This thesis is a manifestation of efforts to integrate FM into the development process through a greater involvement of Facilities Managers in the property development industry. It also presents an original contribution to knowledge in a form of a validated best practice, which is identified as the facilities management-development process (FM-DP) integration framework. The framework potentially serves as a guide to Facilities Managers and other professionals in various organisations in the property development industry to optimise the value of Facilities Management (FM) in the development project and to achieve sustainable development. The study was conducted as an exploratory sequential mixed methods design in order to identify the issues that limit Facilities Managers from being involved in the property development industry, when they are known to be an appropriate professional to optimise the value of FM in the development process. Qualitative approach has been used as a core component of this research in order to obtain confirmation of the critical issues obtained from the literature review. To develop the framework, a survey questionnaire was used followed by relevant statistical procedure and analysis. To ensure validation, a member-checking approach was implemented through focus group interview. The validated framework reveals that there are 52 best practices to be considered by Facilities Managers or other professionals in the property development industry to optimise the role of FM in the development process for sustainable development. In addition, the framework discovers that best practices are required in all stages of the development process. Nevertheless, Stage 4: Technical Design is crucial, as it requires most of the best practices that drive the integration of FM into the development process. The framework demonstrates a ‘killing two birds with one stone’ strategy: (i) exploiting the framework is expected to increase the profile of FM among other professionals, (ii) encouraging a greater involvement of Facilities Managers in the property development industry, which (iii) leads the project to a sustainable development agenda.

Background. DevOps is a hot topic in recent years. It emphasizes the combination of development and operation. Agile is one of the most popular development methods, but Agile mainly focused on software development part, there is no more involvement in deployment and operations. In this case, many companies consider adopting DevOps in Agile to attempt to improve the situation. Objectives. The combination of two different technologies is bound to produce some challenges, whether it is for practitioners or researchers, it is very important to find these challenges and mitigate them, so this article aims to investigate the challenges of adopting DevOps in Agile, then through the systematic literature review and survey questionnaire to determine the corresponding mitigation strategy. Then, in order to detail understand the process of adopting DevOps in Agile, we use interview to research the real process of adopting DevOps in agile. Methods. According to our research question, we used the systematic literature review(SLR), survey questionnaire and interview as our research methodology. Through literature review, we collected data of adopting DevOps in Agile, and summary the challenges and its relevant mitigation strategies. Then survey questionnaire helped us linking the content of literature to the industry, and compare their difference. Through the interview, we explored the actual process of adopting DevOps in Agile in industry, and correspond the challenges to the actual process. Results. Our study summarized the software development process of adopting DevOps based on Agile and revealed 23 challenges and corresponding mitigation strategies. The report also compares the commonalities and gaps between the results from the literature and the findings of real-life adopting of DevOps challenges and mitigation strategies. Conclusions. In this article, we introduced the challenges and corresponding mitigation strategies for adopting DevOps based on agile and summarize the corresponding software development process. The obvious challenges and mitigation strategies were divided into four categories: 1) People 2) Project 3) Process 4) Organization, after which we conducted further discussions based on the actual conditions and compared the results of systematic literature review and the results of questionnaire to detail explore their difference.

