This research identifies shared strengths of Scrum and Kanban, such as iterative and incremental work and effective workload management, which are particularly beneficial in startup contexts characterized by high uncertainty. By systematically comparing the fundamental elements of both methodologies, the study delineates key dimensions and components that inform the development of a hybrid approach. This study aimed to explore which components of Kanban and Scrum are best suited for navigating uncertainty and ambiguity in a fast-paced environment. To achieve this objective, our first research question delves into the productive attributes of both Scrum and Kanban methods, laying the groundwork for our investigation. Additionally, we sought to identify the key factors driving adaptations in the application of these methods within software startups, as well as pinpoint the highlighted concepts and elements that can be effectively utilized. This formed the basis of our second research question, with the ultimate aim of developing a hybrid model that integrates the most beneficial aspects of both methodologies, thus addressing the challenges posed by uncertainty and rapid change in the initial phase of the study. We employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing a literature review, survey, and case study analysis. The theoretical foundation was established through a comprehensive review of existing literature on Scrum and Kanban, supported by the construction of a comparative mind map. Survey data was collected from industry professionals to gather insights into the practical application of these methodologies. Additionally, a case study was conducted to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and successes in implementing agile practices within a startup environment. Through our research, we identified key dimensions and components of Scrum and Kanban relevant to software startups, including values, principles/practices, team structure, events/cadences, and artifacts. By analyzing survey responses and conducting in-depth interviews, we gained valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of each methodology. Moreover, our case study provided real-world examples of the challenges faced and strategies employed in a startup setting. The findings suggest that while Scrum and Kanban offer distinct strengths, a hybrid approach integrating both methodologies can better address the dynamic needs of software startups. The proposed hybrid model emphasizes flexibility and adaptability, allowing startups to tailor practices to their specific context while leveraging the strengths of Scrum and Kanban. Overall, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how startups can navigate agile transformation and achieve success in a competitive market.

This thesis investigates the interconnections of the factors that a company essentially should possess to implement agile applications and examines the extent to which agility factors are transferable across diverse sectors. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with industry experts and executive ranks across various sectors, this research aims to identify the key factors that are indispensable to organizational agility to successfully implement agility and assess their applicability in diverse organizational contexts. The findings highlight the universal relevance of agility factors such as leadership and vision, top-management support, customer focus, adaptability, collaboration, innovation, resource management, technology utilization, and training and development.

Abstract Background: Over the last few years, the principle of cross-docking has prominently spreadthrough the companies in which they try hard to make their supply chain channels efficientand achieve higher demands of the society. Studies claimed that inventory management remains to be challenge for professionals of supply chain as long-term processing times may result in considerable financial losses for firms. Aim: This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Hub-and-Spoke cross-dockingstrategy in inventory management by understanding the impact, outcomes or efficacy of its implementation. Methodology: This research has adopted qualitative research method to generate extensive data and deep insights to underlying factors behind organizations' decisions and behavior on the implementation of cross-docking concept. The interviews have been chosen as the main data collection method of this research because it has been used successfully in order to produce rich and detailed information about the participants in the supply chain management.The total sample size of the participants is 10. For instance, the research conducted interviews via In-person, Zoom and WhatsApp video calls. The researcher recruited supply chain managers including companies’ representatives, supply chain practitioners, logistic managers,inventory managers and related stakeholders responsible for executing and overviewing inventory management approaches within their firms operating in Sweden. Thus, individuals can offer useful information related to supply planning, implementing and optimising cross-docking operations within their organisations. Findings and Conclusion: The research has, however, led to the impact of the organizational culture on the sustainable Hub-and-Spoke cross-docking strategy with the participants, all agreeing on the role that culture plays in shaping the structure of the strategy in the long-term. Finally, organizational culture was considered to be the cornerstone system,emphasizing the values of innovation, collaboration, transparency, and employee empowerment that serve as the driving force for its application. Participants highlighted the significance of facilitating discussions on various levels, recognizing the importance of collaborations and teams, establishing training and development systems, creating the culture of continuous improvement, and empowering employees as key measures utilized in dealing with the organizational culture challenges in cross-docking implementation and sustainability. KPIs for the cross-dock's level of success and effectiveness include order fulfillment rates,inventory turnover and customer satisfaction, compliance, employee satisfaction, operational efficiency, and the practice of ethical business conduct and corporate values. Thus, thisresearch proves the connection between the organizational culture and best productivity ,results of cross-docking. This makes it clear that a supportive environment is important for a continued performance in cross-docking operations.

