Computing / (M.Sc. (Information Systems))

The present study has originated from the realisation that numerous software development projects either do not live up to expectations or fail outright. The scope, environment and implementation of traditional software projects have changed due to various reasons such as globalisation, advances in computing technologies and, last but not least, the development and deployment of software projects in distributed, collaborative and virtual environments. As a result, traditional project management methods cannot and do not address the added complexities found in this ever-changing environment. In this study the processes and procedures associated with software project management (SPM) were explored. SPM can be defined as the process of planning, organising, staffing, monitoring, controlling and leading a software project. The current study is principally aimed at making a contribution to enhancing and supporting SPM. A thorough investigation into software agent computing resulted in the realisation that software agent technology can be regarded as a new paradigm that may be used to support the SPM processes. A software agent is an autonomous system that forms part of an environment, can sense the environment and act on it over a period of time, in pursuit of its own agenda. The software agent can also perceive, reason and act by selecting and executing an appropriate action. The unique requirements of SPM and the ways in which agent technology may address these were subsequently identified. It was concluded that agent technology is specifically suited to geographically distributed systems, large network systems and mobile devices. Agents provide a natural metaphor for support in a team environment where cooperation and the coordination of actions toward a common goal, as well as the monitoring and controlling of actions are strongly supported. Although it became evident that agent technology is indeed being applied to areas and sections of the SPM environment, it is not being applied to the whole spectrum, i.e. to all core and facilitating functions of SPM. If software agents were to be used across the whole spectrum of SPM processes, this could provide a significant advantage to software project managers who are currently using other contemporary methods. The "SPMSA" model (Software Project Management supported by Software Agents) was therefore proposed. This model aims to enhance SPM by taking into account the unique nature and changing environment of software projects. The SPMSA model is unique as it supports the entire spectrum of SPM functionality, thus supporting and enhancing each key function with a team of software agents. Both the project manager and individual team members will be supported during software project management processes to simplify their tasks, eliminate the complexities, automate actions and enhance coordination and communication. Virtual teamwork, knowledge management, automated workflow management and process and task coordination will also be supported. A prototype of a section of the risk management key function of the SPMSA model was implemented as `proof of concept'. This prototype may be expanded to include the entire SPMSA model and cover all areas of SPM. Finally, the SPMSA model was verified by comparing the SPM phases of the model to the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. These phases of the SPMSA model were furthermore compared to the basic phases of software development as prescribed by the ISO 10006:2003 standard for projects. In both cases the SPMSA model compared favourably. Hence it can be concluded that the SPMSA model makes a fresh contribution to the enhancement of SPM by utilising software agent technology. / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Computer Science)

