Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This report details the critical success factors for consideration in developing a quick response (QR) supply chain strategy for fashion apparel retailers in South Africa. Quick response is the recent supply chain management development that supports a fast fashion business model most evident within the North American and European fashion apparel market. A QR supply chain strategy differs from previous supply chain management principles as it utilises consumer data to create a demand driven network in order to co-ordinate functions through the supply chain. This differs from the standard ‘push’ model evident within the normal fashion apparel cycle and follows a more consumer-centric approach to product demand. The continued success and growth of four of the global fashion apparel, retail organisations as listed by Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2014 survey, is attributed to the ability of these retailers to respond in season to consumer demand. These leading organisations have effectively adapted and incorporated a QR strategy into their broader competitive offering. South African fashion apparel retailers have recently begun introducing the philosophy and operational strategy of QR to their overriding business strategy, however, current implementation is limited and the full advantages of QR practises in comparison to the northern hemisphere markets is not being realised. Based on the limited amount of local retail and manufacturing QR information, limited availability of sales data for statistical analysis, increasing levels of competition and slow economic growth, a clear understanding of QR is needed. Critically, phased implementation of QR in South Africa requires a clear understanding of the critical success factors (CSF) needed for upfront engagement between retailers and manufacturers. The primary research question was therefore, what are the critical success factors for QR implementation in the South African fashion apparel sector? The purpose of this research was to define a priority list of critical success factors for consideration by defining the scope of QR thinking within business and clarifying the degree and level of application in northern hemisphere markets as lessons for the local sector. Three research aspects were conducted in determining the critical success factors for South Africa. An academic literature review was used to describe the development of QR and identify those factors within the field of supply chain management. This was used to define the scope of questions and themes for interviews with local industry professionals. The results of these interviews were then compared to insights from case studies of global, fast fashion retailers in order to define the priority list of factors. The primary findings for the South African retail sector were: that effective QR implementation should be strongly aligned to the strategic positioning of retail and manufacturing cluster of organisations. Detailed consideration of the benefits for both supply chain members, as well as the level of communication and exchange of information was critical in developing the responsiveness required from the supply chain. Collaborative product design featured frequently within the research and required new processes and organisational structures to be implemented effectively. The findings of the research provide a concise, viable set of factors for retail and manufacturing engagement. These factors can be used to structure long term, sustainable quick response practises to enable greater adoption and implementation within the South African sector. This will encourage more close-to-home product development and enable retailers to better utilise local manufacturing resources while remaining competitive.

Context: Software testing is the process of assessing quality of a software product to determine whether it matches with the existing requirements of the customer or not. Software testing is one of the “Verification and Validation,” or V&V, software practices. The two basic techniques of software testing are Black-box testing and White box testing. Black-box testing focuses solely on the outputs generated in response to the inputs supplied neglecting the internal components of the software. Whereas, White-box testing focuses on the internal mechanism of the software of any application. To explore the feasibility of black-box and white-box testing under a given set of conditions, a proper test automation framework needs to be deployed. Automation is deployed in order to reduce the manual effort and to perform testing continuously, thereby increasing the quality of the product.   Objectives: In this research, cloud hosted application is automated using TestComplete tool. The objective of this thesis is to verify the functionality of Cloud application known as Test data library or Test Report Analyzer through automation and to measure the impact of the automation on release cycles of the organization.   Methods: Here automation is implemented using scrum methodology which is an agile development software process. Using scrum methodology, the product with working software can be delivered to the customers incrementally and empirically with updating functionalities in it. Test data library or Test Report Analyzer functionality of Cloud application is verified deploying testing device thereby the test cases can be analyzed thereby analyzing the pass or failed test cases.   Results: Automation of test report analyzer functionality of cloud hosted application is made using TestComplete and impact of automation on release cycles is reduced. Using automation, nearly 24% of change in release cycles can be observed thereby reducing the manual effort and increasing the quality of delivery.   Conclusion: Automation of a cloud hosted application provides no manual effort thereby utilization of time can be made effectively and application can be tested continuously increasing the efficiency and the quality of an application. / AUTOMATION OF A CLOUD HOSTED APPLICATION

