This research takes the initial steps of evaluating resource planning for service operations in which the client is a direct resource in the service system. First, this research examines the effects of client involvement on resource planning decisions when a service firm is faced with efficiency and quality considerations. We develop a non-linear, deterministic, single-stage planning model that allows for examination of trade-offs among client involvement, efficiency and quality. Policy recommendations give service firms better insights into setting workforce, client intensity, and service generation levels. Second, we examine the sensitivity of estimates of technology functions to data analysis and make policy recommendations to service providers on how to allocate resources when there are technology function uncertainties and uncontrollable inputs. Results show that resources are allocated to compensate for technology function uncertainties. Third, we gain insights as to how resource decisions are made for multiple stages and for multiple clients. We extrapolate theoretical findings from the single-stage planning study to determine resource allocations across multiple services and stages. Results show that when the dynamic program in the single-stage study is extended there is trade-off between the cost of capacity changes and profits across multiple stages. / Ph. D.

Alliance and client involvement are thought to be important therapy process factors in child psychotherapy; however, few studies have investigated them over the course of treatment. The present study examined change in alliance, client involvement, and the relationship between the two over time in an effectiveness study comparing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and usual clinical care (UC) for child anxiety disorders. The sample included 40 clinically-referred children (57.50%, female, mean age = 10.81, SD = 2.11, 35.00% Caucasian, 32.50% Latino/Hispanic, 5.00% African-American, 7.50% mixed ethnicity, 20.00% not reported) and 39 therapists employed by community clinics. Two doctoral-level students comprised the coding teams for each measure and independently rated alliance and client involvement in all available recorded sessions. Unconditional multilevel growth models indicated alliance and client involvement did not significantly change over time. Findings suggest that when measured by observational coders, initial levels of alliance and client involvement remain relatively stable throughout different treatments for child anxiety in community settings. Existing therapy process models may require further specification based on treatment setting and method of measurement. In practice, these findings suggest strategies to bolster initial alliance and client involvement could help improve the impact and delivery of child anxiety treatment in community settings.

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Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-10-31T12:17:27Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DSS_AnyBatista.digital.pdf: 3008662 bytes, checksum: 5b46b5d2cd306a0d0e802b25cd211927 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-31T12:17:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DSS_AnyBatista.digital.pdf: 3008662 bytes, checksum: 5b46b5d2cd306a0d0e802b25cd211927 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-24 / CAPES / Contexto: Em projetos tradicionais de desenvolvimento de software, a participação do cliente limita-se ao fornecimento de requisitos no início e feedback ao final, com interações regulares, mas pouco frequentes, entre o cliente e a equipe de desenvolvimento. O paradigma ágil introduz a premissa de que a colaboração do cliente durante todo o ciclo de desenvolvimento de software é um recurso primordial para dar mais agilidade ao projeto. Contudo, pesquisas empíricas sobre as consequências do envolvimento do cliente no processo de produção de equipes ágeis ainda são escassas. Objetivo: Essa problemática incentivou a realização de um estudo empírico, com o objetivo de investigar os impactos da influência do cliente no desenvolvimento de software em equipes que utilizam práticas ágeis. Método: Devido ao tipo de fenômeno em investigação, optou-se pela realização de um estudo de caso qualitativo em uma empresa de desenvolvimento de software, na cidade de Recife, Pernambuco. Para coleta de dados foram realizadas entrevistas e observações não participantes. O método utilizado para tratamento e análise dos dados foi a Teoria Fundamentada (Grounded Theory). Resultados: O estudo indica que, sob certas condições contextuais, as elevadas intervenções do cliente podem levar ao microgerenciamento das equipes e inspiram o surgimento de variados tipos de conflitos. Além disso, afetam aspectos importantes para a manutenção da agilidade das equipes, tais como: a satisfação e motivação dos indivíduos, e a sua autonomia e autorregulação. Os resultados embasaram a construção de um modelo do impacto do envolvimento do cliente, no qual os principais fatores emergentes da pesquisa são correlacionados. Conclusões: Esta pesquisa contribui com o entendimento sobre os impactos do envolvimento do cliente no desenvolvimento de software. O modelo nela apresentado pode fundamentar reflexões futuras sobre as causas e as consequências da intervenção do cliente na agilidade da equipe, e ajudar na criação de estratégias para mitigar os efeitos negativos dessas intervenções. Este estudo também contribui com a literatura sobre os fatores humanos na engenharia de software. / Context: In traditional software development projects, customer participation is limited to provide requirements at the beginning and feedback at the end, with regular, but not frequent, interactions between the client and the development team. The Agile paradigm introduces the premise that customer collaboration throughout the software development cycle is a key feature to give more agility to the project. However, empirical research on the consequences of customer involvement in production process of Agile teams are still scarce. Objective: Our goals is to conduct an empirical study in order to investigate the influence of customer impact in the development of software in teams using Agile practices. Method: Due to the type of phenomenon under investigation, it was decided to perform a qualitative case study on a software development company in the city of Recife, Pernambuco. For data collection we used interviews and non-participant observations. The method used for processing and analysis of data was the Grounded Theory. Results: The study shows that under certain contextual conditions, high customer interventions can lead to micromanagement of teams and inspire the emergence of various types of conflicts. In addition, these interventions affect important aspects of teams’ agility, such as the satisfaction and motivation of individuals, and their autonomy and self-regulation. The results supported the construction of a client engagement impact model in which the main factors emerging from the case study are correlated. Conclusions: This research contributes to the understanding of customer involvement impacts on software development. The model presented can support future reflections on the causes and consequences of customer involvement on the Agility of software teams, and assist in the creation of strategies to mitigate the negative effects of these interventions. This study contributes to the literature on human factors in software engineering.