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 1993. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Formal methods aim to apply the rigour of mathematical logic to the problem ofguaranteeing that the behaviour of (critical) software conforms to predetermined requirements. The application of formal methods during program construction centers around a formal specification of the required behaviour of the program. A development attempt is successful if the resulting program can be formally proven to conform to its specification. For any substantial program, this entails a great deal of effort. Thus, some research efforts have been directed at providing mechanical support for the application of formal methods to software development. E.W. Dijkstra's calculus of weakest precondition predicate transformers [39,38] represents one of the first attempts to use program correctness requirements to guide program development in a formal manner. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Formele metodes poog om die strengheid van wiskundige logika te gebruik om te waarborg dat die gedrag van (kritiese) programmatuur voldoen aan gegewe vereistes. Die toepassing van formele metodes tydens programontwikkeling sentreer rondom a formele spesifikasie van die verlangde programgedrag. 'n Ontwikkelingspoging is suksesvol as daar formee1 bewys kan word dat die resulterende program aan sy spesifikasie voldoen. Vir enige substansiële program, verteenwoordig dit ‘n aansienlike hoeveelheid werk. Verskeie navorsinspoging is gerig op die daarstelling van meganiese ondersteuning vir die gebruik van formele metodes tydens ontwikkeling van sagteware. E. W. Dijkstra se calculus van swakste voorkondisie (“weakest precondition”) predikaattransformators [39,38] is een van die eerste pogings om vereistes vir programkorrektheid op ‘n formele en konstruktiewe wyse tydens programontwikkeling te gebruik.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Stepwise development of a program using refinement ensures that the program correctly implements its requirements. The specification of a system is “refined” incrementally to derive an implementable program. The programming space includes both specifications and implementable code, and is ordered with the refinement relation which obeys some mathematical laws. Morgan proposed a modification of this “classical” refinement for systems where the confidentiality of some information is critical. Programs distinguish between “hidden” and “visible” variables and refinement has to bear some security requirement. First, we review refinement for classical programs and present Morgan’s approach for ignorance pre- serving refinement. We introduce the Shadow Semantics, a programming model that captures essential properties of classical refinement while preserving the ignorance of hidden variables. The model invalidates some classical laws which do not preserve security while it satisfies new laws. Our approach will be algebraic, we propose algebraic laws to describe the properties of ignorance preserving refinement. Thus completing the laws proposed in. Moreover, we show that the laws are sound in the Shadow Semantics. Finally, following the approach of Hoare and He for classical programs, we give a completeness result for the program algebra of ignorance preserving refinement. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Stapsgewyse ontwikkeling van ’n program met behulp van verfyning verseker dat die program voldoen aan die vereistes. Die spesifikasie van ’n stelsel word geleidelik ”verfyn” wat lei tot ’n implementeerbare kode, en word georden met ‘n verfyningsverhouding wat wiskundige wette gehoorsaam. Morgan stel ’n wysiging van hierdie klassieke verfyning voor vir stelsels waar die vertroulikheid van sekere inligting van kritieke belang is. Programme onderskei tussen ”verborgeën ”sigbare” veranderlikes en verfyning voldoen aan ’n paar sekuriteitsvereistes. Eers hersien ons verfyning vir klassieke programme en verduidelik Morgan se benadering tot onwetendheid behoud. Ons verduidelik die ”Shadow Semantics”, ’n programmeringsmodel wat die noodsaaklike eienskappe van klassieke verfyning omskryf terwyl dit die onwetendheid van verborge veranderlikes laat behoue bly. Die model voldoen nie aan n paar klassieke wette, wat nie sekuriteit laat behoue bly nie, en dit voldoen aan nuwe wette. Ons benadering sal algebraïese wees. Ons stel algebraïese wette voor om die eienskappe van onwetendheid behoudende verfyning te beskryf, wat dus die wette voorgestel in voltooi. Verder wys ons dat die wette konsekwent is in die ”Shadow Semantics”. Ten slotte, na aanleiding van die benadering in vir klassieke programme, gee ons ’n volledigheidsresultaat vir die program algebra van onwetendheid behoudende verfyning.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 23-26, 2000 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM) allows us to rapidly develop display and analysis features for the Advanced Data Acquisition and Processing System (ADAPS).

Agile software development methods are characterized by developer’s empowerment through self-organization, incremental requirements and constant knowledge sharing. Despite some effort to elaborate how successfully agile methods can be applied in co-located development teams, little is known on how the same is done when the development teams are distributed. Our research focus is to uncover factors that influence the successful application of agile methods in distributed development teams using a software development company as our case study. With three distributed teams applying different agile methods, we conducted focused ethnography alongside interviews to comprehend what and how various factors under distributed development teams influence successful agile methods application. It seems, all that matters is team structure, team spirit, effective communication, product requirements, and knowledge sharing. The team structure has more influence than other factors and therefore our suggestions for successful application of agile methods in distributed software development is to focus on the development team, above all factors. The analysis shows that the development methods themselves have little to do with the successful application of agile methods in distributed software development teams.

Web services provide organizations with a powerful infrastructure by which information and products may be distributed, but the task of supporting Web service systems can be difficult due to the complex nature of environment configuration and operation. Tools are needed to monitor and analyze such Enterprise environments so that appropriate engineering, quality control, or business activities can be pursued. This investigation resulted in the development of a software development kit, the WSLogA Framework, which is inspired by the vision of Cruz et al. (2003, 2004). The WSLogA Framework provides distributed Enterprise systems with a platform for comprehensive information capture and environment management. Five component groups are intended for employment to enable integrated workflows addressing monitoring and response activities, but these components may also be used individually to facilitate the phased integration of the WSLogA Framework into existing environments. The WSLogA Framework's design is portable across technology platforms (e.g., Java and .NET) and a variety of technologies may be substituted for the provided implementations to address unique system architectures. The WSLogA Framework supersedes existing logging and monitoring solutions in terms of both capability and intent. Applications based on the WSLogA Framework have an internal, real-time view of their operation and may adjust their environment based on the information provided by events related to their or system activities. The WSLogA Framework is intended as a software development kit around which system functionality may be organized and implemented, which makes the WSLogA Framework an architectural peer or complement to traditional application frameworks such as Spring's Web module. WSLogA Framework based systems should be envisioned as information appliance elements rather than traditionally scoped applications or services.

