This study attempted to determine if a low-cost, minimally time consuming intervention could increase document completion – specifically end of shift reports. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design, automated phone calls reminded staff to complete their end of shift reports. Participants were the staff members at 16 group homes. All participants were trained Direct Support Professionals. The dependent variable was completion of end of shift reports as a percent of opportunities. There was a measurable response to the intervention. Overall, the percent of completion increased from 4% in baseline to 22% during intervention. The agency desired a much higher response level so a future research opportunity could address the limitations of this study by exploring the motivating operations impacting document completion and identifying individual staff rather than using aggregate data.

In today's industry the DevOps work-style is adopted in more and more companies. Following the work-style often leads to companies being more efficient at delivering new feature and high quality software at higher speeds.However, one thing that the DevOps work-style fail to address is the process of writing good and reliable non-code documentation. The non-code documentation often becomes a bottleneck for the companies following the work-style and is in need of an updated process to make it more effective and sustainable over time. In this thesis, the problem is addressed by designing and building a prototype system capable of automating the process of creating non-code documentation. In order to create a system capable of automating the process and thus increasing the flow and efficiency of the DevOps work-style, the prototype system has been built by combining powerful pre-existing tools like Pandoc, LaTeX and Docker together. The resulting system is implemented in a platform like GitLab or Bitbucket and can be used to automatically generate documentation with new releases. The documents are written in plain-text markdown files, letting the user focus on the content rather than the aesthetics of the document. This resulted in an increase of creating non-code documents 33.8% faster than existing methods like using Microsoft Word. Finally, the prototype system also generates more aesthetically looking documentation.

Syftet med undersökningen var att undersöka faktorer av betydelse för sjuksköterskans dokumentation. Av speciellt intresse var information som inkluderades och exkluderades från dokumentationen samt sjuksköterskans tankar om framtidens dokumentation.Åtta sjuksköterskor (fem kvinnor, tre män) från en intensivvårdavdelning intervjuades. Varje inspelad intervju varade 45-60 minuter. Materialet analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. I huvudsak riktade sig sjuksköterskans dokumentation till kollegor. Ett bra stilistiskt värdeneutralt skriftspråk eftersträvades eftersom patienten kunde läsa journalen. Medicinsk information som inte kunde relateras till det egna området samt allmän omvårdnadsinformation utelämnades ofta ur dokumentationen men rapporterades ibland muntligt till kollegor. Situationer som avvek från det normala vårdförloppet ansågs svåra att dokumentera. Kortfattad dokumentation som endast innehöll det mest väsentliga eftersträvades. Sjuksköterskor vars dokumentation ansågs alltför omfattande tillrättavisades av kollegor. Samtliga sjuksköterskor blev störda i dokumentationsarbetet. Majoriteten av respondenterna ansåg att standardvårdplanernas nuvarande utformning fungerade dåligt men förväntade sig att standardvårdplaner skulle utgöra grunden för omvårdnadsdokumentation i framtiden. Ett förbättrat dokumentationssystem önskades. Studien indikerar att medicinsk och omvårdnadsmässig information som inte anses relevant i den aktuella vårdsituationen utelämnas ur sjuksköterskans dokumentation. Fler studier behövs för att försäkra att omvårdnadsdokumentation i framtiden innehåller alla delar av omvårdnadsprocessen. / The purpose of this study was to examine factors of importance for nursing documentation. Of special interest was what the individual nurse included and excluded in his/her documentation as well as any thoughts and expectations on the documentation process in the future. Eight nurses (five female, three male) working in an intensive care unit were interviewed. Each taped interview lasted 45 – 60 minutes. The material was analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method. Documentation was mainly done for the benefit of colleagues. Patient rights to read their own chart ensured well-written entries. Medical information not related to their own specialty as well as general nursing information was often not documented, but was sometimes reported orally. Patients reacting in unusual ways were difficult to document in an objective manner. Brief documentation, containing only necessary data, was seen as ideal. Nurses using excessive documentation were reprimanded. All nurses perceived that it was impossible to document without interruptions. Most nurses viewed standardized care plans in their current format as difficult to use but believed that they would be the foundation of nursing documentation in the future. Improved documentation systems were desired in the future. This study indicates that medical and nursing information seen as irrelevant in the current situation is excluded from nursing documentation. Organizational culture has an impact on what is seen as relevant and the documentation system determines how information is recorded. Further studies are needed in order to ensure that future nursing documentation include all aspects of the nursing process.

<p> A description is given of the multi-technique nonlinear optimization system called OPTIPAC.</p> <p> The overall organization of the program is outlined and the significant features of each of the method subroutines are discussed. Considerable emphasis has been placed on the documentation for the system, and the two manuals which have been written are described briefly. The results of three test problems are included to demonstrate the value of having a variety of techniques in the package.</p> <p> A preliminary evaluation of OPTIPAC's performance is given, with relevant suggestions for further development.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

No description available.

No description available.

