other activities very difficult, especially in instances such as distributed development and large teams that are not conducive to many of the commercial agile methods. This study develops a definition and formative taxonomy of agility in an ISD context, based on a structured literature review of agility across a number of disciplines, including manufacturing and management where the concept originated, matured, and has been applied and tested thoroughly over time. The application of the texonomy in practice is then demonstrated through a series of thought trials conducted in a large multinational organization. The intention is that the definition and taxonomy can then be used as a starting point to study ISD method agility regardless of whether the method is XP or Scrum, agile or traditional, complete or fragmented, out-of-the-box or in-house, used as is or tailored to suit the project context.Publication Implementing successful e-government in Ireland: the importance of business process redesign(IGI Global, 2005) Hughes, Martin; Scott, Murray; Golden, WilliamCompetitive pressures and improvements in information technology constantly force organisations to re-evaluate their business strategies (Porter, 2001; Venkatraman, 1994). Although public-sector organisations may not operate in a competitive environment, changes in management philosophies are causing public-sector organisations to think and act more like private-sector organisations (Gulledge & Sommers, 2002). Electronic government is one means by which governments can offer more effective and efficient services (Layne & Lee, 2001). This article investigates the evolution of e-government in Ireland. A case study is presented detailing how the Irish government's e-government strategy was devised and implemented. The success of this implementation yields valuable insights into the identification and management of critical concerns during the evolvement and attainment of business-process redesign in e-government. Cumulatively, these lessons provide a road map for the successful attainment of citizen-centric e-government.Publication The role of the user story agile practice in innovation(Springer, 2010-10) O hEocha, Colm; Conboy, KieranThe concept of an innovation space where different knowledge and perspectives can interact leading to innovation is central to lean thinking. The SECI framework of organizational knowledge creation identifies five enabling conditions which impinge on this space, namely intent, autonomy, fluctuation, redundancy and variety. User Stories, introduced in XP and now commonly used in Scrum, are a key practice in requirements capture. In common with lean thinking, they are user value centric, encourage rich dialogue between project stakeholders and avoiding premature specification of solutions. This conceptual paper examines user stories through the dual lenses of an innovation space and the five SECI enablers. The authors conclude that expressing user needs as user stories can support the development of innovative solutions, but that care must be taken in the design of the user stories and their application. This paper concludes with a set of recommendations to support innovation through user stories.