Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S. in Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 1990. / Thesis Advisor(s): Haga, William J. Second Reader: McCaffrey, Martin J. "December 1990." Description based on title screen as viewed on March 30, 2010. DTIC Identifier(s): Quality Control, Management Planning And Control, Military Procurement, Quality, Management, Automation, TQM(Total Quality Management), Quality Management, TQM, Total Quality Management, Theses. Author(s) subject terms: Procurement Quality, Total Quality Management. Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-45). Also available in print.

The Thesis deals with the quality management methods based on Total Quality Management principles and their use in Czech public administration practice. It tries to answer questions about the quality management methods and tools which are used in the practice of the public administration. The main questions are: What is the current status of quality management, what is its essence and what factors it influences. Because the quality management methods are based on the business process management the Thesis also deals with this concept and its application to the public administration practice.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 99-101).

The ever-increasing complexity of software systems makes them hard to comprehend, predict and tune due to emergent properties and non-deterministic behaviour. Complexity arises from the size of software systems and the wide variety of possible operating environments: the increasing choice of platforms and communication policies leads to ever more complex performance characteristics. In addition, software systems exhibit different behaviour under different workloads. Many software systems are designed to be configurable so that policies (e.g. communication, concurrency and recovery strategies) can be chosen to meet the needs of various stakeholders. For complex software systems it can be difficult to accurately predict the effects of a change and to know which configuration is most appropriate. This thesis demonstrates that it is useful to run automated experiments that measure a selection of system configurations. Experiments can find configurations that meet the stakeholders' needs, find interesting behavioural characteristics, and help produce predictive models of the system's behaviour. The design and use of ACT (Automated Configuration Tool) for running such experiments is described, in combination a number of search strategies for deciding on the configurations to measure. Design Of Experiments (DOE) is discussed, with emphasis on Taguchi Methods. These statistical methods have been used extensively in manufacturing, but have not previously been used for configuring software systems. The novel contribution here is an industrial case study, applying the combination of ACT and Taguchi Methods to DC-Directory, a product from Data Connection Ltd (DCL). The case study investigated the applicability of Taguchi Methods for configuring complex software systems. Taguchi Methods were found to be useful for modelling and configuring DC-Directory, making them a valuable addition to the techniques available to system administrators and developers.

Identificar como a tecnologia da informação e seu uso estratégico têm contribuído, ou não, com a promoção e com a gestão da qualidade de vida no trabalho. Foram analisadas questões macroeconômicas, como o ambiente globalizado e virtualizado, e a formação de uma nova sociedade baseada na informação e no conhecimento. Em função destes fatores-chaves da pesquisa, o objetivo central foi entender os impactos destas mudanças nas organizações e nas relações humanas com o trabalho, identificando como estas mudanças estão relacionadas à tecnologia da informação. A partir de extensa revisão bibliográfica, que gerou a fundamentação teórica, e da escolha pela metodologia de estudo de caso realizou-se um levantamento qualitativo e quantitativo, identificando em uma realidade organizacional os conceitos apresentados, procurando descrever quais os efeitos que as práticas em tecnologia da informação têm contribuído para o alcance de bem-estar e conforto para as pessoas na empresa. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que a tecnologia da informação provoca mudanças nas relações do trabalhador com o ambiente. Foram identificadas alterações em função da nova realidade proporcionada pela execução remota das atividades profissionais por meio do teletrabalho. Estas alterações foram percebidas nas dimensões biológicas, psicológicas e sociais do ser humano. E, conseqüentemente, a relação do trabalhador com a empresa muda para adaptar-se à nova dinâmica organizacional. E para minimizar os possíveis efeitos negativos destas alterações e dar o suporte necessário para a obtenção de melhores resultados, a Gestão de Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho seria uma alternativa interessante. Por meio da Gestão de Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho, os colaboradores (não só os teletrabalhadores) terão melhores condições de desempenhar suas tarefas, com conforto e bem-estar. E a empresa, com os prováveis e maiores comprometimento e satisfação dos trabalhadores, conseqüentemente, estará preparada para superar os desafios e alcançar as metas desejadas num ambiente mais complexo e competitivo. / To identify as the information technology and its strategic use have contributed, or not, with the promotion and the management of the quality of work life. Macroeconomic questions had been analyzed, as globalization and the virtual environment, and also the formation of a new society based on the information and the knowledge. In function of these factors keys of the research, the central objective was to understand the impacts of these changes in the organizations and the relation human beings with the work, identifying as these changes are related to the information technology. From extensive bibliographical revision, generating theoretical recital, and of the choice for the methodology of case study, a qualitative and quantitative survey was become fulfilled, identifying in a organizational reality the presented concepts, looking for to describe which the effect that the practices in information technology have contributed for the reach of well-being and comfort for the people in the company. The reached results demonstrate that the information technology provokes changes in the relations of the worker with the environment. Alterations had been identified in function of the new reality for the remote execution of the professional activities by means of telework. These alterations had been perceived in the biological, psychological and social dimensions of the human being. And, consequently, the relation of the worker with the company changes to adapt it the new organizational dynamics. And to minimize the possible negative effects of these alterations and to give the necessary support for the achievement of better profits, the Management of Quality of Work Life would be an interesting alternative. By means of the Management of Quality of Work Life, all collaborators (not only the teleworkers) will have better conditions to perform its tasks, with comfort and well-being. And the company, with probable and more commitment and satisfaction of the worker, consequently, will be prepared to surpass the challenges and to reach the goals desired in an environment more complex and competitive.