<p> The experience shows that any shortcoming in defining the requirements for computer based systems imperils the deliverables of all the subsequent stages of their development. This importance is undeniable when dealing with manufacturing software-systems due to their significant role in all spheres of human life. These systems have very stringent non-functional requirements such as accuracy and real-time constraints. The development of manufacturing software-systems is very challenging and requires special caution, since any mistake might have broad impact on very expensive work-pieces or might lead to a machining accident with irreparable effects. The success of their development depends largely on the quality of their Software Requirements Specification Document (SRSD).</p> <p> We propose a new requirements template specifically designed for manufacturing systems. The template is structured to reflect their characteristics including multi-constraints and multi-disciplinary problems, multi-stage processes, multi-tasking, dynamic behavior, evolutionary nature, time-varying physical characteristics, and the usage of complex scientific models. A complementary usage of goal-driven, viewpoint oriented, and scenario-based approach is adopted for structuring the template content. To provide a high quality SRSD, the template is designed to enhance unambiguity, consistency, completeness, precision, non-redundancy, and good organization of the requirements document as well as other criteria including breadth of applicability and methodology independence.</p> <p> An automated tool for requirements management according to the proposed template has been designed and implemented. The requirements management tool provides relatively secure and easy-to-use capabilities for the documentation and the retrieval of the requirements. It accelerates capturing the requirements, improves system quality by enhancing the reduction of requirements errors, and helps in establishing a common understanding between the system builders and the stakeholders. In addition to a user friendly environment for changing the information, we developed a powerful dynamic report generator that can be configured by the user and that provides a simple way for retrieving the requirements and formatting them.</p> <p> Both the template and the tool have been validated using the requirements for a Tool Trajectory Planning for High Speed Machining system developed at the Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Centre, Institute for Aerospace Research (Montreal).</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Microcomputer software users require varying degrees of instructional assistance to effectively operate the software they purchase. Chapter I recognizes that this demand for quality documentation places a burden upon software suppliers to expend additional time, energy, and money to satisfy users. This research recommends a set of procedural guidelines for microcomputer software suppliers to follow as a means of supplementing basic documentation techniques. Literature regarding microcomputer software documentation is an item of increasing demand in today's technical marketplace. The literature review, Chapter II, reveals that the most significant improvement in the documentation process has been the development of two specific reference standards, physical layout and instructional components. Chapter III describes the research experiment used in obtaining information regarding the documentation associated with two current microcomputer word processing programs. Four university students provided background information regarding the personal characteristics, attributes, associated with a given user population. The research experiment evolved from a comprehensive documentation review to a structured data collection process. Chapter IV indicates that the discrepancy between actual and expected research gains justifies improving data collection techniques and recommending specific procedural guidelines for future documentation reviews. The final chapter provides a detailed analysis of the research experiment and conclusions related to the documentation's effectiveness. Additionally, it proposes procedural guidelines designed to improve the experiment's data collection techniques. These guidelines can help future documentation writers more accurately gauge user capabilities and limitations. / Master of Science

Tangible and intangible heritage values of cultural landscapes are becoming lost or transforming under the threat of rapidly changing landscapes. Researcher-oriented documenting methods are missing significant meanings of landscapes for local communities. Community-based methods can reveal both tangible and intangible heritage of landscapes without missing important values for local communities. This dissertation study proposed a community-based mixed method research to reveal and document cultural heritage or other values from the perspective of local community members in the case study area of Findikli in Rize/Turkey. Findikli's cultural landscape is under the threat of rapidly changing landscape due to newly introduced agriculture practice - tea production. To reveal lost or transformed tangible and intangible heritage meanings of the Findikli's cultural landscape, multiple community-based research methods were used for collecting data from local residents as well as those with family or community connections to the area. Community workshops, individual and group interviews, and surveys gathered information on the social and cultural relationships, as well as locations of past and present agricultural activities, land uses and built structures. Analysis of family and community photographs and aerial imagery, as well as community produced land use and cognitive maps helped place these in spatial relationship to the landscape. Results of this dissertation study made contributions to case study area with a rich archive of Findikli's traditional tangible and intangible landscape elements, and to cultural landscape studies with a method of discovering traditional cultural heritage and landscape values under the threat of change and a guidance to document them with the community-based methods to increase quality and quantity of information. / Ph. D. / Physical and social values of cultural landscapes are becoming lost or transforming under the threat of rapidly changing landscapes. Documenting physical and social values of landscapes via researchers’ point of view is missing some significant meanings of landscapes for local communities. Engaging community in the revealing landscape meanings process provides more information compared to researchers’ perspective studies. This dissertation study proposed a community-based mixed method research to reveal and document cultural heritage or other values from the perspective of local community members in the case study area of Findikli in Rize/Turkey. Findikli’s cultural landscape is under the threat of rapidly changing landscape due to newly introduced agriculture practice –tea production. To reveal lost or transformed socially and culturally important meanings of the Findikli’s cultural landscape, multiple community-based research methods were used for collecting data from local residents as well as those with family or community connections to the area. Community workshops, individual and group interviews, and surveys gathered information on the social and cultural relationships, as well as locations of past and present agricultural activities, land uses and built structures. Analysis of family and community photographs and aerial imagery, as well as community produced land use helped place these in spatial relationship to the landscape. Results of this dissertation study made contributions to case study area with a rich archive of Findikli’s traditional physical and social landscape elements, and to cultural landscape studies with a method of discovering traditional cultural heritage and landscape values under the threat of change and a guidance to document them with the community-based methods to increase quality and quantity of information.

With today's increased digitalization, organizations face the challenge of finding new and more effective ways for employees to collaborate, communicate and save documentation through digital tools. The purpose of this study was to investigate implementation of a digital communication tool in a large private international organisation. The study has combined the perspectives of implementation project leaders and users of the tool, in order to get a full understanding of the implementation process. The following research questions were addressed: How can we understand the process of implementing digital tools from a project leader perspective? How does the user perspective add to the understanding of the process of implementing new digital tools? The study involved eight semi-structured interviews withproject leaders and users. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted. Results show that there is a discrepancy between the project leaders’ understanding of implementing digital tools and the users’ understanding. Project leaders and users had differing views on the precise nature of the problems that needed to be solved by the new digital tool. Linked to this,project leaders had a longer-term organisational perspective on the problems to be solved, whilst users had a shorter-term focus on their own work within the organisation and the immediate technical needs thrown up by this. These different perspectives were reflected in the two groups’ different views on the success, or otherwise, of the implementation process.