Globalisation has come as a double-edged blade for information technology (IT) companies; providing growth opportunities and yet posing many challenges. Software development is moving from a monolithic model to a distributed approach, where many entities and organisations are involved in the development process. Risk management an important area to deal with all the kinds of technical and social issues within companies planning and programming schedules, and this new way of working requires more attention to be paid to the temporal, socio-cultural and control aspects than before. Multinational companies like IBM have begun to consider how to address the distributed nature of its projects across the globe. With outlets across the globe, the company finds various people of different cultures, languages and ethics working on a single and bigger IT projects from different locations. Other IT companies are facing the same problems, despite there being many kinds of approaches available to handle risk management in large scale IT companies. IBM commissioned the Distributed Risk Management Process (DRiMaP) model as a suitable solution. This model focused on the collaborative and on-going control aspects, and paid attention to the need for risk managers, project managers and management to include risk management into all phases of projects and the business cycle. The authors of the DRiMaP model did not subject it to extensive testing. This research sets out to evaluate, improve and extend the model process and thereby develop a new and dynamic approach to distributed information systems development. To do this, this research compares and contrasts the model with other risk management approaches. An Evolutionary Model is developed, and this is subjected to empirical testing through a hybrid constructive research approach. A survey is used to draw out the observations of project participants, a structured interview gathered the opinions of project experts, a software tool was developed to implement the model, and SysML and Monte Carlo methods were applied to this to simulate the functioning of the model. The Evolutionary Model was found to partially address the shortcomings of the DRiMaP model, and to provide a valuable platform for the development of an enterprise risk management solution.

The software engineering community is concerned with improvements in existing methods and development of new and better methods. The research approaches applied to take on this challenge have hitherto focused heavily on the formal and specifying aspect of the method. This has been done for good reasons, because formalizations are the means in software projects to predict, plan, and regulate the development efforts. As formalizations have been successfully developed new challenges have been recognized. The human and social role in software development has been identified as the next area that needs to be addressed. Organizational problems need to be solved if continued progress is to be made in the field. The social element is today a little explored area in software engineering. Following with the increased interest in the social element it has been identified a need of new research approaches suitable for the study of human behaviour. The one sided focus on formalizations has had the consequence that concepts and explanation models available in the community are one sided related in method discourses. Definition of method is little explored in the software engineering community. In relation to identified definitions of method the social appears to blurring. Today the software engineering community lacks powerful concepts and explanation models explaining the social element. This thesis approaches the understanding of the social element in software engineering by applying ethnomethodologically informed ethnography and ethnography. It is demonstrated how the ethnographic inquiry contributes to software engineering. Ethnography is also combined with an industrial cooperative method development approach. The results presented demonstrate how industrial external and internal socio political contingencies both hindered a method implementation, as well as solved what the method was targeted to do. It is also presented how project members’ method deployment - as a social achievement is played out in practice. In relation to this latter contribution it is provided a conceptual apparatus and explanation model borrowed from social science, The Documentary method of interpretation. This model addresses core features in the social element from a natural language point of view that is of importance in method engineering. This model provides a coherent complement to an existing method definition emphasizing formalizations. This explanation model has also constituted the underpinning in research methodology that made possible the concrete study results.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The objective of this research is to characterise the factors influencing Open Source Software (OSS) adoption decisions in South African organisations. OSS is used extensively throughout the world, but there is a large amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt surrounding decisions to adopt OSS. The research improved this situation by determining the adoption factors that are relevant to South African organisations. OSS adoption is influenced by individual and organisational technology adoption factors. An extensive literature revealed the technology adoption factors relevant to OSS adoption. Adoption factors identified in literature were localised to the South African context, taking into account both public and private sector organisations. The research has found that OSS adoption factors identified in literature are relevant in a South African context. Factors investigated include access to source code, adoption costs, software freedom and control, technological factors, support factors, organisational factors and environmental factors. An important factor in OSS adoption decisions is the choice between vendor and community based OSS and the skills and resource requirements. Choosing community based software requires additional training, skills and resources. Organisations should take into account the effect of OSS development methodology on adoption decision factors. Important adoption decision factors include software compatibility (open standards), compatibility different hardware platforms (cross platform capabilities) and software and hardware vendor independence. The research concludes with recommendations approaching OSS adoption decisions when considering the choice between OSS and proprietary software.