No description available.

In the context of sustainable development, evaluations have particularly high relevance as complex issues have to be dealt with generally over an extended period of time. Furthermore, there is a growing demand to evaluate against the concept of sustainable development. Especially evaluations with sustainable development are a rather new type of evaluation, as the source of its evaluation questions and the criteria applied are rooted in the concept of sustainable development. Sustainability of a specific project or process is often highly case specific as sustainable development is determined by many often unique issues. However, evaluations would be highly inefficient, if they would have to be newly designed in every case. Thus it is necessary to determine and utilize the major issues for evaluations with sustainable development. This paper is part of a series of three papers - which can be used independently - that present the major common issues for evaluations with sustainable development in a Tool Box. The results presented here are based on outcomes of a research project funded by the "Austrian Science Fund". This paper includes the "strategic orientation tool", which was developed as a tool for reflection and decision upon the general outline of an evaluation with sustainable development. It helps to define a design- frame with respect to its information-focus, scope and utilization. The core of the tool is a matrix that is based on two key- functions. On the one hand it defines which contents should be assessed: "What is the object of evaluation?". On the other hand it is oriented along the actual utilization of the evaluation: "How the gained results of the evaluation should be communicated and to whom?". (author's abstract) / Series: Research Paper Series of the Research Focus Managing Sustainability

In the context of sustainable development, evaluations have particularly high relevance as complex issues have to be dealt with generally over an extended period of time. Furthermore, there is a growing demand to evaluate against the concept of sustainable development. Especially evaluations with sustainable development are a rather new type of evaluation, as the source of its evaluation questions and the criteria applied are rooted in the concept of sustainable development. Sustainability of a specific project or process is often highly case specific as sustainable development is determined by many often unique issues. However, evaluations would be highly inefficient, if they would have to be newly designed in every case. Thus it is necessary to determine and utilize the major issues for evaluations with sustainable development. This paper is part of a series of three papers - which can be used independently - that present the major common issues for evaluations with sustainable development in a Tool Box. The results presented here are based on outcomes of a research project funded by the "Austrian Science Fund". This paper presents practical problems related to the issue of complexity in evaluations with sustainable development. Notwithstanding the multiple challenges, the strategic options available are presented in terms of strategies. Especially commissioning agents, but also other evaluation stakeholders will find an overview and an assessment of the strategies regarding resources required, state of practical experience as well as their compatibility with the concept of sustainable development. (author's abstract) / Series: Research Paper Series of the Research Focus Managing Sustainability

Thule Möbler AB in Kungsör, Sweden, is a retailer and manufacturer of furniture and fixtures for offices. They have previously worked with a general environmental declaration which describes the company’s overall environmental work, but they see a need for declaring the environmental performance of specific products. It is seen as an advantage if the environmental declaration can be used in product development to integrate consideration for environmental issues in the development process as well. The company also wish to develop and improve an existing series for office-storage, called Space. The work conducted in this paper is based on a product development process combined with a general research process which consists of a pre-study that describes the work of developing an environmental declaration and a case-study that includes the testing of the environmental declaration in the development of the office-storage Space. The methods used for developing the environmental declaration are literature reviews on standards for environmental declaration, scientific papers on the subject, environmental declarations from other companies and literature concerning productdevelopment tools and their structure. The use of the environmental declaration as product-information is tested and evaluated by trials on the intended user while the use of the environmental declaration as a product development tool is tested through the case-study. The case-study is based on a product development process that includes different product development tools, user-studies and analysis of the market. The user-studies and market-analysis are conducted as observation, questionnaires,interviews and a small literature review. The result is described both for the pre-study with the design of the environmental declaration and the case-study with the outcome of the product development. The environmental declaration consists of three documents, one template to be filled, one instruction for filling out the template, one spreadsheet containing the data to fill in and one example of a filled in declaration. The product consists of modules in the size 800x400x400mm that are connected by connection-brackets. The modules can be fitted with doors and handles, shelves and partitions, base and attachments for small-storage. The modules can be placed in six different ways in relation to each other and can be rearranged when needed. They can also be places free-standing or against a wall. The result of the case-study shows that the environmental declaration can be used as a tool for product development concerning evaluation and selection. The try-outs that are conducted indicates that the environmental declaration also is suitable for use as product-information. It is however important that the environmental declaration is continuously updated to ensure the data is correct, it should also be expanded to include other products. The developed product should be tested for strength and stability in accordance with Swedish standards. / Företaget Thule Möbler AB i Kungsör tillverkar och säljer möbler och inredning för kontor. De har sedan tidigare arbetat med en generell miljödeklaration som beskriver företagets övergripande miljöarbete men ser ett behov av att även redovisa miljörelaterade egenskaper för enskilda produkter. Det är en fördel om miljödeklarationen kan användas vid produktutveckling för att integrera miljöfrågor även under utvecklingsprocessen. Företaget vill dessutom utveckla en befintlig möbelserie, förvaringsserien Space. Arbetet baseras på en produktutvecklingsprocess kombinerad med en forskningsprocess bestående av en förstudie där miljödeklarationen tas fram efterföljt av en fallstudie där deklarationen testas under utvecklingen av förvaringsserien Space. Miljödeklarationen tas fram med hjälp av litteraturstudier innehållande standarder för miljödeklarationer, vetenskapliga artiklar i ämnet, befintliga miljödeklarationer från andra företag samt litteratur kring produktutvecklingsverktyg och dess uppbyggnad. Användandet av miljödeklarationen som produktinformation testas och utvärderas genom utprovning av användare medan deklarationen som produktutvecklingsverktyg testas i fallstudien. Fallstudien baseras på en produktutvecklingsprocess där olika produktutvecklingsverktyg, användarstudier och marknadsanalyser används. Användarstudier och marknadsanalys genomförs med hjälp av observationer, enkäter, intervjuer samt en mindre litteraturstudie. Resultatet redovisas både för förstudien där miljödeklarationens utformning beskrivs samt för fallstudien där resultatet av produktutvecklingen beskrivs. Miljödeklarationen består av fyra dokument, en mall för ifyllande av deklaration, en instruktion för ifyllande av deklaration, underlag för ifyllande av deklaration samt ett exempel på en ifylld deklaration. Den utvecklade produkten består av moduler i storleken 800x400x400mm som kopplas samman med hjälp av kopplingsbeslag. Till modulerna finns dörrar och handtag, hyllor och avdelare, sockel samt tillbehör för småförvaring. Modulerna kan placeras i sex olika lägen i förhållande till varandra samt möbleras om vid behov. De kan även placeras både fristående samt mot vägg. Resultatet av fallstudien visar att miljödeklarationen med fördel kan användas som produktutvecklingsverktyg för utvärdering och urval. De utprovningar som genomförs tyder även på att miljödeklarationen är lämplig att använda som produktinformation. Miljödeklarationen bör dock uppdateras kontinuerligt för att säkerställa informationens riktighet, den bör även utökas för att kunna tillämpas på fler produkter. Den framtagna möbeln bör testas gällande hållfasthet och stabilitet enligt Svensk standard.