Enligt det kunskapsbaserade perspektivet är kunskap organisationens viktigaste resurs. Inom dagens organisationer har olika enheter möjligheter att lära av varandra och dra nytta av den kunskapsmängd som genereras internt. För att detta ska lyckas krävs effektiva och utvecklade processer för kunskapsöverföring. I den genomförda studien undersöks hur kunskap överförs mellan systemutvecklingsteam under ett skifte från en vattenfallsmetodik till en agil metodik på företaget Folksam. Uppsatsen syftar även till att besvara vilka faktorer som främjar och hindrar kunskapsöverföring under ett metodikskifte. Med anledning av att allt fler organisationer övergår till en agil projektmetodik samt att forskningen inom den studerade kontexten är begränsad, anses en studie inom området väl motiverad. Studiens teoretiska ramverk tar sin utgångspunkt i kunskapsbegreppet där en diskussion kring de två dominerande kunskapsepistemologierna mynnar ut i uppsatsens förståelse för kunskapsbegreppet. Vidare diskuteras hur kunskapsöverföring kan förstås genom modifiering och förflyttning av kunskapsreservoarer, vilka utgörs av organisationens individer, verktyg och aktiviteter. Ramverket inkluderar också teorier rörande faktorer som påverkar kunskapsöverföring. Den insamlade empirin består huvudsakligen av intervjuer och observationer och visar att kunskapsöverföring mellan team sker i relativt liten utsträckning samt att de tillfällen då kunskap har överförts till stor del organiserats av de agila coacher som Folksam har konsulterat. Kunskapsöverföring främjas på grund av den liknande teamkontexten och på grund av den kunskapsstruktur som den agila metodiken medför, men hindras i och med att teamen inte är motiverade till eller inser värdet av kunskapsöverföring, vilket har sin grund i att teamen har kommit olika långt i övergången till den nya metodiken. / According to the knowledge-based view of the firm, knowledge is an organizations’ most important resource. In today’s organizations, different units have the opportunity to learn from each other and make use of the knowledge that is being generated internally. However, in order for this to succeed there is a need for effective and well-developed processes for the transfer of knowledge. In the performed study, research has been done on how knowledge is transferred between system development teams during a shift from a waterfall methodology to an agile methodology at the company Folksam. The paper also aims to answer what factors that facilitate and what factors that impede knowledge transfer during a methodology shift. As an increasing numbers of organizations change to an agile methodology and previous research within the specific context is limited, a study within the area is well motivated. The theoretical framework is based on the concept of knowledge itself where a discussion of the two dominating epistemological perspectives is concluded in the thesis understanding of knowledge. Further, knowledge transfer is being defined as either a modification or transfer of knowledge reservoirs, comprised by the organization’s individuals, tools and activities and in which knowledge is embedded. The theoretical framework also includes factors influencing knowledge transfer. The empirical foundation consists mainly of interviews and observations and shows that inter-team knowledge transfer is limited, and that the occasions where transfer does take place are generally organized by the agile coaches consulted by Folksam. When knowledge transfer takes place it is facilitated by the similar team context and by the knowledge structure entailed by the agile methodology, but impeded by the team members not being motivated or able to realize the benefits with knowledge transfer, which is rooted in the teams being in different stages of the transition to the new methodology.

La metodología Mockup-Driven Development (MockupDD) propone utilizar prototipos de interfaz de usuario (usualmente conocidos como Mockups) como artefactos principales de elicitación de requerimientos y modelado en el contexto de un proceso Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE). Su proceso se basa en construir estos prototipos de manera obligatoria, temprana y de su posterior anotación al utilizar un microlenguaje de tags. MockupDD propone un enfoque ágil para MDWE, sin embargo, tratar conceptos del lenguaje para implementar requerimientos específicos sigue presentado las mismas dificultades que en los procesos MDWE convencionales: es necesario agregar nuevos elementos al metamodelo y modificar generadores de código. En esta tesis se presenta una estrategia (extensión de MockupDD) que propone agregar características al paradigma MDWE ortodoxo, en donde, cada concepto del lenguaje en lugar de ser inmutable será ejecutable por sí mismo, convirtiéndose en prototipos de implementaciones por defecto, que pueden modificarse según se requiera al utilizar codificación manual – a costas de sacrificar parte o la totalidad de su abstracción. Esto provocará cambios importantes en comparación con la versión de MockupDD original, al plantear una nueva arquitectura de semántica de tags y un alejamiento del paradigma MDWE puro en pos de mejorar la agilidad y la adaptabilidad. / The Mockup - Driven Development (MockupDD) methodology proposes using user interface prototypes (usually known as Mockups) as key artifacts of requirements elicitation and modeling in the context of Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE ) process. Its process is based on building these prototypes early and their subsequent annotation using a microlanguage of tags. MockupDD proposes an agile approach for MDWE. However, in this methodology extending language concepts presents the same difficulties as in conventional MDWE processes: you need to add new elements to the metamodel and modify code generators. In this thesis proposes a strategy (an extension to MockupDD) that adds features to the orthodox MDWE paradigm. In this work, each concept of the language it is executable by itself instead of being immutable, thus becoming a prototype of a default implementation that can be modified as required using manual coding - at the expense of sacrificing some or all of its abstraction. This will cause major changes compared to the original version MockupDD, proposing a new architecture to specify tags semantics and a departure from the pure MDWE paradigm, towards improving agility and adaptability.

