Context. Software re-engineering has been identified as a business critical activity to improve legacy systems in industries. It is the process of understanding existing software and improving it, for modified or improved functionality, better maintainability, configurability, reusability, or other quality goals. However, there is little knowledge to integrate software quality attributes into the re-engineering process. It is essential to resolve quality problems through applying software re-engineering processes. Objectives. In this study we perform an in-depth investigation to identify and resolve quality problems by applying software re-engineering processes. At the end, we created a quality driven re-engineering framework. Methods. At first, we conducted a literature review to get knowledge for building the quality driven re-engineering framework. After that, we performed a case study in Ericsson Company to validate the processes of the framework. At last, we carried out an experiment to prove that the identified quality problems has been resolved. Results. We compared three existing re-engineering frameworks and identified their weaknesses. In order to fix the weaknesses, we created a quality driven re-engineering framework. This framework is used to improve software quality through identifying and resolving root cause problems in legacy systems. Moreover, we validated the framework for one type of legacy system by successfully applying the framework in a real case in Ericsson Company. And also, we proved that the efficiency of a legacy system is improved after executing an experiment in Ericsson Company. Conclusions. We conclude that the quality driven re-engineering framework is applicable, and it can improve efficiency of a legacy system. Moreover, we conclude that there is a need for further empirical validation of the framework in full scale industrial trials.

Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att undersöka framgångsfaktorer vid införandet av ERP-system i olika företag. Både kundernas och leverantörens syn på framgångsfaktorer vid införandet har klargjorts. Min empiriska undersökning har utförts på fem olika företag och jag har intervjuat totalt fem personer som samtliga haft mycket centrala roller vid ERP-införandena. Vid intervjuerna har jag använt mig av kvalitativ ansats där informanterna har fått berätta relativt fritt om vad de uppfattat kunna påverka framgången med införandet av ERP-systemen. Jag analyserade det insamlade materialet med hjälp av empirinär kvalitativ bearbetning, i form av innehållsanalys. Undersökningens resultat visar att kunderna och leverantören inte ser helt lika på vilka faktorer som bidrar till framgång. Det finns dock några tydliga samband mellan leverantörens och kundens syn på framgångsfaktorer. Samsyn ligger i att kunden ska göra en dokumenterad processmappning av verksamhetens före och efterläge vilket leder till att leverantörens arbete underlättas och implementeringen av systemet kommer igång snabbare. Vidare samsyn finns kring det faktum att kunden ska förbereda sig på den kommande förändringen genom att utbilda personalen i handhavandet av systemet samt ge personalen ökad förståelse kring förändringsproblematiken. Detta leder till större engagemang hos kunden och snabbare acceptans av systemet i företaget. / The purpose of this report has been to investigate successfactors when implementing ERP-systems in different companies. The opinion of both the supplier and the customer’s point of view about the successfactors has been explained. The empiricalstudy has included five different companies and a total of five persons. I have used a qualitative approach during the different interviews. The material from the interviews was analysed with the qualitative method content analysis. The study shows the supplier and the customers both have and have not the same opinion about which successfactors to consider when implementing. There are a few obvious connections between the supplier and the customer’s point of view. They agree about the importance of linking business processes and information to the system in the feasibility study. This will lead to an easier and more rapid implementation phase. They also agree about the importance of educating the personal, both in practical skills of the system and also information of the reactions of change in the organisation. This will lead to a greater engagement from the customer and quicker system acceptance.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The modern public sector and system of administration in Ethiopia began at the time of the imperial period, in the early 1960s. But this sector and the tradition of administration itself, compared with other countries, is not yet strong enough to play its role as a catalyst in the development and growth of the country. This study explores the wide array of public sector administration and reform practices in other countries and compares them with Ethiopia. More specifically, it looks into Business Process Re-engineering, a recently adopted type of reform, which originated in the private sector. Commonly termed BPR, Business Process Re-Engineering is a reform mechanism to uproot age-old systems of thinking and functioning in any organization and replace them with new paradigms and more efficient and lean systems that will lead to visible results. The literature reveals that it has had mixed results of improvement, both in the private sector and in the public sector in many countries. This study sets out to analyse whether this is just another fad of reform being adopted in order to fulfil a completely different objective of political reform, or whether it is a real effort to bring about changes in the way the public sector conducts its business. From its wide application in the country, two varying sectors have been chosen for this analysis. One is a service-giving institution in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which has frequent interaction with citizens and, most importantly, investors and business organizations. The other sector is the policy, programming and legal framework designing institution in the Ministry of Works and Urban Development, an institution that depicts one of the core tasks of the public sector. As a result, the findings indicate mixed results in its application. In an institution where there are clearly defined tasks and deliverables, the BPR application seems to have generated visible results with potential continuity. On the other hand, in core public sector tasks, where government plays the regulatory and policy guiding roles, the initial outcomes of the re-engineering process do not look that promising. The newly designed and presented processes seem to be quite superficial, contrary to the principles of the BPR concept. In conclusion, re-engineering is not an across-the-board application when it comes to the public sector, as there are core functions of the government to which it does not apply. In addition, this leads the study to the conclusion that reforms are appropriate in the public sector, so long as they generate tangible results and changes.

