Thesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

For the past few decades researchers, development agencies and government have focussed on the use of Information and Communication Technologies to improve the socio-economic status of people in underdeveloped rural communities. In recent years there has been remarkable recognition of the importance of developing systems that address the specific needs of rural communities. Education, health, commerce, government and agriculture are amongst the needs of rural communities that could well be addressed by these systems. System development is a complex process and studies have shown that if poorly conducted, the process could lead to the failure of the system being developed. Due to differences in context and application, the processes followed in the development of the rural community systems need to differ from those of commercial applications. One such difference is the choice of the Information System Development Methodology (SDM) used. Following a methodical approach to Information Systems development is important as it improves discipline, standardization and monitoring of a quality system. There are hundreds of SDM available for use during development and choosing the wrong SDM has been linked to problems such as systems being delivered late, being over budget or not meeting the needs of the users. Developing systems for disadvantaged communities is different from developing system for organisations or even affluent communities. Some of the challenges that developers encounter include lack of structure, poor computer literacy, and poor infrastructure. Lack of user involvement during system development has been linked to system failures. A Living Labs approach to socio-economic development is aimed at involving multiple stakeholders towards improving the living standards. Developing Community Information Systems aimed at solving varying community problems is one of the objectives of the Living Labs. There are only few CISs that are fully operational from South African Living Labs, and a number of systems developed are not in use. Poor user involvement and lack of use of system development are some of the reasons for system failures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use and effectiveness of System Development Methodologies when developing community information systems aimed at socio-economic development of disadvantaged communities. To achieve the objectives of this study, an interpretive, multiple case study research was conducted in three Living Labs around South Africa. To improve the chances for success during the development of Community Information Systems for use by disadvantage communities, this study proposes a framework for evaluating use and effectiveness of SDMs. The second output of the Study is an SDM framework that could be adopted specifically for Living Labs which adopts an agile approach and prototyping. These frameworks takes into account the social attributes of people in disadvantaged communities, the nature of the living lab, the nature of the systems being developed and the role of the users in the systems being developed. / PhD (Computer Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

For the past few decades researchers, development agencies and government have focussed on the use of Information and Communication Technologies to improve the socio-economic status of people in underdeveloped rural communities. In recent years there has been remarkable recognition of the importance of developing systems that address the specific needs of rural communities. Education, health, commerce, government and agriculture are amongst the needs of rural communities that could well be addressed by these systems. System development is a complex process and studies have shown that if poorly conducted, the process could lead to the failure of the system being developed. Due to differences in context and application, the processes followed in the development of the rural community systems need to differ from those of commercial applications. One such difference is the choice of the Information System Development Methodology (SDM) used. Following a methodical approach to Information Systems development is important as it improves discipline, standardization and monitoring of a quality system. There are hundreds of SDM available for use during development and choosing the wrong SDM has been linked to problems such as systems being delivered late, being over budget or not meeting the needs of the users. Developing systems for disadvantaged communities is different from developing system for organisations or even affluent communities. Some of the challenges that developers encounter include lack of structure, poor computer literacy, and poor infrastructure. Lack of user involvement during system development has been linked to system failures. A Living Labs approach to socio-economic development is aimed at involving multiple stakeholders towards improving the living standards. Developing Community Information Systems aimed at solving varying community problems is one of the objectives of the Living Labs. There are only few CISs that are fully operational from South African Living Labs, and a number of systems developed are not in use. Poor user involvement and lack of use of system development are some of the reasons for system failures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use and effectiveness of System Development Methodologies when developing community information systems aimed at socio-economic development of disadvantaged communities. To achieve the objectives of this study, an interpretive, multiple case study research was conducted in three Living Labs around South Africa. To improve the chances for success