<p>Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vad som inom fast fashion har påverkat företagen på den internationella modemarknaden. Världen har förändrats och konsumenter ställer högre krav på modeföretag. Tiden blir en allt mer drivande faktor i och med att leverantörskedjor utvecklar kortare ledtider. Produktionsstrategin inom fast fashion företaget är i leverantörskedjan av stort fokus. Vi vill med denna uppsats skapa uppmärksamhet till det omtalade fenomenet som har tillkommit, fast fashion. Därför har leveranskedjan samt andra utvecklade strategier idag utvecklats eftersom det har en stor betydelse för att överleva som ett fast fashion företag i modeindustrin.</p><p>Vi har under uppsatsens gång utgått ifrån de teorier som vi funnit vara relevanta inom ämnet för att kunna koppla den till empiri. Studien är därför utförd efter en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod med en abduktiv forskningsansats. Till stor del är uppsatsen baserad på sekundärdata, vi har här utgått ifrån fallstudie av Zara och H & M. En anonym kvalitativ intervju med en anställd inom ett världskänt fast fashion företag är genomförd. Vi har sedan analyserat och framfört empirin emot den valda teorin för att finna samband och skillnader av de valda fast fashion företagen.</p><p>Slutsatsen är att fast fashion begreppet står för effektivitet, flexibilitet och vetskapen om de rätta trenderna. Tiden, kommunikation och korta ledtider är viktiga faktorer som spelar en huvudroll inom fast fashion. Det visar sig att konsumenternas preferenser idag ändras på ett ögonblick, vilket är skapat av att fast fashion företag visat att det är möjligt att leverera det senaste modet på några få dagar. Slutsatsen visar att den viktigaste strategin inom fast fashion är att kunna reagera snabbt på modemarknadens efterfrågan.</p>

Type inference can be considered a form of partial evaluation that only evaluates a program with respect to its type annotations. Building on this key observation, this dissertation presents a uniform framework for expressing computation, its dynamic properties and corresponding static type information. By using a unified approach, the static phase divide between values and types is lifted. Instead, computations and properties can be freely assigned to the static or dynamic phase of computation. Even more, moving a property from one world to the other does not require any program modifications. This thesis builds a bridge between two worlds: That of statically typed languages and the dynamically typed world. The former is wanted for the offered static guarantees and detection of a range of defects. With the increasing power of type systems available, the kinds of errors that can be statically detected is growing, nearing the goal of proving overall program correctness from the program’s source code alone. However, such power does come for a price: Type systems are becoming more complex, restrictive and invasive, to the point where specifying type annotations becomes as complex as specifying the algorithm itself. Untyped languages, in contrast, may provide less static safety but they have simpler semantics and offer a higher flexibility. They allow programmers to express their ideas without worrying about provable correctness. Not surprisingly, untyped languages have a strong following when it comes to prototyping and rapid application development. Using the framework presented in this thesis, the programmer can have both: Prototyping applications using a dynamically typed approach and gradual refinement of prototypes into programs with static guarantees. Technically, this flexibility is achieved with the novel concept of auxiliary computations. Auxiliary computation are additional streams of computation. They model, next to the data’s computation, the computation of property of data. These streams thereby may depend on the actual data that is computed, as well as on further auxiliary computations. This expressiveness brings auxiliary computations into the domain of dependent types. Partial evaluation of auxiliary computations is used to infer static knowledge from auxiliary computations. Due to the interdependencies between auxiliary computations, evaluating only those parts of a program that contribute to a property is non trivial. A further contribution of this work is the use of demands on computations to narrow the extent of partial evaluation to a single property. An algorithm for demand inference is presented and the correctness of the inferred demands is shown.

This article presents the implementation of ISO/IEC 29110 in a four-person IT startup company in Peru. After completing the implementation of the ISO/IEC 29110 project management and software implementation processes using an agile approach, the next step was to execute these processes in a project with an actual customer: software that facilitates communication between clients and legal consultants at the second-largest insurance companies in Peru. Managing the project and developing the software took about 900 hours. Using ISO/ IEC 29110 software engineering practices enabled the startup to plan and execute the project while expending only 18 percent of the total project effort on rework (i.e., wasted effort). In this article, the authors also describe the steps and the effort required by the VSE to be granted an ISO/IEC 29110 certificate of conformity. The startup became the first Peruvian VSE to obtain an ISO/IEC 29110 certification. The ISO/IEC 29110 certification facilitated access to new clients and larger projects.

Agile practices have become norm, also in large scale organizations. Applying agile methods includes introducing continuous practices, including continuous architecture. For web scale applications microservices is a rising star. This thesis investigates if microservices could be an answer also for embedded systems to tackle the synchronizing problem of many parallel teams.