Dagens system har blivit allt mer komplexa och därmed även processen att utveckla systemen. Det finns många olika tillvägagångssätt för systemutvecklare att arbeta och flera olika verktyg att använda sig av. Den utvecklingsmiljö en utvecklare använder sig av kan därmed ha en påverkan på hur utvecklingsprocessen ser ut. Utvecklingsmiljön är ett viktigt verktyg i dagens utvecklande samhälle och vilka för- och nackdelar olika verktyg för med sig diskuteras flitigt mellan utvecklare på olika nätforum. Från dessa forum framkommer det att vissa utvecklare föredrar att använda textredigerare istället för integrerade utvecklingsmiljöer och vice versa. Tidigare forskning har exempelvis undersökt hur kännedom kring verktyg sprids effektivt mellan utvecklare (Murphy-Hill & Murphy, 2011), men denna uppsats syftar till att förklara varför utvecklare använder olika utvecklingsmiljöer och bakomliggande faktorer till detta. För att åstadkomma detta har respondenter med bred kunskap inom ämnet intervjuats och nämnt faktorer som påverkat deras val av utvecklingsverktyg. Samtliga intervjupersoner har arbetat i både integrerade utvecklingsmiljöer och textredigerare och har därmed åsikter om båda miljöerna. Enligt vår studie finns inga tydliga indikeringar för vilken utvecklingsmiljö som är att föredra i alla lägen. En utvecklare använder det verktyg som passar dess arbetsprocess bäst, men kan ibland använda andra verktyg för att komplettera sin verktygslåda. Vad som styr utvecklaren har att göra med personliga preferenser, hur utvecklaren har påverkats av utbildning och erfarenheter samt potentiella restriktioner inom organisationer. / Today's systems have become more complex and thus the process of developing systems. There are many different approaches for developers to work and several tools that can be used. The environment a developer uses can therefore have an impact on how the development process proceeds. The development environment is an essential tool in today’s evolving society, and what advantages and disadvantages different tools bring are being discussed frequently between developers on various online forums. From these forums, it appears that some developers prefer to use text editors instead of integrated development environments and vice versa. Previous research has shown, for example, how knowledge about the tools is spread effectively between developers (Murphy Hill & Murphy, 2011). But this paper seeks to explain why developers are using different development environments and the factors behind this. To achieve this, we interviewed respondents with broad knowledge about the subject that stated the factors that influenced their choice of development tools. All the interviewees have worked in both integrated development environments and text editors and therefore have opinions about both environments. According to our study, there are no clear indications that a specific development environment is preferred in all situations. A developer is using the tool that fits their work process best, but sometimes uses other tools to complement their toolbox. In choosing a tool the developer is influenced by personal preferences, how surroundings have influenced the developer through education and experience, and potential constraints within organizations.