In the world of software development, the most common framework is the agileframework. This framework first arose as a counter-reaction to waterfall development,mostly to incorporate user-centered design. But today the user-centered design and theuser are often overlooked. Still, some believe that the integration of user-centereddesign and agile development could help improve software development. Thisintegration is called user-centered agile design or UCAD for short. The main reason forconsidering UCAD over agile development is that software stands and falls with gooduser experience. Something that the user-centered perspective can help with.This thesis therefore sought to research the usage of UCAD in daily work with anautoethnographic approach. This meant that the author could use their experiencesfrom developing a piece of software as the basis of the research. This software was awebshop application for Quintus Technologies AB that acts as a way for their customersto buy spare and wear parts. The results were therefore in the form of a story told infirst-person perspective about the whole development period of about 20 weeks.This project found amongst other things that UCAD does hold some merit and theauthor also enjoyed this way of working. There were of course some problems, with thebiggest challenge being the act of trying to balance UX and functional tasks. To combatthis problem the notion of gear-switching was conceptualized. One specific factor thatwas brought up by earlier research was also found to be important. This factor was thetask factor and most importantly this factor brought up the consideration of tasks overroles. Whilst this project indicates that UCAD might be a good evolution of the agileframework there is still a lot more research that needs to be done mostly in differentsettings. Such as bigger teams and with more mature software. Whilst more research isneeded, this project still shows great potential for the UCAD framework.

IT-avdelningar är många gånger pressade att leverera ett värde med kvalitet och inom en tidsbegränsad period, vilket kan resultera i ofullständiga leveranser. För att möta dessa krav behöver IT-avdelningar arbeta med att effektivisera sina verksamhetsprocesser och kontinuerligt lärande. Genom tvärfunktionella team kan effektiviteten öka genom en förbättrad samordning och minskat beroende av nyckelpersoner.Den här intervjustudien riktar sig mot en IT-avdelning inom ett försäkringsbolag, med syfte att studera fallföretagets nuvarande verksamhetsprocesser inom utveckling och förvaltning för att identifiera utmaningar som orsakar ofullständiga leveranser. Därtill avser studien att föreslå förändringsåtgärder som kan eliminera dessa orsaker. Inledningsvis genomfördes en litteraturgenomgång för att anskaffa kunskap inom området. Utifrån insamlad kunskap från tidigare studier och litteratur har en analysmodell tagits fram för att sammanfattningsvis visualisera faktorer som kan öka graden av avslutade uppgifter inom en leverans. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ ansats i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Sex respondenter från fallföretaget har deltagit i studien, där samtliga respondenter har ett direkt beroende till fallförtagets utvecklings- och förvaltningsprocesser. Utifrån en analys av resultatet med stöd av analysmodellen har studiens undersökningsfrågor besvarats.Slutsatserna som kan dras av denna studie är att fallföretagets utvecklings- och förvaltningsprocesser är strukturerade i tre huvudsakliga områden: Fokussprint, Förvaltning och Projekt. Uppdelningen av nyutveckling och förvaltning i olika team har förbättrat effektivitet och fokus för teamet. Däremot har flera faktorer identifierats som orsakarofullständiga leveranser, inklusive komplexitet som upptäcks sent i genomförandet, brist på formella uppföljningar och kompetensglapp inom teamet. Studien resulterade i föreslagna förbättringsåtgärder för fallföretaget som inkluderar behovetav förbättrad tidsestimering, formella uppföljningar och en kultur av kontinuerligt lärande. Genom att införa mer strukturerade metoder för lärande, feedback och uppföljning kan företagets verksamhetsprocesser och resultat uppnå en omfattande förbättring.