The overall objective of this thesis is to describe and explain how different quality management philosophies can be combined in the supply/demand chain, in order to contribute to its resilience. The analysis is both quantitative and qualitative, based on theory and literature related to TQM, Lean, Agile and Six Sigma, one literature study and three case studies that were performed in companies. The studies are related to four research questions and are presented in four papers. The first research question focuses on similarities and differences between the quality management concepts TQM, Lean and Six Sigma. The findings were that TQM, Six Sigma and Lean have many similarities, but they differ in some areas. For examples Lean addresses process flow and waste, whereas Six Sigma addresses variation and design. The conclusion is that there is a lot to gain if organisations are able to combine these three concepts, as they are complementary. Two case studies and a literature survey supported the findings. The second research question focuses on outcomes in a logistics process if using quality management. The findings were that the quality management approach leads to risks being mitigated, managed and monitored and ensures a more effective, robust and flexible process, very much in line with the Agility philosophy. Solutions for quicker response to customers have also been introduced. The findings were supported by two case studies in seven companies. The third research question focuses on how prepared the transport- and logistics-oriented companies are for the application of quality concepts and quality management philosophy. The findings were that they can be described as being TQM-oriented. The companies do not consider Lean and Six Sigma to be future trends. Focus is on the customer, while they do not focus on variations or removing waste. The findings were supported by a case study in 24 companies. The fourth research question focuses on how quality concepts can contribute to risk control and resilience in an organisation. A combined Lean/Six Sigma approach by using Six Sigma framework and the last phase, Perfection, in the Lean concept, implies that the companies’ resilience, due to their strengthened ability to handle variability, risk management and agility, was improved. The findings were supported by two case studies in seven companies. / <p>I. Andersson Roy, Henrik Eriksson and Håkan Torstensson (2006), Similarities and differences</p><p>between TQM, Six Sigma and Lean, The TQM Magazine; Vol. 18, Issue 3, pp 282-296.</p><p>This paper was also presented at the 7th International QMOD Conference, Monterrey, Mexico</p><p>2004:</p><p>Andersson Roy, Henrik Eriksson and Håkan Torstensson (2004), Similarities and differences</p><p>between TQM, Six Sigma and Lean, Conference proceeding, 7th International QMOD Conference,</p><p>Monterrey, Mexico, pp 143-158.</p><p>II. Andersson, Roy, Peter Manfredsson and Anders Näslid (2005), Application of Six Sigma to</p><p>Control Variability in Production Logistics: A Case Study, PLAN Conference Quality and</p><p>efficiency in the entire supply chain, University College of Borås, pp 21-37.</p><p>III. Andersson, R., M. Fredriksson and H. Torstensson (2005), Reducing logistic variations by</p><p>quality techniques, Conference proceedings, Vol 1, 8th International QMOD Conference,</p><p>Palermo, pp 457-464.</p><p>IV. Andersson, R. and H. Torstensson (2006), A combined quality approach to controlling supply</p><p>chain risk. Conference proceedings, Vol 1, 9th International QMOD Conference, Liverpool.</p>

The ascension and use of agile and lightweight software development methods have challenged extant software design and development paradigms; this is especially notable in the case of small-team and small-shop software development. In this dissertation, a Reflective-Agile Learning Method and Methodology (RALMM) for small-shop software development, is proposed to enhance communication and learning in the use of agile methods. The purpose of the inquiry in this dissertation pertains to: the nature of the professional practice of small team software development; the implications of the epistemology of Reflective Practice has for the professional practice of small-team software development; and whether the introduction of Reflective Practice to an extant agile methodology improves process, productivity and professional confidence for a small development team. This dissertation uses Dialogical Action Research (Mårtensson and Lee 2004), or Dialogical AR, a qualitative and interpretive research approach, to iteratively develop and refine the Reflective-Agile Learning Model and Method (RALMM). The proposed model and method also considers Hazzan and Tomayko’s (2002, 2004, and 2005) synthesis of Schön’s (1983, 1987) Reflective Practice and Extreme Programming (XP). RALMM is shaped by Argyris and Schön’s theories of practice (1974) and Organizational Learning (1978, 1996) and Schön’s ancillary work on generative metaphor (1979) and frames (Schön et al. 1994). The RALMM artifact was developed in a Dialogical AR Partnership using Lee’s (2007) framework for synthesizing design science and action research. The development and use of RALMM facilitated theorizing on the role of Reflective Practice in the successful use of agile methods. To assist in interpretation and analysis, the data collected during Dialogical AR cycles are analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) Grounded Theory as a mode of analysis to guide in the coding and analysis of qualitative evidence from the research. As a result of this research, RALMM improved the practitioners’ processes and productivity. Furthermore, RALMM helped to establish, formalize and reinforce a team learning system for the continued development of the practitioners’ professional repertoire. Additionally, the iterative development of RALMM provides a basis for theorizing on Reflective Practice as an epistemology, paradigm, metaphor and frame of reference for the professional practice of small-shop software development.