Inovar não significa apenas dominar uma tecnologia, gerando protótipos e patentes. Precisa-se ir além, introduzir produtos no mercado que façam uso da tecnologia desenvolvida. Um dos desafios, portanto, é garantir a integração entre as tecnologias e o produto desenvolvido, minimizando riscos e maximizando resultados. Os modelos teóricos para descrever a integração apresentam deficiências, discutidas neste trabalho, e há poucos relatos sobre a situação de empresas brasileiras quanto à prática. A revisão bibliográfica, combinada com um estudo de caso, possibilitou a delimitação e descrição dos elementos envolvidos no fenômeno integração tecnologia-produto. Permitiu também identificar dois componentes como fundamentais, denominados de estratégia de sincronização tecnológica e a estratégia de desenvolvimento da inovação. A pesquisa tem por objetivo caracterizar e analisar as estratégias de desenvolvimento da inovação e sincronização tecnológica no contexto dos projetos de produtos inovadores das empresas de base tecnológica filiadas ao Parque Tecnológico de São Carlos. O levantamento (survey) verificou 24 projetos de sucesso, um para cada empresa que participa ou participou do ParqTec, de um total de 35 empresas que projetaram produtos envolvendo hardware e software. As empresas adotam predominantemente a sincronização simultânea e o desenvolvimento da tecnologia origina-se da necessidade de um produto desejado pelo mercado (estratégia top-down). O resultado indica que a grande maioria das empresas não diferencia tecnologia de produto e, portanto, não realiza uma gestão diferenciada e integrada de ambos, o que, segundo a literatura, pode levar a desperdícios de tempo e maior risco na inovação. O trabalho aponta possíveis causas e temas para pesquisas futuras. / Innovation not only master a technology, generating prototypes and patents. We need to go beyond, to introduce products to market that make use of the technology developed. One of the challenges therefore is to ensure the integration of technology and product development in order to minimize risks and maximize the outcome. The theoretical model presents problems of integration, discussed in this work, and there are few reports on the status of national companies in practice. The literature review, combined with a case study, demonstrate the elements involved in technology-product integration phenomenon. It also identified as two key components, called the synchronization strategy and innovation strategy. The research aims to characterize and analyze the innovation and synchronization strategies in the context of innovative product designs of technology-based firms affiliated to the Technological Park of São Carlos. The survey found 24 successful projects for each company that participates or participated in ParqTec or participated in a total of 35 companies that designed products involving hardware and software. Companies adopt predominantly simultaneous synchronization and the technology development originates from the need for a product desired by the market (top-down strategy). The result indicates that the vast majority of companies do not differentiate the product and technology and therefore does not have differentiated and integrated management of both, which, according to the literature, may lead to waste of time and greater risk in innovation. The work suggests possible causes and issues for future research.

O Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produto (PDP) é um processo caro para qualquer empresa, pois são utilizadas muitas horas de mão de obra especializada. Nesta fase são encontrados muitos problemas, dificuldades ou oportunidades de melhoria. Quanto mais cedo forem detectadas estas necessidades, menos onerosas serão as alterações, necessárias para que o produto ou o processo de fabricação em série esteja dentro do planejamento da empresa, considerando prazo, custo, qualidade e design. Este trabalho mostra como a utilização de modelos físicos preliminares - mock-ups e prototipagem rápida podem facilitar o PDP. Suas características principais são reduzir o prazo, identificar precocemente os problemas de projeto, de montagem e também as dificuldades do processo de fabricação. Assim são evitados os altos custos na correção de um eventual problema em uma fase adiantada do projeto, próximo ao início de produção. Muitas vezes o PDP requer várias unidades de uma mesma peça protótipo. Por este motivo, outro aspecto abordado neste trabalho é a utilização de ferramental rápido, que reduz o tempo de fabricação e o custo por unidade protótipo fabricada, permitindo que o produto seja desenvolvido e analisado de uma forma confiável e consistente. É mostrado como o investimento no uso de prototipagem rápida e de ferramental rápido, que é relativamente alto, reduz o risco de encontrar surpresas no início da produção. Desta forma, são apresentados alguns processos de fabricação demock-ups, de prototipagem rápida e de ferramental rápido, acessíveis à maior parte das empresas e aplicáveis não só à indústria automobilística, mas também a outros tipos de indústria. / The Product Development Process (PDP) is an expensive process to any company, because many specialized manpower are required. In this phase, many problems and difficulties are faced but also improvement opportunities are identified. As soon as these requirements are being detected, less onerous these changes will be effective, in order to the serial fabrication process be according to the company planning, considering lead time, cost, quality and design. This job shows how the mock-ups and rapid prototyping utilization make the PDP easily. Their main characteristics are reducing the lead-time, previously identification of the project and assembly problems, and also the process fabrication troubles. This way, high correction costs are avoided in eventual problems in an advanced project phase, next to the start of production. Many times the PDP requires several units of the same prototype part. Due to this reason, another mentioned issue in this job is the rapid tooling utilization, which can reduce the fabrication time and the cost per fabricated prototype unit, also allowing to the product be developed and analyzed in a trusty and consistent way. It is shown how the rapid prototyping and rapid tooling investment, that is relatively high, can reduce the risk to face any surprise in the start of production. This way, some mock-up fabrication, rapid prototyping and rapid tooling processes are presented, which is accessible to most of companies and are applicablenot only to automobile industry but to the other kinds of companies too.