The aim of this thesis is to propose a safety management framework for construction companies. A literature review was performed to identify significant factors that would improve safety performance. Two management tools are used within the scope of this study: the balanced scorecard and quality function deployment (QFD). Strategic goals are established for each perspective of the balanced scorecard: financial and cultural, employee, process and learning and growth. Afterwards, a questionnaire was prepared using the QFD approach. The goals in the financial and cultural perspective were defined as the needs of the organization related to safety (&ldquo / customer requirements&rdquo / in the original QFD approach). The goals in the remaining perspectives formed the actions that the organization could do to achieve its needs (&ldquo / product how&rsquo / s&rdquo / in the original QFD). Results of the questionnaire were used to form the final strategic goals in balanced scorecard. Safety performance measures and initiatives were defined for the accomplishment of the goals in the balanced scorecard.

Quality is often claimed as the 3rd dimension of any project: the success of a project depends on the management of time, cost and quality. However, quality is a much more elusive substance and its management can be problematic. This thesis examines some of the models proposed for managing quality in projects and considers their relevance via a number of case studies. The present study aims to provide a foundation from which a methodology for the management of quality in projects can be evolved. The general definition of “quality” is still discussed and its interpretation in the specific area of project management is open to debate. In this thesis it has been found useful to consider three levels of quality management in the project environment, broadly equivalent to those usually accepted in operations management: quality control, quality assurance and total quality management. Various methods of quality control have been employed in projects for many years. The emphasis of the present study is on the project management equivalents of quality assurance and total quality management and to examine whether they fulfil the true need. A major element of successful quality management is the establishing of constructive methods of feedback. Feedback is also often claimed to be a vital ingredient of successful project management: learning from past successes, and failures. A conduit to provide feedback is often problematic due to the very nature of projects and their finite lifespan. Mainstream thinking believes that standard quality systems employed in the production and operation environment can be incorporated effectively in project management thus increasing operational consistency and reducing the risk of activity or project failure. However, is the model of quality embedded in these systems relevant to projects with their characteristics of uniqueness and long time scales? Initial debate assumed that existing quality management systems would be of benefit in projects, which exhibited a lower level of uniqueness and were closer to an operations management perspective. A literature review followed to gauge the level of importance attached to quality systems and its role in the project process. This determined that there was a need to investigate what existing quality systems, contributed in a purely project environment and what impact they had on improving project success especially in regard to the uniqueness of the projects and to the size of the project organization involved. In addition, the impact an industry-standard quality system had on project organizations compared to project organizations that did not possesses any formal system. To compare and contrast the conventional approach to quality in projects, the complementary areas of systems thinking and system dynamics were explored. Examining an alternative field to quality management was beneficial in providing a different perspective on how systems can be modelled evaluated and applied to real-world applications. This part of the research contributed significantly to the formation of the ideas and opinions on the way in which the concept of quality should be promoted in project management. In particular, the identification of mental models and the use of graphical representations to describe, illustrate and model the tangible and intangible entities found in most types of system. The use of a case study methodology was seen as the most valid way of attaining a holistic view of the complete project process and exploring the salient issues surrounding quality and projects. The fieldwork carried out to facilitate this goal, comprised of a restricted number of in-depth case studies, which encapsulated complete projects. An essential part of this process was the use of participant observation and in part action research, as these approaches increased the access to the available qualitative data whilst being mutually beneficial to the research and to the organisations involved. The scope of the case studies carried out was governed by a number of constraints: • The availability of suitable projects. • The timespan of the available projects matching that of the research, consequently the projects studied are on a relatively small scale. • The organizations in which the action research process could be a valid exchange of services. • The reluctance of organizations in certain industries to allow access to data on projects in particular activities that had led to project failure. The alternative models and techniques offered by systems thinking and system dynamics were explored to see if they could deliver more insights into the diverse aspects of project quality and how feedback in systems can be effectively represented. From the four case studies carried out, it is evident that there is a need for a fundamental revision on how quality is both defined and measured in project management. There is a need for greater emphasis on the acquisition and retention of knowledge by project organizations including the ability to disperse that knowledge by a practical and useful medium. Existing quality management systems still exhibit their origins, which do not take into account the uniqueness and instability of the project environment. In practice, the demand for registration to an industry-recognised quality standard appears to discriminate against the smaller project organization. The impact on the larger organizations is no less significant due to the creation of ‘underground’ parallel working practices, which are a significant waste of resources. The veneer of compliance to a global standard does not help the project organization learn or accumulate knowledge. In conclusion, this thesis proposes that project management needs an alternative methodology to provide a more practical method of project feedback, to enhance the ability of future projects. This thesis puts forward a foundation for this methodology based upon the valuable attributes of the models identified during the research in addition to the value of the case studies compiled. The aim for the implementation of a practical quality system has to be based on a reappraisal of what its purpose is. Therefore, it is proposed that the objective of any system would be to capture knowledge, store and redistribute that knowledge in a manner that makes a positive contribution to future project success. Emphasis is placed on increasing success by the acquisition of knowledge, in contrast to the traditional quality concepts of decreasing risk by the control of activities. In essence a shift from existing mechanistic systems towards more neurocybernetic systems. The increasing capabilities of communication and information technologies make the practicalities of creating this type of system perfectly feasible.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.