during the development of Community Information Systems for use by disadvantage communities, this study proposes a framework for evaluating use and effectiveness of SDMs. The second output of the Study is an SDM framework that could be adopted specifically for Living Labs which adopts an agile approach and prototyping. These frameworks takes into account the social attributes of people in disadvantaged communities, the nature of the living lab, the nature of the systems being developed and the role of the users in the systems being developed. / PhD (Computer Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study investigates the critical success factors involved in agile systems development projects. Various systems development methodologies and project management methodologies are presented with their underlying principles, strengths and weaknesses. Thereafter the critical success factors adopted from the work of Chow and Cao (2007) are presented. A positivistic research paradigm was chosen for data collection and analysis. The survey method was chosen for data collection. A questionnaire was sent to multiple respondents in a predominantly agile work environment, which resulted in a total of 129 respondents in various business sectors. The results were analysed by implementing multiple correlation and regression statistics as well as descriptive statistics. The results show that there are in fact 16 critical success factors that have a direct impact on the success of agile systems development projects. Agile systems development methodologies have been increasing in use during the last 3 years, and most organisations are implementing some form of project management methodology. The first recommendation is based on the findings that strong customer involvement and the appropriate management of the agile process with a satisfactory amount of documentation resulted in greater process success. Therefore, organisations should encourage these critical success factors when implementing an ASDM as this has a positive effect on the project outcome. The appropriate management of the agile process with a satisfactory amount of documentation, the application of good design practices and technical knowledge to a project, and a cooperative organizational culture instead of hierarchical are three of the key critical success factors that were positively related to the success of the product. By focussing on these critical success factors, the success of the entire project can be predicted. / Thesis (MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study investigates the critical success factors involved in agile systems development projects. Various systems development methodologies and project management methodologies are presented with their underlying principles, strengths and weaknesses. Thereafter the critical success factors adopted from the work of Chow and Cao (2007) are presented. A positivistic research paradigm was chosen for data collection and analysis. The survey method was chosen for data collection. A questionnaire was sent to multiple respondents in a predominantly agile work environment, which resulted in a total of 129 respondents in various business sectors. The results were analysed by implementing multiple correlation and regression statistics as well as descriptive statistics. The results show that there are in fact 16 critical success factors that have a direct impact on the success of agile systems development projects. Agile systems development methodologies have been increasing in use during the last 3 years, and most organisations are implementing some form of project management methodology. The first recommendation is based on the findings that strong customer involvement and the appropriate management of the agile process with a satisfactory amount of documentation resulted in greater process success. Therefore, organisations should encourage these critical success factors when implementing an ASDM as this has a positive effect on the project outcome. The appropriate management of the agile process with a satisfactory amount of documentation, the application of good design practices and technical knowledge to a project, and a cooperative organizational culture instead of hierarchical are three of the key critical success factors that were positively related to the success of the product. By focussing on these critical success factors, the success of the entire project can be predicted. / Thesis (MCom (Computer Science & Information Systems))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study has   focused on system development approaches and system development   methodologies. The purpose of the study has been to present a view on the   current situation of different development approaches (agile, traditional,   iterative and hybrid) and methodologies by highlighting the situation from a   number of perspectives. Questions that are answered are: which system   development approaches and methodologies that can be said to be most   frequently used based on the respondents, if the mentioned approaches can be   given certain characteristics based on a selection of factors and the   respondents' attitude towards the approach they practice. The study has been   conducted as a survey where the answers have been obtained via social media.   The result shows that agile methodologies dominate and that they are often   included in various forms of hybrid and agile approaches. Furthermore, it has   not been possible to create an in-depth knowledge of the approaches based on   the selected factors. Finally, it is noted that project members who practice   an agile approach have a great confidence in the approach and have a strong   conviction that it contributes to increase the quality of the software.