In many music ensembles there are hierarchies and a focus on the vision of the bandleader. This thesis explores the possibilities of creating conditions for improvisational co-creation and follows the common development-process of an improvising trio. Emphasis is placed on democratic interplay and a collective expression without compromising with each musician’s personal sound. Through structured and free improvisations, the trio discovered and developed their musical language, limitations and possibilities. Self-recording, listening to it and discussions about what was experienced, perceived and what potential variations there might be alongside with a non-judgmental attitude served as a powerful tool to raise awareness and to develop the trio. The work resulted in a live streamed concert consisting of a freely improvised piece of music.  By focusing on process-oriented solutions that involves and activates the whole ensemble, the trio has been able to develop an interplay and expression that is nonhierarchical, spontaneous and has potential to change. / <p>Marcus Wärnheim - altsaxofon</p><p>Karin Ingves - piano</p><p>Kristian Remnelius - trummor</p><p>All musik av alla medlemmar.</p>

Background: The business model (BM) is an essential part of firms and it needs to be innovated continuously to allow firms to stay or become competitive. The process of business model innovation (BMI) unfolds incrementally by re-designing or developing new activities in order to provide value propositions (VP). With increasing availability of data, pressure on BMI to orchestrate their activities towards putting data as a key resource and develop data-driven business models (DDBM) is growing. Problematization: The DDBM provides valuable possibilities by utilizing data to optimize current businesses and create new VPs. However, the development process of DDBMs is outlined as challenging and scarcely reviewed. Purpose: This study aims to explore how a data-driven business model development process looks. More specifically, we adopted this research question: What are the phases and activities of a DDBM development process, and what characterizes this process? Method: This is a qualitative study in which the empirical data was collected through 9 semi-structured interviews where the respondents were divided among three different initiatives. Empirical Findings: This study enriches the existing literature of BMI in general and data-driven business model innovation in particular. Concretely, this study contributes to the process perspective of DDBM development. It helps to unpack the complexity of data engagement in business model development and provides a visual process model as an artefact that shows the anatomy of the process. Additionally, this study resonates with value logics manifestation through the states of artefacts, activities, and cognitions. Conclusions: This study concludes that the DDBM development process is structured with two phases as low data-related and high data-related activities, inheriting seven sub-phases consisting of different activities. Also, this study identified four underlying characteristics of the DDBM development process comprising value co-creation, iterative experiment, ethical and regulatory risk, and adaptable strategy. Future research: Further work is needed to explain the anatomy and structure of the DDBM development process in different contexts to uncover if it captures various complexities of data and increases its generalizability. Furthermore, more research is required to differentiate between different business models and consequently customizing the development process for each type. Future research can also further explore the value co-creation in developing DDBM. In this direction, it would be interesting to consider connecting the field of open innovation to the field of DDBM and, specifically, its role in the DDBMs development process. Another promising avenue for future research would be to go beyond the focus on merely improving the VP to maximize the data monetization, and instead focus on the interplay and role that data has on sustainability.