The Agile software development model is driven by "learning by doing" and rejects Big Design Up Front (BDUF) for that reason. User-Centered Design (UCD) on the other hand requires a more holistic view to be able to create a usable user interface and in the end create a good user experience. Finding a balance between the incremental development and the need for a more comprehensive view of the user interface is therefore the key to usability in Agile software development. The objective of this master thesis was to construct a framework on how to combine UCD and Agile development in general, and specifically for the web based tool, called Alo, at the IS/IT department of Com Hem AB, Sweden. The results of this thesis was that the process of integrating User-Centered Design in Agile software development first of all needs a familiar starting point for both usability experts and developers. This can be achieved with what Desirée Sy describes as “Cycle Zero”, to let usability experts perform initial research ahead of implementation. Designing one sprint ahead should later converge to a more synchronized process where requirements and sketches of the interface are put together, with the help of developers, just in time for the implementation. This does not only prevents waste in the form of documentation and miscommunication associated with hand-offs, but also makes the implementation more purposeful and fun for developers.Secondly, build prototypes early in the process to create a holistic vision of the finished product and to test concepts in usability tests early. Thirdly, create shared understanding (within the development team as well as with outside stakeholders) of user needs by involving the entire team in usability testing. Critical to the success of all the above is that all outside stakeholders understands the Agile process and respects that the team is a self-organizing unit that solves problems within a set of given boundaries, rather than a code factory that feeds on specification documents.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology: Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 2015. / Agile approaches have proliferated within the software development arena over the past decade. Derived mainly from Lean manufacturing principles, agile planning and control mechanisms appear minimal and fluid when compared to more traditional software engineering approaches. Scrum ranks among the more popular permutations of agile. Contemporary literature represents a rich source of contributions for agile in areas such as practice guidelines, experience reports, and methodology tailoring; but the vast majority of these publications focus on the individual project level only, leaving much uncertainty and persistent questions in the multi-project space. Questions have recently been raised, by both academics and practitioners alike, concerning the ability of Scrum to scale from the individual project level to the multi-project space. Program management is an area encompassing practice and research areas concerned mainly with harmonizing the existence of competing simultaneous projects. Existing literature on program management essentially perceives projects as endeavours that can be carefully planned at the outset, and controlled in accordance with strong emphasis placed on economic and schedule considerations. This complexion seems to be mostly a result of well-established and ingrained management frameworks like Project Management Institute (PMI), and is largely at odds with emerging practices like Scrum. This disparity represents a gap in the literature and supports the need for deeper exploration. The conduit for this exploration was found in two South African software development small to medium sized enterprises (SMMEs) practicing Scrum. The practical realities and constraints faced by these SMMEs elicited the need for more dynamic program management practices in support of their quest to maximize usage of limited resources. This thesis examines these practices with the aim of providing new insights into the program management discourse in the context of Scrum software development environments. The research approach is qualitative and interpretive in nature. The in-depth exploratory case study research employed the two software SMMEs as units of analysis. Traditional ethnographic techniques were commissioned alongside minimal researcher participation in project activities. Activity Theory honed the data analysis effort and helped to unearth the interrelationships between SMME characteristics, program management practices, and Scrum software development. The results of the data analysis are further refined and fashioned into eleven knowledge areas that represent containers of program management practices. This is the product of thematic analysis of literature and data generated from fieldwork. Seeing as the observed practices were highly dynamic in nature, concept analysis provided a mechanism by which to depict them as snapshots in time. As a theoretical contribution, proposed frameworks were crafted to show how program management practices might be understood in the context of organizations striving towards agile implementation. Furthermore, representations of the mutually influential interfaces of SMME characteristics and Scrum techniques that initiate the observed fluid nature of program management practices, are brought to the fore.

