A escolha entre o uso de metodologias ágeis ou metodologias tradicionais de desenvolvimento de software continua sendo amplamente discutida em vários aspectos, sendo um deles a presença ou ausência de certos fatores que precisam ser identificados para que as aplicações das metodologias sejam realizadas com sucesso. Neste estudo, tanto metodologias ágeis quanto tradicionais são discutidas através da literatura desde seu surgimento, histórico e evolução, até estudos comparativos entre ambas e outros com evidências empíricas, embora ainda haja a necessidade de estudos deste último tipo para o domínio. Com o intuito de avaliar as adequações dos tipos de metodologia para os diferentes cenários que uma organização ou projeto pode apresentar a partir dos fatores encontrados na literatura, foram realizadas entrevistas e questionários com pessoas envolvidas em desenvolvimento e definição de processos de desenvolvimento de software em um estudo de caso em empresa selecionada para a obtenção de mais evidências empíricas sobre o tema. Com os resultados obtidos, identifica-se então entre os fatores estudados quais são habilitadores e quais são inibidores para cada tipo de metodologia, propondo-se um modelo para a escolha de um ou de outro tipo a partir da presença ou ausência destes fatores nos cenários de aplicação das metodologias. / The choice between agile or traditional software development methodologies continues to be widely discussed in several aspects, being one of these aspects that certain factors presence or absence must be identified for methodologies usage to be successful. In this study, both agile and traditional methodologies are discussed on the domain literature from their emergence, historical facts and evolution, to comparative studies and empirical evidences obtained, despite there is still need for studies on this last subject for the domain. In order to evaluate adequacy for both types of methodologies to the different scenarios in which an organization or project may occur considering the factors appointed by literature, interviews and surveys where done with key people involved in software development or software processes in a case study in a selected company for more empirical evidence achievement. Then it is possible to identify between the factors which are enablers and which are inhibitors for each type of methodology, then purposing a model for the choice between the two types from the presence or absence of these factors in the scenarios for their uses.

A escolha entre o uso de metodologias ágeis ou metodologias tradicionais de desenvolvimento de software continua sendo amplamente discutida em vários aspectos, sendo um deles a presença ou ausência de certos fatores que precisam ser identificados para que as aplicações das metodologias sejam realizadas com sucesso. Neste estudo, tanto metodologias ágeis quanto tradicionais são discutidas através da literatura desde seu surgimento, histórico e evolução, até estudos comparativos entre ambas e outros com evidências empíricas, embora ainda haja a necessidade de estudos deste último tipo para o domínio. Com o intuito de avaliar as adequações dos tipos de metodologia para os diferentes cenários que uma organização ou projeto pode apresentar a partir dos fatores encontrados na literatura, foram realizadas entrevistas e questionários com pessoas envolvidas em desenvolvimento e definição de processos de desenvolvimento de software em um estudo de caso em empresa selecionada para a obtenção de mais evidências empíricas sobre o tema. Com os resultados obtidos, identifica-se então entre os fatores estudados quais são habilitadores e quais são inibidores para cada tipo de metodologia, propondo-se um modelo para a escolha de um ou de outro tipo a partir da presença ou ausência destes fatores nos cenários de aplicação das metodologias. / The choice between agile or traditional software development methodologies continues to be widely discussed in several aspects, being one of these aspects that certain factors presence or absence must be identified for methodologies usage to be successful. In this study, both agile and traditional methodologies are discussed on the domain literature from their emergence, historical facts and evolution, to comparative studies and empirical evidences obtained, despite there is still need for studies on this last subject for the domain. In order to evaluate adequacy for both types of methodologies to the different scenarios in which an organization or project may occur considering the factors appointed by literature, interviews and surveys where done with key people involved in software development or software processes in a case study in a selected company for more empirical evidence achievement. Then it is possible to identify between the factors which are enablers and which are inhibitors for each type of methodology, then purposing a model for the choice between the two types from the presence or absence of these factors in the scenarios for their uses.

Data warehousing is a new and emerging field. Projects tend to be complex and time consuming. Because of this complexity, teams tend to commit to more than they can deliver. This causes delayed delivery. Applying Agile development styles to data warehousing is one of the alternative methodologies that are being investigated to help teams to accelerate the delivery of business value. Scrum is one of the frameworks that falls within the Agile stream. Scrum focuses on project management and makes use of iterative and incremental development. It tries to deliver the smallest piece of business value the fastest. The paper evaluates the implementation of Scrum in a data warehouse team of a financial investment company. The researcher did an action research study on the team to see if Scrum can be used as a viable alternative framework to bring agility to Data Warehouse development. She examined the changes that the team experienced during and after the implementation of Scrum, focusing on team structure and roles within the teams. The researcher defined a framework to evaluate how well the team implemented Scrum. The researcher also evaluated the quality of work delivered, and the predictability and productivity of the team as metrics to see if Scrum made a difference within the team. The research paper examined why the implementation failed and what issues Scrum highlighted within the team as well as within the way that the company implemented it. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Informatics / unrestricted