Companies are dependent on continuously provide the market with new products to keep its market position and profitability level. The companies examined in this thesis are two bigger Swedish enterprises that have a long history in a mature business-to-business context providing industrial goods to the market. This work examines how users are involved in the different innovation and product development activities. The problem is to understand how business-to-business companies co-operate with stakeholder and users, when in the product life cycle that is done, and who are the ones doing the actual innovation. The methodological approach for the work was deductive, building a theory including innovation, strategy and user theories that was empirically tested and followed by an analysis and conclusion of the found evidence. Key findings: Most if not all innovations in mature market are routine ones. There is lack of strategic focus due to micromanagement that shifts focus rapidly. Innovations are often found in the beginning and in the end of the product life cycle. Mature markets tend to utilize a more closed innovation model as opposite to an open model. Users are not heavily involved in the actual innovation process. Stickiness and tacit knowledge is quite big in large corporation event though there is said to be a strategic focus on the customers. Implications: More involvement of users, especially lead users, will lead to more innovations. Utilising strategic buckets of different sizes for spreading the resources on different innovation types (routine/disruptive/discontinuous) to become successful

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&amp;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

<p>For a company to be competitive today, one way is to create a natural feedback loop from the production department to the design department with information regarding the production systems ability to deliver a finished component. The purpose with this feedback loop is to create respect for tolerances and to more design for manufacturing and assembly. The studied company in this thesis work developed a quality program to reach a spiral of continuous improvements to reduce cost of poor quality (CoPQ) and to reach an improved quality level (PPM). The object of this work was to test and improve the quality program called The Zero Tolerance Program. Delimitations were made when the work was started and ongoing which led to that the impact on PPM could not be studied. The connection to CoPQ was difficult to obtain and could only be proved theoretically, not practically, due to the short timetable.</p><p>During the short amount of time the right root cause could not be found. The thesis work findings came to a number of identified Measurable Success Criteria and requirements which must be in place for the further progress of The Zero Tolerance Program.</p> / PREPARE

This work sought to explore, evaluate and then improve the process of development for personal Military Load Carriage Equipment (MLCE), such as rucksacks. It was suspected that current MLCE had a number of user interaction deficiencies which should have been addressed during development. Three research questions were posed to determine: the influences on MLCE development, what needed improvement in MLCE development and how MLCE development could be improved. The work was based on eight studies conducted in three phases: the first to explore MLCE development and the observed deficiencies, the second to evaluate MLCE development, and the third to improve it. The chosen research strategy was henomenological, using a grounded theory methodology within which phenomena could emerge. Grounded theory approaches were adopted for this research because they were the best way in which to access the design domain. The research was framed within cycles of reflective action research to enable the researcher to re-orientate the enquiry to make the best use of the research opportunities that arose from the organisational context in which the research was sited. An initial investigation into the development of in-service equipment was done via a comparative case study, using documentary analysis and interviews with authorities in the field. Through this investigation it became clear that MLCE development was based on heuristics and tacit knowledge of manufacturing techniques, and collaboration between professional groups, including: materials / manufacturing, human systems, project management and military personnel. Deficiencies within MLCE development, determined through the comparative study, were validated against current practice through a further case study and additional evaluations. A comparison of outputs from these studies was then reviewed in a grounded manner to gain a holistic understanding of MLCE development. The interaction and importance of the various influences on MLCE development was then better understood, in particular the inadequate understanding of MLCE user needs, and requirement specification. To refine the possible avenues and target audience for an improvement of MLCE development stakeholder interviews were undertaken to develop a better understanding of how military user needs were gathered and applied. Following the interview survey, a tool was developed to analyse video and audio data of soldiers operating with MLCE on current operations. The tool was then reviewed by a panel of MLCE developers and stakeholders. The panel thought that the tool had a number of benefits to MLCE development: improving understanding of soldier environments, improved quality and reliability of information used in development, and as a conduit for concept evaluation. The research has provided a novel perspective on MLCE development, and provided a number of avenues upon which subsequent research could focus. The research has been able to make original contributions to understanding, albeit in a manner limited by the methodologies used.