Dynamic Systems Development Method and e-Sourcing Capability Model - Research Paper Example

 Strategic Information System Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Abstract 3 1. Introduction 3 2. Current explanation and issues relating to Dynamic Systems Development Method 4 2.1. Advantages and disadvantages of DSDM 4 2.2 Relevant case histories 5 2.3 Reflection on issues of social responsible computing 6 2.4 Potential issues in the future (five years ahead) related to DSDM 6 3. Current explanation and issues relating to e-Sourcing Capability Model 7 3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of e-SCM 7 3.2 Relevant case histories 8 3.3 Reflection on issues of social responsible computing 9 3.4 Potential issues in the future (five years ahead) related to e-SCM 9 4. Refection on the relevance of the content 10 5. Conclusion 10 6. References 11 7. Bibliography 13 Abstract In the present information era information system is one of the most important factors behind the success of an industry or even of an entire economy. Dynamic Systems Development Method and e-Sourcing Capability Model are two of the most widely discussed information system models in the recent past. This paper includes a brief introduction where arrival and some basic features of these two models are discussed. The paper also includes an in-depth analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these two models. Case histories that are relevant to these two models are also included in this paper. Finally potential issues in the next five years regarding the two models are briefly discussed. The paper ends with a well structured conclusion and a list of references. 1. Introduction DSDM and e-Sourcing Capability Model are the two of the mostly used models in the recent past. DSDM stands for ‘Dynamic Systems Development Method’ which arrived in the year 1990 as a formalized method of ‘Rapid Application Development’ practices. It was first originated in UK and gradually became popular in the entire Europe as well as in USA. It is one of the most widely accepted Agile approaches. DSDM has been found to be followed an approach of phase-wise development. It has strongly been focused on the development of software that is efficient in meeting the needs of the users (Highsmith, 2002). e-Sourcing Capability Model (eSCM) is developed by IT Services Qualification Centre (ITSqc) of Carnegie Mellon University. e-SCM could be both for service providers as well as for client organizations. In 2004 ITSqc first released ‘e-Sourcing Capability Model for Service Providers’ (eSCM-SP) and after two years of this they released ‘e-Sourcing Capability Model for Client Organisations’ (eSCM-CL). Sourcing organizations, with the help of e-SCM, are able to manage and reduce risks and enhance their capabilities throughout the sourcing life cycle. On the other hand e-SCM-CL helps client organizations in appraising and improving their capability in order to develop and manage effective relationships with the service providers (IT Services Qualification Centre, n.d.). This paper includes major advantages and disadvantages of these two models. The paper also includes relevant case histories, reflection on issues of social responsible computing and potential future issues regarding these two models. 2. Current explanation and issues relating to Dynamic Systems Development Method 2.1. Advantages and disadvantages of DSDM There could be several advantages as well as disadvantages of DSDM. Major advantages of DSDM are provided below. DSDM is such a process which is technique independent in nature and this is a major advantage of it. Furthermore the final system of DSDM is capable of meeting the real business needs of the users. One of the key ingredients of DSDM is ‘Timeboxing’ which is ensures delivery in time. This is another major advantage of DSDM. Moreover in case of DSDM since representatives of users are likely to provide the training, the users would be trained in a better way. Users are involved in the process of using DSDM in a formalized way (DSDM Consortium, 1998). Implementation of DSDM takes place in a smooth way as there is excellent cooperation among all the parties in the process of development. All the stakeholders are incorporated in the development process. Another important advantage of DSDM is that there are fixed cost and time of the entire project. Moreover DSDM is flexible enough as far as evolution of requirement is concerned. Like any other model DSDM also has several disadvantages which are mentioned below. One of the major disadvantages of DSDM is that the requirements are needed to be progressively developed. Furthermore DSDM is mainly focused on ‘Rapid Application Development’ practices as a result of this code robustness might get decreased. There is too much of requirement of user involvement in DSDM. The team that is involved in the development of DSDM needs to be skilled in both technical and business area. These are two other main disadvantages of DSDM. 2.2 Relevant case histories DSDM was initiated in 1994 and since then it has enjoyed several successes. Over the time it has become more and more popular in and outside Europe. Today more number of managers is relying on DSDM for solving their business problems. But there are few organizations which have used DSDM. Dublin based Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC) is among those few organizations. It was involved in developing software for libraries, academic institutions and museums. In the year 1998 the company was facing problems regarding its software delivery. Prior to the use of DSDM, projects in OCLC were used to take 18-24 months in order to deliver the final product and by the time products were ready for delivery, they were likely to become obsolete in the market. The problem was solved only after OCLC started using DSDM as the projects were taking only 2-3 months for delivering a product although only tools and techniques of DSDM were adopted by the teams of OCLC (DSDM, n.d.). 2.3 Reflection on issues of social responsible computing Each and every system/software development model is either directly or indirectly involved with the society as these models are made for the use of people. It is the people who have developed as well as used DSDM. So it is their task to look after whether the model is meeting all the social responsibilities. DSDM, till now, has been found to be meeting all the social responsibilities. 2.4 Potential issues in the future (five years ahead) related to DSDM In today’s information age technology is changing rapidly. A method which is very much important today might not be relevant after 2-3 days. Perhaps the most important factor that can save a method from becoming obsolete or irrelevant is its huge acceptability among the users. As far as DSDM is concerned, it is yet to get such massive acceptance in the industry. Till now the number of companies which are using DSDM is not very high. So, there is possibility that tomorrow another new innovative method would arrive as more effective method when compared to DSDM. If the new method is more widely accepted by the users then the future of DSDM would not be bright. So it is very much possible that after five years DSDM would be irrelevant and obsolete if it is not properly maintained or modified according to the users’ changing requirements. 