Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is the major tool used to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the operation management for the Steel Industry. Prior to implementing the MES, correctly estimating the MES Software Project Size is an important first stage and is a complex exercise. Several methods have been proposed to help in evaluating MES Software Project Size before implementation, such as function point analysis and fast function point analysis approaches. Among them, the fast function point analysis is a prominent approach. However, the detailed guideline for the use of it is lacking. Therefore, this study presents a methodology which provides these guidelines and uses it to estimate the MES Software Project Size in the Steel Industry. The research methodology is articulated using the design science research methodology. A usability evaluation is performed using three steel industry cases to demonstrate its applicability. With this enhanced approach, IT professionals or adopting organizations can more easily and systematically estimate the MES software project size.

No description available.

BACKGROUND - Bipolar disorder has been postulated as an explanation for King John's inconsistencies of leadership and vagaries of character. Changes in activity, matching those in mood, are core features of the condition. METHOD - A measure of King John's activity was derived from his travelling itinerary. Change Point Analysis (CPA) was used to detect significant changes in that travelling activity and from them, to identify clinically compliant, high and low, activity time periods. The results were tested against an alternative mathematical model (Bollinger Bands™), three alternative parameters and two comparator itineraries (familial & non-familial). Using primary historical sources and published analyses, bipolar symptoms were identified and their temporal relationship to the ICD-10 compliant CPA periods evaluated. The influence of circumstances was also evaluated using primary sources and a representative sequential sample (1200-1204). RESULTS - CPA identified 83 periods of changed travelling activity. These changes were mathematically independent of the availability of the historical sources that underpin the itinerary. From these, 37 high and 22 low periods complied with current diagnostic guidelines and demonstrated descriptive and statistical similarities to those found in the bipolar literature. Analyses using alternative mathematical modelling and different parameters showed similar changes; analyses of comparator itineraries showed a possible familial trait. Of the 17 bipolar symptoms identified, all were found in CPA periods of appropriate polarity. Of the 23 sequential periods, 10 showed evidence of behaviour that was difficult to attribute to circumstances. CONCLUSIONS & OUTCOMES - The pattern of changes in King John's activity are highly suggestive of bipolar disorder with primary historical sources describing synchronous bipolar behaviour. This may alter our understanding both of King John and of Magna Carta. Change Point Analysis merits greater consideration when analysing time based data, as does the use of activity as an objective marker of human behaviour.

This diploma work concentrates on metrics for providers of IT support. Its origins are in a project for DHL IT Services. This company has recently moved centre of support for IT services serving to logistic giant DHL in EMEA region to Prague. The goal of the project was to find suitable metrics for measuring support requirements of IT services and productivity of people who provide the support. The objective of this paper is to introduce reasons for creation, principles, benefits, risks and experience from pilot implementation newly developed metric Support Point Analysis (SPA). To meet all objectives, the diploma was split into three integral parts. In the first part there are briefly summed general theoretical theses about metrics in IT, in the second part all aspects of the metrics Support Point Analysis were described in detail. In the last part there is analysis of possible areas of using SPA. There is also experience from pilot implementation in DHL IT Services write down in the last part. The main benefit of this paper consists in evaluation of SPA results and analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. Besides there are suggestions of possible ways of SPA further development.

The thesis aims at change-point estimation in gradual change models. Methods avail- able in literature are reviewed and modified for point-of-stabilisation (PoSt) context, present e.g. in drug continuous manufacturing. We describe in detail the estimation in the linear PoSt model and we extend the methods to quadratic and Emax model. We describe construction of confidence intervals for the change-point, discuss their interpre- tation and show how they can be used in practice. We also address the situation when the assumption of homoscedasticity is not fulfilled. Next, we run simulations to calculate the coverage of confidence intervals for the change-point in discussed models using asymp- totic results and bootstrap with different parameter combinations. We also inspect the simulated distribution of derived estimators with finite sample. In the last chapter, we discuss the situation when the model for the data is incorrectly specified and we calculate the coverage of confidence intervals using simulations. 1