This study investigated the use of systems development methodologies in Web-based application development in South Africa. Web-based systems differ from traditional information systems by integrating different media for knowledge representation and utilizing hypertext functionality. By doing this, Web-based systems not only support creation, integration, analysis, and distribution but also storage and transfer of knowledge of business transactions within a structured information system. There are numerous methodologies available to develop Web-based systems. In this study five of these methodologies were discussed. The methodologies include Web IS Development Methodology (WISOM), Internet Commerce Development Methodology (ICOM), Web Engineering, Extreme Programming and the Relationship Management Methodology (RMM). In this study a qualitative research approach was followed. Case studies were done on three different organizations in the South African marketplace. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection at each organization. The interviews were transcribed, and the data were analysed using content analysis and cross-case analysis. One of the main goals of this research was to determine "how" system development methodologies are used in practice to develop Web-based systems, and to what extent it is used. The research pointed out that those organizations who participated in this study in South Africa mainly use in-house developed methodologies to develop Web-based systems, and that these organizations adhere strictly to their methodology. The main reasons organizations choose to use methodologies are that methodologies aid in the delivery of a better quality Web-based system, and also act as a good project management mechanism within the organization. / Thesis (M.Com. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Thesis (M.Com. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Syfte - Syftet med den här uppsatsen var att via befintlig litteratur undersöka vilka modeller som finns för att välja systemutvecklingsmetod. Vidare syftade uppsatsen till att testa modellerna på några av de vanligast förekommande utvecklingsmetoderna. Detta skedde med hjälp av ett förenklat exempelprojekt. Metod – Metoden till den här uppsatsen var en litteraturstudie. En litteraturstudie sammanställer tidigare forskning kring ett ämne för att skapa nya perspektiv. Litteraturen till den här uppsatsen inhämtades från journalartiklar, konferenser och böcker. Analys och slutsatser – Omfånget av den här uppsatsen sträckte sig till att se på tre modeller för att välja systemutvecklingsmetod. Dessa var SDM-ES, Big-M och CUQuP. SDM-ES är ett automatiserat expertsystem som drar slutsatser utifrån uppskattningar av användaren. Big-M består i sin enklaste form av en matris. Användaren plottar in det aktuella projektet i matrisen. CUQuP väger ihop tre olika faktorer för varje utvecklingsfas som anses viktig i ett projekt. Dessa faktorer matas sedan in i en formel som genererar en poängsumma. Den utvecklingsmetod som får högst poäng är bäst lämpad för projektet. Gemensamt för modellerna är att de baserar sina val av utvecklingsmetod på ett antal faktorer. Några av dessa faktorer är gemensamma för modellerna medan andra skiljer sig åt. För att testa modellerna applicerades de på utvecklingsmetoderna: Extreme Programming (XP), Rapid Application Development (RAD) och vattenfallsmodellen. För att appliceringen skulle bli meningsfull var det nödvändigt att skapa ett exempelprojekt. Resultatet visade att samtliga utvecklingsmetoder valde RAD som den mest lämpliga utvecklingsmetoden för exempelprojektet. Två av tre valde vattenfallsmodellen som näst mest lämplig. Med andra ord fanns det en relativt hög grad av samstämmighet mellan modellerna. De skulle emellertid krävas en mer omfattande studie för att klarlägga om detta stämmer. / Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to identify and describe models that help developers choosing a system development methodology. Furthermore the purpose was to test the models on some common system development methodologies. In order to do so a simple example project was created. Methodology - This paper was conducted through a literature review. A literature review collects and compiles research on a subject to create new perspectives.  The literature for this paper was collected from science journals, conference papers and books. Analysis and conclusions – This paper delimited itself to only examine three models for choosing a development methodology. The models were: SDM-ES, Big-M and CUQuP. SDM-ES is a rule based expert system that draws conclusions bases on user input. In its simplest form, Big-M uses a matrix in order to decide which development methodology that should be used. Based on estimations of system criticality and project size the user can decide were in the matrix the project belongs. With the help of a formula CUQuP calculates a score for each considered development method. The methodology that receives the highest score is generally considered to be most suitable for the project. All models have a common characteristic. In one way or another they all use factors, such as system criticality and project size, to decide which development method that should be used. In order to test the models three development methodologies were used. Those were Extreme Programming (XP), Rapid Application Development (RAD) and the waterfall model. To make the test meaningful it was necessary to create an example project. The result showed that all three models chose RAD as the best development methodology for the example project. Furthermore two out of three models considered the waterfall model to be the second best option. In other words it seems to be a high degree of coherence between the models. However the scope of this paper is too narrow to decide if that’s true.