Context. Software Project management focuses on planning and executing the activities for developing software. Agile Software Project Management helps to plan shorter iterations and frequent changes to customer requirement. Developing the process flow metrics helps to monitor the process and to tune the process for the given context. Objectives. The main objectives in the thesis are to identify process flow metrics and frameworks that are suitable for measuring the process flow in Agile projects especially projects with significant dependence on hardware components. Apart from identified metrics from the literature, we identify the impact, challenges, and advantages of using agile models with the help of productivity and process flow metrics and implement them on a test phase project and compare the productivity of agile model with waterfall model. Methods. The thesis presents a two-step study. The first step was to perform a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and collect the metrics from the literature study that can be used for the comparison of the productivity of both the processes. The Second step was to conduct a case study at Volvo Cars to get us a better understanding the impact of the agile and how the process flow metrics can be used in real time for measuring and comparison.   Results. In the first step of SLR, 363 metrics that can be used by software teams have been identified of which 10 were suitable for the comparison of our current case study required by the second step of our thesis. In the second step, in the first iteration after the transition, an increase in productivity of 6.25% is achieved by the team following the agile process over the team following the traditional process. Several advantages and challenges faced during the transition have been identified which might have affected the achieved productivity. Conclusions. We conclude from the results achieved that metrics can be used as a tool to enhance the benefits of the Agile process. Process Flow metrics can be of good use to compare the difference of productivity between different processes and make improvements to the current processes. Use of process flow metrics increases the insight of all the team members on the progress of the project and guides them to enhance team performance and stay on track with the project schedule.

Masters of Science / In a world where technology is advancing at a very rapid pace, global competition has significantly increased, and this is putting pressure on software companies to produce quality software. It has therefore become critically important to manage well the implementation of software engineering projects by employing effective methods that ensure the best product is produced. The most popular software project implementation methodologies are the Traditional methods and Agile methods. This research explored these two methodologies by comparing the strength and weakness of both approaches. The research was conducted using a constructionist epistemology with a critical inquiry using the grounded theory methodology, applying both quantitative and qualitative methods to the case studies. Findings were collected through participant observation using a designed questionnaire targeting a selected sample of the study population. This sample of the population consisted of Ecommerce organizations in the Western Cape province of South Africa to establish which of the Traditional or Agile methods would best lead to the successful implementation of Ecommerce software engineering projects. The research results showed that the Agile methodology was the preferred and recommended approach. Very few participants of the research supported the Traditional approach to still be considered and used for projects with well-known end goals. An Ecommerce website prototype for a local Cape Town business was constructed as following the Agile approach to measure and validate the findings of the research. The prototype was built successfully from conception to the final delivery product and on time confirming the Agile approach as best for Ecommerce software development. In conclusion, the Agile methodology is the choice approach based on reviewed literature, the research results, and the prototype construction. These results will help in critical decision making regarding an appropriate development methodology to follow for the Ecommerce industry in the Western Cape.

Denna studie problematiserar icke-funktionella krav (IF krav), även benämnt kvalitetskrav, i svenska mjukvaruutvecklingsprojekt. Kravhantering anses vara den mest avgörande delen i mjukvaruutveckling för att lyckas, vilket än idag är en utmaning i majoriteten av projekten. Särskilt svårt är det att lyckas med IF krav, då tvetydigheter leder till brist på dokumentation och slutligen bortprioriteras de. För att adressera dessa problem syftade denna studie att besvara hur väl de IF kraven dokumenteras inom svenska mjukvaruutvecklingsprojekt samt vem som kan ansvara för att kvalitetssäkra de IF kraven. En mixed-method har genomförts med både en kvalitativ litteraturstudie av tidigare forskning samt en kvantitativ studie. Datainsamlingen i den kvantitativa studien har skett med webbaserad enkätundersökning med 24 frågor. Enkäten skickades ut till 72 företag i Sverige vars huvudsyssla var mjukvaruutveckling. Sammanlagt samlades 43 svar in och en univariat analys genomfördes. Enkätundersökningen indikerade att respondenterna är positivt inställda till dokumentation av IF krav. De flesta saknar dessutom gedigen kunskap om IF krav. Vidare saknas tydliga ansvarsroller för dokumentationen av IF krav. En lösnings- eller mjukvaruarkitekt är bäst lämpad för att kvalitetssäkra de IF kraven. Denna studie är skriven på svenska och kan främja studenter, forskare och yrkesverksamma då den nyanserar vikten av IF krav och hur existerande brister kan förbättras. / This study examines non-functional requirements (NFRs), also known as quality requirements, in Swedish software development projects. Requirements engineering is considered the most crucial part of software development, which is still a challenge in the majority of projects today. In particular, the NFRs are the most challenging seeing as there are ambiguities concerning their definition. This in turn leads to lack of documentation and, ultimately, their deprioritization. To address these issues, this study aimed to answer how well NFRs are documented in Swedish software development projects and who can be responsible for ensuring the quality of these NFRs. A mixed-method was conducted with both a qualitative literature review of previous research and a quantitative study. The data collection in the quantitative study was conducted using a web-based survey with 24 questions. The survey was sent to 72 software development companies in Sweden. A total of 43 responses were collected, and a univariate analysis was performed. The survey indicated that respondents have a positive attitude towards documenting. Additionally, most respondents lack comprehensive knowledge about NFRs and clear roles for the NFRs are missing. Standardization, better guidelines, and clear roles are needed to ensure the quality of NFRs, which are currently lacking. A solution or software architect is best suited to ensure the quality of NFRs. This study, written in Swedish, can benefit students, researchers, and professionals as it highlights the importance of NFRs and suggests improvements for existing deficiencies.