Dans ce travail de recherche, nous nous intéressons à la question de la pérennité de l’usage des systèmes de gestion des connaissances (SGC) dans les entreprises. Les SGC sont ces environnements informatiques qui sont mis en place dans les entreprises pour mutualiser et construire l’expertise commune grâce aux collaborateurs. Le constat montre que, malgré la rigueur employée par les entreprises pour la mise en œuvre de ces SGC, le risque d’échec des initiatives de gestion des connaissances, notamment lié à l’acceptation de ces environnements par les utilisateurs professionnels ainsi qu’à leur usage continu et durable, reste d’actualité. La persistance et l’ampleur de ce constat dans les entreprises a motivé notre intérêt d’apporter une contribution à cette question générale de recherche. Comme propositions de réponse à cette problématique, nous avons donc 1) dégagé à partir de l’état de l’art, quatre facettes qui sont requises pour favoriser l’usage pérenne d’une plateforme gérant la connaissance ; 2) proposé un modèle théorique de régulation mixte qui unifie des outils de stimulation pour l’autorégulation et des outils soutenant l’accompagnement au changement et qui permet la mise en œuvre continue des différents facteurs stimulants l’usage pérenne des SGC ; 3) proposé une méthodologie de conception, adaptée à ce modèle et basée sur les concepts Agile, qui intègre une méthode d’évaluation mixte de la satisfaction et de l’usage effectif ainsi que des outils d’IHM pour l’exécution des différentes itérations de notre méthodologie ; 4) implémenté la méthodologie en contexte réel, à la Société du Canal de Provence, ce qui nous a permis de tester sa faisabilité et de proposer des ajustements/recommandations génériques aux concepteurs pour son application en contexte. L’outil résultant de notre implémentation a reçu un accueil positif par les utilisateurs en termes de satisfaction et d’usages. / In this research, we are interested in the question of sustainability of the use of knowledge management systems (KMS) in companies. KMS are those IT environments that are set up in companies to share and build common expertise through collaborators. Findings show that, despite the rigor employed by companies in the implementation of these KMS, the risk of knowledge management initiatives being unsuccessful, particularly related to the acceptance and continuous use of these environments by users remains prevalent. The persistence of this fact in companies has motivated our interest to contribute to this general research question. As contributions to this problem, we have 1) identified from the state of the art, four facets that are required to promote the perennial use of a platform managing knowledge; 2) proposed a theoretical model of mixed regulation that unifies tools for self-regulation and tools to support change, and allows the continuous implementation of the various factors that stimulate the sustainable use of CMS; 3) proposed a design methodology, adapted to this model and based on the Agile concepts, which incorporates a mixed evaluation methodology of satisfaction and effective use as well as CHI tools for the completion of different iterations of our methodology; 4) implemented the methodology in real context at the Société du Canal de Provence, which allowed us to test its feasibility and propose generic adjustments / recommendations to designers for its application in context. The tool resulting from our implementation was positively received by the users in terms of satisfaction and usages.

La vision représente un des plus importants signaux en robotique. Une caméra monoculaire peut fournir de riches informations visuelles à une fréquence raisonnable pouvant être utilisées pour la commande, l’estimation d’état ou la navigation dans des environnements inconnus par exemple. Il est cependant nécessaire de respecter des contraintes visuelles spécifiques telles que la visibilité de mesures images et les occultations durant le mouvement afin de garder certaines cibles visuelles dans le champ de vision. Les quadrirotors sont dotés de capacités de mouvement très réactives du fait de leur structure compacte et de la configuration des moteurs. De plus, la vision par une caméra embarquée (fixe) va subir des rotations dues au sous-actionnement du système. Dans cette thèsenous voulons bénéficier de l’agilité du quadrirotor pour réaliser plusieurs tâches de navigation basées vision. Nous supposons que l’estimation d’état repose uniquement sur la fusion capteurs d’une centrale inertielle (IMU) et d’une caméra monoculaire qui fournit des estimations de pose précises. Les contraintes visuelles sont donc critiques et difficiles dans un tel contexte. Dans cette thèse nous exploitons l’optimisation numérique pour générer des trajectoires faisables satisfaisant un certain nombre de contraintes d’état, d’entrées et visuelles non linéaires. A l’aide la platitude différentielle et de la paramétrisation par des B-splines nous proposons une stratégie de replanification performante inspirée de la commande prédictive pour générer des trajectoires