The aim of this work is to propose such a methodology for designing of SW applications architecture that allows effortless, exact and systematical transformation of the real business process into a model suitable as an assignment for implementation by programmers. The aim of this proposal is such a methodology that would allow to reach the above mentioned goals on the basis of easy-to-understand and simple principles and that would be available either as a fundament for its usage within methodologies that are focused on the management of such projects, or as an alternative to methodologies that are much to expensive, complex and/or designed for very large development teams.

This thesis deals with methods of project management, including the evaluation and designing of a custom solution for small development teams with frequent teleworking. The thesis also compares the particular difference between classical predictive and agile software development methods. Based on a theoretical background and current state analysis, the purpose of this work is to design a new information system, which should serve as a SaaS solution, and describe its implementation by the proposed method.

The content of this thesis is analysis and design Planning software using agile software development methodology for small and middle size projects. I focused primary on specific work products of roles Analytic and Project manager laid down by selected methodology. Created solution can be used as project documentation for the subsequent development of application itself. The result of this thesis allow the reuse of this principles and practices to future projects of similar scope.

Purpose of this thesis is to design system to support agile software development in virtual teams. Agile development methodology and some available tools to support it are listed here in this thesis, in order to use the system in a wide range of devices, theoretical analysis of multi-platform application development options are listed. The following sections describe the design and implementation witch using web technologies. At the end the system is demonstrated on model situation and extension its designed.

Diplomová práce se zabývá problémy řízení projektů pro vytvoření mobilní aplikace a jejich řešením pomocí agilních metod řízení projektů. V práci je analyzován současný stav projektu a jednotlivé přístupy. Práce se zaměřuje na výběr metody a navrhuje její aplikování na projekt.

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.

Examiners of programming assignments in higher education and people in the software industry both need to test and review code. However, the assessing techniques used are often quite different. The IT industry often uses agile work methods like continuous integration and automated tests, while examiners either do manual assessments or rely on code grading tools. The students will most likely become developers and work using agile processes. Therefore, there are possible benefits of universities trying to imitate the work processes of the software industry. The purpose of this study was to develop a workflow for programming assignments inspired by continuous integration, Scrum, and GitLab flow. The workflow was developed based on the requirements of Linnaeus University and tested on one of their programming assignments. It showed that a simplified agile work process is suitable for programming assignments since the demonstration fulfilled all of the predefined requirements. However, examiners might miss some of the workflow’s benefits if the programming assignment can not be tested automatically since it will require more manual work while grading.

Bakgrund: Global konkurrens och teknologisk utveckling förkortar produkters livscykler och produktutveckling blir därmed ett allt viktigare element inom organisationer. Vid utvecklingen krävs styrning för att säkerställa att de innovationer som skapas är i linje med företagets mål och strategier. Ett av de mer välanvända styrsystemen som används vid produktutveckling har kritiserats för att vara en för linjär process som exkluderar lärande från utvecklingsarbetet. Alternativa metoder har på senare tid dykt upp i både forskning och på företag för att möjliggöra en mer dynamisk utvecklingsprocess. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera hur produktutvecklingsprocessen ser ut i några svenska företag. Vidare ska studien öka förståelsen för hur produktutvecklingsprocessen styrs i dessa företag och även identifiera och analysera de hinder som finns för innovation i denna process. Metod: Detta är en deduktiv flerfallstudie där semistrukturerade intervjuer och dokument har använts för att samla in det empiriska materialet. Slutsats: Utifrån studiens resultat bekräftas en generell produktutvecklingsprocess som presenteras i studiens referensram. Dessa är konceptualisering, prototyputveckling, lansering och uppföljning. Däremot finns det tecken på att företag med agila utvecklingsmetoder inte följer denna standardiserade modell. Vidare beskrivs vilka styrverktyg som används för att styra en produktutveckling. Dessa har kategoriserats efter Malmi och Browns styrpaket. I slutsatsens tredje och sista punkt presenteras hinder mot innovation som har identifierats i produktutvecklingsprocessen. Ett tydligt hinder som har identifierats är att Stage-Gate och kvalitetssäkring bromsar innovation efter tidiga stadier i processen. Ytterligare ett tydligt hinder är att ett fokus på att förkorta “time-to-market” kan göra att vissa innovationer inte hinner inkluderas i produkten. / Background: Global competition and technological advancements have shortened the product life cycle of countless products worldwide. Product development is therefore becoming an increasingly important element in organizations. In the process of product development, management control is required to ensure that new innovation follows the strategy and goals of the organization. The Stage-Gate system is a well-used new product development model that has been criticized for being too rigid and hinders learning in the development process. As of recent years, alternative methods have appeared in studies and in businesses in order to enable a more dynamic process. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the different stages of a product development process at a number of Swedish firms. This study also aims to increase the understanding of how the product development process is being managed in these companies as well as to identify and analyze factors that can hinder innovation in the new product development process. Method: This is a deductive case study with a multiple-case design. Semi-structured interviews and documents have been used for the collection of empirical data. Conclusion: The results of this study settles a general development process as presented in the study’s theory chapter. The development process includes the following phases: concept development, prototype development, market introduction and follow-up. However, there are implications that show that companies who use an agile development model do not follow the aforementioned development process. This study also concludes the elements of a management control system that is used in the product development process at Swedish companies. These elements are categorized by the management control systems package of Malmi and Brown. Lastly, challenges to include innovations to the product is being identified. An obstacle that has been identified is the use of Stage-Gate and quality assurance that hinders innovation in the later stages of the development process. An additional obstacle is that a focus on shortening the time-to-market period may hinder some innovations of a product because of a short deadline.

Agile methodology has gained wide adoption. Agile methodology, with its iterative and incremental approach for software development, has gained popularity within IT organizations that are facing a dynamic business environment. Agile software development has emerged as an alternative to the traditional Waterfall model in delivering software at a faster pace and having more receptiveness towards the changing requirements. However, Agile methodology was originally designed for small and individual teams. This makes moving Agile to large-scale organizations a complicated task. In this thesis, we will review the challenges and success factors presented by (Dikert et al., 2016) in their systematic literature review for SAFe (Scaled Agile framework). Our thesis is based on empirical research. The authors have conducted interviews to gather data to underpin or dissent from the findings in the systematic literature review regarding the challenges and success factors of implementing SAFe in organizations.

A broad research foundation exists on Lean management in the manufacturing context. Furthermore, the implementation of Lean in product development is discussed by an increasing number of publications. Yet, little documentation of the specific application in product development testing has been published. This master thesis provides insights into the specific environment of product development testing and the application of Lean methods.   Utilizing a systematic literature research, the beginning of this work elaborates principles of case study research, the context of testing as part of product development and the Lean management framework. The findings are synthesized into a priori construct for the case research. Main pillar for this construct is the value stream mapping method. It combines the analysis of the current state, the development of the future state and a strategy for the implementation of improvements.   Central part of this thesis is the in-depth case study of a global operating manufacturing company in the off-highway machinery market. Three product development testing sites were visited by the author in order to apply the previously defined case study framework. Through cross case analysis common process characteristics of the current state are derived. From a micro level perspective the relations within and across the testing process are shown.   Needs, values, wastes, interruptions and other process parameters are systematically analyzed; improvements are elaborated and prioritized to develop a common future state for the testing process. A partial takt time driven test process could be developed. To visualize the process task boards were introduced and the value stream map was digitalized and connected to a management information system. The systematic understanding of information needs is a major part of the future state. A possible implementation strategy is presented in this thesis.