[pt] Desenvolvimento de software é um processo altamente colaborativo, no qual a construção do software é o objetivo comum. É apoiado em várias fases por ferramentas computacionais, dentre elas as ferramentas de modelagem de software. Modelos são parte importante do processo de desenvolvimento de software e o foco desta pesquisa, que tem como objetivo investigar a comunicabilidade de modelos de software que são produzidos e consumidos através de ferramentas de modelagem. A comunicabilidade de modelos de software é a capacidade que estes artefatos têm de efetuar o processo de comunicação entre pessoas, ou a de serem usados como instrumentos para realizar parte significativa deste processo. As ferramentas de modelagem têm impacto direto nessa comunicabilidade, já que os produtores e consumidores de modelos interagem com tais ferramentas ao longo do processo de desenvolvimento do software. Durante essa interação, os modelos de software, que são artefatos intelectuais, são criados, alterados, evoluídos, transformados e compartilhados pelas pessoas envolvidas nas atividades de especificação, análise, design e implementação do software em desenvolvimento. Além da influência das ferramentas, a modelagem de software também deve considerar a utilização de notações previamente definidas como premissas para as atividades de modelagem. Esta pesquisa é uma investigação como ferramentas e notações de modelagem influenciam e apoiam o processo intelectual de produção e consumo de modelos de software. Temos a Engenharia Semiótica como teoria guia desta pesquisa, tendo em conta um aspecto essencial para esta que é: um estudo criterioso das ferramentas que os envolvidos no desenvolvimento do software utilizam para construir, usar e divulgar modelos através dos quais coordenam o seu trabalho de equipe. O uso de modelos no processo de desenvolvimento de software é um fenômeno que apresenta vários fatores que não podem ser isolados. Portanto, propomos a tripla Tool-Notation-People (TNP) como um recurso de articulação para caracterizar questões observadas sobre modelos no desenvolvimento de software, ao longo de toda a pesquisa. Junto com a tripla TNP, apresentamos um método que combina as perspectivas cognitiva e semiótica para avaliar as ferramentas de modelagem de software, produzindo dados sobre a metacomunicação designer-usuário, sendo os usuários, neste caso, os desenvolvedores de software. Nosso objetivo é rastrear potenciais relações entre a experiência de interação humano-computador dos evolvidos no processo de desenvolvimento de software no momento de criar/ler/editar modelos com: (a) o produto (tipos de modelo) gerado neste processo; e (b) as interpretações que tais modelos evocam quando usados efetivamente em situações práticas do cotidiano para comunicar e expressar ideias e entendimentos . A Engenharia Semiótica apresenta duplo interesse nesta pesquisa. Por um lado, como uma lente de observação , ela nos oferece diversos recursos para investigar e compreender a construção e uso de artefatos computacionais, seus significados e seus papéis no processo de comunicação. Por outro lado, um melhor entendimento sobre o processo completo que resulta, em última análise, na experiência do usuário durante a interação com o software é relevante para a evolução da própria teoria. Ou seja, esta pesquisa produziu mais conhecimento sobre as condições de comunicação e mútuo entendimento daqueles que, segundo a teoria, comunicam sua intenção e princípios de design através da interface , uma fonte potencialmente valiosa de explicações sobre problemas de comunicabilidade em IHC. / [en] Software development is a highly collaborative process where software construction is the common goal. It is supported at several stages by computer tools, including software modeling tools. Models are important artifacts of the software development process and constitute the focus of this research, which aims to investigate the communicability of software models produced and consumed with the support of modeling tools. Software model communicability is the capacity that such artifacts have of carrying and effecting a communication process among people, or of being used as an instrument to perform a significant part of such process. Modeling tools have a direct impact in that communicability, since model s producers and consumers interact with those tools throughout the software development process. During that interaction, software models, which are intellectual artifacts, are created, changed, evolved, transformed and shared by people involved in activities of specification, analysis, design and implementation of the software under development. Besides the influence of tools, software modeling also needs to take into consideration previously defined notations as premises for modeling activities. This research is an investigation on how tools and notations influence and support the intellectual process of production and consumption of software models. We have Semiotic Engineering as our guiding theory given the essence of it that is: a careful study of tools people interact with to build, use and publish models through which they coordinate teamwork. The use of models in the software development process is a phenomenon that includes several factors that cannot be isolated from each other. Therefore, we propose a Tool-Notation-People triplet (TNP triplet) as a means of articulation to characterize observed issues about models in the software development. Along with the TNP triplet, we introduce a method that combines semiotic and cognitive perspectives to evaluate software modeling tools, producing data about the emission of designer-user metacommunication, users in this case being software developers. We aim to track potential relations between the human-computer interaction experience of those involved in the software development process while creating/reading/editing models with: (a) the product (types of models) generated in the process; and (b) the interpretations that such models evoke when used effectively in everyday practical situations to communicate and express ideas and understandings. The interest of working with Semiotic Engineering in this research is twofold. First, as an observation lens, the theory offers many resources to investigate and understand the construction and use of computational artifacts, their meanings and roles in the communication process. Second, a better perspective about the complete process that results, ultimately, in the user experience during the interaction with the software is relevant for the theory s own evolution. In other words, this research has produced further knowledge about the communication conditions and mutual understanding of those who, according to the theory, communicate their intent and design principles through the interface, a potentially valuable source of explanations about communication problems in HCI.

No description available.