Purpose – This paper aims to present an applied research effort aimed at reengineering the utilization practices of operating rooms for a public Portuguese hospital. This reengineering effort is motivated by the desire to enhance the patientorientation of the hospital. The role of information systems in facilitating such organizational change is also to be examined. Design/methodology/approach – Actual data are used to simulate outcomes of three different operational scenarios related to the utilization of operating rooms and surgical teams. As such, the critical constraint related to surgical capacity is relaxed under different utilization scenarios. Findings – Based on the findings of the study, it appears that there is no conflict between operational efficiency and patient satisfaction. Welldesigned operational changes can lead to both efficiency and patient satisfaction benefits. This, in turn, can translate into competitive strategic advantage for the hospital. Research limitations/implications – The simulation results derived from this applied research are positive. In general, they tend to point to potential operational and strategic benefits to the hospital and its patients. Although the simulation model used in this study was validated using actual data, more research is needed to test its general applicability. Such research should shed more light on the interrelationships which exist within the hospital operating system. Practical implications – The approach advocated in this research has operational and strategic relevance to healthcare policy makers and hospitals' administrators. In this context, the role of the information systems in providing information relevant to tracking and improving a hospital's performance is emphasized. Originality/value – The paper presents a practical, applied, systematic approach toward enhancing operational effectiveness in healthcare organizations. It draws on bodies of knowledge pretending to system theory, simulation and operations management in order to improve the shortterm performance of hospitals.

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A common problem experienced by the software engineering community traditionally has been that of understanding legacy code. A decade ago, legacy code was used to refer to programs written in COBOL, typically for large mainframe systems. However, current software developers predominantly use Object Oriented languages like C++ and Java. The belief prevalent among software developers and object philosophers that comprehending object-oriented software will be relatively easier has turned out to be a myth. Tomorrow's legacy code is being written today, since object oriented programs are even more complex and difficult to comprehend, unless rigorously documented. Reverse Engineering is a methodology that greatly reduces the time, effort and complexity involved in solving the program comprehension problem. This thesis deals with Reverse Engineering complex object oriented software and the experiences with a sample case study. Extensive survey of literature and contemporary research on reverse engineering and program comprehension was undertaken as part of this thesis work. An Energy Information System (EIS) application created by a leading energy service provider and one that is being used extensively in the real world was chosen as a case study. Reverse engineering this industry strength Java application necessitated the definition of a formal process. An intuitive Reverse Engineering Process (REP) was defined and used for the reverse engineering effort. The learning experiences gained from this case study are discussed in this thesis. / Master of Science

This master thesis covers re-engineering methods of legacy systems. Legacy system is an old system, which is hardly compliant with modern technologies and used only because it has become an integral part of organization business process support during the long period of its maintenance. These systems are large, monolithic and difficult to modify, and cost and risk of their replacement are difficult to predict. The science of software engineering offers an incremental modernization of information systems applying the re-engineering of legacy software. The main goal of software re-engineering is to transform the software in the way, it would become easier to understand, maintain and re-use, at the same time preserving its useful, time trusted functions. The main re-engineering methods are source code translation, reverse engineering and data re-engineering. This thesis covers the analysis of these methods, which was made during the re-engineering of wood production and sales accounting system. The adoption and realization time rate of every method was examined. The influence of the applied re-engineering methods to the system reliability, efficiency, usability and other quality metrics is given.

The operational advantages of a pull system are very well documented. These advantages include not only operational efficiency and quality, but also the enhancement of the customer oriented of the organization. The objective of this field study is to examine the applicability and potential advantages of a pull operational system in a mid-size manufacturing organization. Philosophies, tools, and concepts of Just-in-Time, Theory of Constraints, Business Process Re-engineering, and Root Cause Analysis are used to analyze the existing operational system, to identify its weaknesses, and finally to re-engineer it to be more consistent with a pull operational system. The results of this field study appear to be consistent with reported findings in the literature. The results point to both operational gains and customer related benefits which can be attributed to the pull operational system philosophy. Conclusions and recommendations are presented and discussed in light of their practical and theoretical implications.

Abstact During the past several years,many facilites have tranfered to some foreign sties rapidly,and suffered the declined dilemma.The low cost,high quality,and differential are only one of the essential strategic factors to survive for any enterprise.To focus the knowledge management and create the enterprise intelligence asset will make sure of the prosperous business activities in the future. The fields of Paint and Resin are regarded as the conventional industries ,and divided to the ¡§formulation¡¨ characteristics.The storing,sharing,and creating of these knowledge,concering to the formulations and applications of their related products,have been recognized as the most important core competency advantages. The thesis is concentrated on the two fields of ¡§paint¡¨ and ¡§resin¡¨.The following research procedures are proposed as: (A) paper survey (B)the published reports (C)questionnaire(D)casestudies(E)survey the modules and interfaces of K.M. sofetwares in Taiwan,(F)then construct the K.M. manafement systen and web-site by the integration of business process re-engineering and prototyping. The conclusions could be proposed as: 1. The situations of K.M.for ¡§paint¡¨ and ¡§resin¡¨ fields¡G Even only the 12.9% of questionaired companies have established their K.M.system.However,the importance and urgency of K.M.system are well recognized. The division or classifications of knowedege contents can be based on the functional departments during the daily business operation.As wells,10 indices of knowedege management performance reviews are proposed.Some further proposed 12 possible problems or difficulties could be occurred in the futuer 2. the reseach of K.M.software¡Gthese modules including,system management, ,news broadcasting,community, paper workflow,resource management,E.I.P.,meeting management, ,e-learningdata-besed system,full-text searching,etc. 3.Cases studies for the two leading companies: To conclude the critical success factors of K.M. systems are¡Gthe pressure outside the enterprise,the full supports of owner or C.E.O.,the reasonable management system, high levels of human resource,and the well-training of M.I.S.people 4.To prototype the K.M.system and K.M. web-site is quite possible and helpful for the further K.M.project,and will help C.E.O. and some managers to recognize and support the K.M. project afterwards Key words¡GK.M.(knowledge management),B.P.R.(business process re-engineering),prototyping,enterprise intelligence asset,best practise¡Acommunity,paint,resin.