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Análise de Pontos de Função (APF) é uma das medidas usadas para obter o tamanho funcional de um software. Determinou-se, no Brasil, que toda contratação pública de desenvolvimento de software deve usar APF. Entretanto, uma das principais críticas realizadas a APF diz respeito à falta de confiabilidade entre diferentes contadores em uma mesma contagem já que, segundo alguns pesquisadores, as regras de APF são subjetivas, obrigando que cada contador faça interpretações individuais a partir delas. Existem diversas propostas para que se possa aumentar a confiabilidade dos resultados gerados com APF. Em geral, as abordagens propostas realizam mapeamentos entre componentes de artefatos desenvolvidos no ciclo de vida de software com os conceitos de APF. Porém, tais propostas simplificam em mais de 50% as regras previstas em APF comprometendo a validade dos resultados gerados pelas contagens. Como o tamanho do software é usado na derivação de outras medidas, inconsistências nos tamanhos medidos podem comprometer as medidas derivadas, o que influência negativamente nas decisões tomadas. Sem padronização dos tamanhos funcionais obtidos e consequentemente sem confiabilidade dos resultados obtidos, medidas derivadas a partir do tamanho funcional, como custo e esforço, podem estar comprometidas, fazendo com que ela não ajude a influenciar positivamente tais projetos. Diante desse contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver e avaliar experimentalmente uma abordagem para oferecer maior padronização e sistematização na aplicação de APF. Para isso, propõe-se incorporar o artefato Árvore de pontos de função ao processo de APF. Sua inclusão possibilitaria o levantamento de dados adicionais, necessários à contagem de pontos de função, reduzindo a ocorrência de interpretações pessoais do contador, e consequentemente, a variação de tamanho reportado. A abordagem foi denominada como Análise de Pontos de Função baseada em Árvore de Pontos de Função (APF-APF). Este trabalho baseia-se no método de pesquisa Design Science, cujo objetivo é estender os limites do ser humano e as capacidades organizacionais, criando novos artefatos que solucionem problemas ainda não resolvidos ou parcialmente resolvidos; que neste trabalho, trata-se da falta de confiabilidade na aplicação de APF devido à sua margem para diferentes interpretações. APF-APF foi testada com 11 Analistas de Sistemas / Requisitos que, baseados na especificação de um software de Recursos Humanos medido oficialmente pelo IFPUG com 125 pontos de função, modelaram a Árvore de pontos de função de modo manual ou automatizado via protótipo de ferramenta desenvolvido. Os resultados obtidos indicam que os tamanhos funcionais calculados com APF-APF possuem coeficiente de variação, respectivamente de 10,72% em relação a confiabilidade e 17,61% em relação a validade dos resultados de medição gerados. Considera-se que a abordagem APF-APF mostrou potencial para que melhores resultados possam ser obtidos. Verifica-se que a principal causa das variações observadas estava relacionada a ausência de informações requeridas para a Árvore de pontos de função, não tendo sido identificado nenhum problema específico em relação as regras definidas para APF-APF. Por fim, verificou-se que o uso do protótipo de ferramenta desenvolvido aumenta em até 47% a eficiência na contagem de pontos de função quando comparado com APF-APF manual / Function point analysis (FPA) is one of the measures used to achieve the functional size of software. It was determined, in Brazil, public procurement of software development should use FPA. However, one of the main criticisms made the FPA concerns the lack of reliability between different counters on the same count that, according to some researchers, the FPA rules are subjective, requiring that each counter do individual interpretations from them. There are various proposals in order to increase the reliability of the results generated with FPA. In General, the proposed approaches perform mappings between artifacts developed components in software life cycle with the concepts of FPA. However, such proposals simplify in more than 50% the rules laid down in FPA compromising the validity of the results generated by the scores. As the size of the software is used in the derivation of other measures, inconsistencies in sizes measured may compromise the measures derived, which negatively influence the decisions taken. Without standardization of functional sizes obtained and consequently without reliability of the results obtained, derived from measures of functional size, cost and effort, may be compromised, causing it to not help to positively influence these projects. In this context, the objective of this work is to develop and experimentally evaluate one approach to offer greater standardization and systematization in the implementation of FPA. For this, it is proposed to incorporate the artifact \"function point Tree\" to the FPA process. Its inclusion would allow additional data collection necessary for function point count, reducing the occurrence of personal interpretations of the counter, and consequently, the variation of size reported. The approach was called as Function Point Tree-based Function Point Analysis (FPT-FPA). This work is based on the method of Design Science research, whose goal is to extend the limits of the human and organizational capacities, creating new artifacts to troubleshoot unresolved or still partially resolved; in this work, it is the lack of reliability in application of FPA because of its scope for different interpretations. FPT-FPA were tested with 11 Systems analysts / requirements analysts, based on the specification of a human resources software measured by the IFPUG with 125 points, have modeled the function point Tree manually or via automated tool prototype developed. The results obtained indicate that the functional sizes calculated with FPT-FPA have coefficient of variation, respectively of 10.72% for reliability and 17.61% in relation to the validity of the measurement results generated. The FPA approach showed potential for better results can be obtained. It turns out that the main cause of the variations observed were related to the absence of information required for the tree of function points have not been identified any particular problem regarding the rules defined for FPT-FPA. Finally, it was found that the use of a prototype tool increases by up to 47% on efficiency function point count when compared to FPT-FPA manual