lisses et agiles. Enfin, nous présentons un algorithme de planification en temps minimum qui supporte des pertes de visibilité intermittentes afin de naviguer dans des environnements encombrés plus vastes. Cette contribution porte l’incertitude de l’estimation d’état au niveau de la planification pour produire des trajectoires robustes et sûres. Les développements théoriques discutés dans cette thèse sont corroborés par des simulations et expériences en utilisant un quadrirotor. Les résultats reportés montrent l’efficacité des techniques proposées. / Vision constitutes one of the most important cues in robotics. A single monocular camera can provide rich visual information at a reasonable rate that can be used as a feedback for control, state estimation of mobile robots or safe navigation in unknown environments for instance. However, it is necessary to satisfy particular visual constraints on the image such as visibility and occlusion constraints during motion to keep some visual targets visible. Quadrotors are endowed with very reactive motion capabilities due to their compact structure and motor configuration. Moreover, vision from a (fixed) on-board camera will suffer from rotation motions due to the system underactuation. In this thesis, we want to benefit from the system aggressiveness to perform several vision-based navigation tasks. We assume state estimation relies solely on sensor fusion of an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a monocular camera that provides reliable pose estimates. Therefore, visual constraints are challenging and critical in this context. In this thesis we exploit numerical optimization to design feasible trajectories satisfying several state, input and visual nonlinear constraints. With the help of differential flatness and B-spline parametrization we will propose an efficient replanning strategy inspired form Model Predictive Control to generate smooth and agile trajectories. Finally, we propose a minimum-time planning algorithm that handles intermittent visibility losses in order to navigate in larger cluttered environments. This contribution brings state estimation uncertainty at the planning stage to produce robust and safe trajectories. All the theoretical developments discussed in this thesis are corroborated by simulations and experiments run by using a quadrotor UAV. The reported results show the effectiveness of proposed techniques.

A busca por vantagem competitiva é a realidade das empresas na atual economia global. A formação de redes de inovação representa uma forma colaborativa de desenvolver inovações e adquirir vantagem competitiva para atingir novos mercados. Nesses ambientes a gestão constitui-se em um desafio e diversas abordagens podem ser aplicadas na busca pelo sucesso. Esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de identificar e sistematizar como a abordagem de gestão ágil, fundamentada na flexibilidade e adaptabilidade, pode ser aplicada nesses ambientes. A metodologia de pesquisa compreende um estudo bibliográfico para embasamento teórico da temática proposta e uma pesquisa-ação para coletar dados em campo. A análise e discussão do cruzamento entre as evidências teóricas e os dados práticos visa propor uma modelagem de empresas para apoiar a aplicação da gestão ágil em ambientes de redes de inovação auto-organizadas. A modelagem desenvolvida foi guiada pela metodologia Enterprise Knowledge Development-Change Management Method (EKD-CMM) conforme a For Enterprise Modeling (4EM). O resultado da pesquisa identifica os benefícios e limitações observados na aplicação prática da mesma e contribui para ampliar a compreensão dos elementos envolvidos no processo de gestão de redes de inovação auto-organizadas, utilizando a abordagem ágil. / The race for competitive advantage is the business reality in today\'s global economy. Innovation networks formation is a collaborative way to develop innovations and acquire competitive advantage to reach new markets. Management is a challenge in these environments and different approaches can be applied in the pursuit of success. This research aims to identify and systematize how agile management approach, based on flexibility and adaptability, can be applied in these environments. The research methodology comprises a bibliographical study to present the theoretical background in the field of interest and one action research to data collection. The analysis and discussion of the intersection between theoretical background and field practical data aims to propose an enterprise modeling to support the application of agile management in self-organized innovation network environments. The modeling development was guided by the Enterprise Knowledge Development-Change Management Method (EKD-CMM) based on For Enterprise Modeling (4EM) methodology. The research result identifies the benefits and limitations observed in its pratical implementation and contributes to expand the understanding of the elements involved in the management process of self-organizing innovation networks using agile management approach.