3. Current explanation and issues relating to e-Sourcing Capability Model 3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of e-SCM Like DSDM, e-Sourcing Capability Model also has several advantages as well as disadvantages. Major advantages of this model are discussed below. e-SCM is such a model that covers up entire life cycle of outsourcing. It helps organizations in the process of selecting the best service provider in terms of outsourcing. So, basically an e-SCM reduces risk of the client organizations and this is one of the most important advantages of this model. e-SCM helps client organizations to improve the predictability, quality and efficiency of the outcomes of their business. Furthermore e-SCM helps to establish a special sourcing relationship which is entirely trust based. So, this is an important advantage of e-SCM. Another important advantage of e-Sourcing Capability Model is that it complements other quality models which already exist. As a consequence of this service providers are capable of taking advantage of earlier improvement efforts. There are e-SCM model for both service providers as well as client organizations and this is a major advantage of this model. Critical issues which are related to e-sourcing (IT enabled sourcing) for both in-sourced and outsourced agreements, are properly addressed by e-SCM for Service Providers. This is another advantage of e-SCM model (IT Services Qualification Centre, n.d.). There are several disadvantages of e-SCM model. One of the major disadvantages of e-SCM is it difficult to monitor the model. Both e-SCM for Service Providers and Client Organisations are very recently launched, as a result they are yet to be applied in all types of critical situations. 3.2 Relevant case histories The development of e-Sourcing Capability Model was governed by the Carnegie Mellon University, though there were several other organizations such as Accenture, Boeing, American Express, Deloitte, BP, Satyam PNC Bank etc. who have made significant contribution in the development of the model (ALC Group, n.d.). When sponsor companies of the model decided to test the preliminary versions of e-SCM, Accenture also decided to put its internal models and service offerings into test as it was one of the major contributors in the development of the model. Shari Dove was the associate partner of Accenture. She supervised the entire testing process. After analysing the results, she said that she was pleased with the results. According to Shari, e-Sourcing Capability Model is likely to be widely accepted by the organizations that always strive to perform well. Based on the findings of this test some additional practices such as financial control, process asset management and third party relationship management were incorporated in the e-SCM so that it can perform better (Accenture, n.d.). 3.3 Reflection on issues of social responsible computing Just like DSDM, e-SCM is also developed by human beings. Whenever any systems or models are developed, aspects of social responsibility must be considered with proper importance. It is not expected that reputed academic institutions and organizations would be involved in developing such a model that would be used in some illegal activities like hacking. E-Sourcing Capability Model are developed by some of the premier organizations in the world, as a consequence, it could be stated that the model does not ignore any aspects of social responsible computing. Till now it has not found to be helping any organization in any kind of unusual, unexpected or illegal activities. 3.4 Potential issues in the future (five years ahead) related to e-SCM As long as companies would like to operate in cost effective way, the concept of outsourcing remains relevant. The problem is that number of suppliers is increasing with the passage of time. This has given more options to the organizations that are looking to outsource their process. But there are no such standards for measuring the quality of the service provider and this is why e-SCM would be more relevant and significant in the industry in the next five years. e-SCM is such a model that enable the client organization to measure the standards or quality of the service providers. It can be expected that in the next five years new windows of outsourcing would be opened, as a consequence models like e-SCM would be more widely accepted across the industry. 4. Refection on the relevance of the content In the present information age development and implementation of new effective and efficient information system models is a major issue. In the last few years several innovative models or methods are developed in order to make the processes more efficient and effective. In this context DSDM and e-SCM are the two most relevant models. None of these two models are too old and their significance is gradually realized by the industry as more number of organizations is using them. The content that is presented in this paper is very much relevant as they are based on the information provided by the users and developers of these two models. 5. Conclusion Both DSDM and e-SCM are two of the most significant models in the recent history of information system. Since 1994, DSDM has enjoyed many successes. DSDM consortium has become stronger as it has grown not only in UK but in the entire Europe and USA. There are several advantages and disadvantages of DSDM. It is capable of meeting the real business needs of the users. But it has a long way to go. Next five years are very important for DSDM as it is still not accepted by a large number of organisations. On the other hand e-Sourcing Capability Model is also a recently developed model. The famous Carnegie Mellon University along with some other organizations like Accenture, Deloitte, Satyam has developed this model. It is very effective model that is likely to help both service providers and client organizations. e-SCM is likely to be widely used in the next five years as outsourcing would play more important role in the coming days. 6. References Accenture, No Date, e-Sourcing Capability Model: A Measure of High Performance, [Online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/3E2D6677-6C9B-4F56-ACB0-9D4F9FC49C67/0/esourcingcapabilitymodel.pdf [Accessed on January 26, 2010] ALC Group, No Date, e-Sourcing Capability Model, Carnegie Mellon best-practice model for sourcing management, [Online] Available at: http://www.alctraining.com.au/pdf/escm.pdf [Accessed on January 26, 2010] DSDM Consortium, 1998, Guidelines for Introducing DSDM into an Organisation, Agile Alliance, [Online] Available at: http://www.agilealliance.org/system/article/file/902/file.pdf [Accessed on January 26, 2010] DSDM, No Date, Using an Agile Approach in a Large, Traditional Organization, DSDM Case Study, [Online] Available at: http://www.dsdm.org/knowledgebase/download/208/case_study:_using_an_agile_approach_in_a_large,_traditional_organisation.pdf [Accessed on January 26, 2010] Highsmith, J. A. 2002, Agile software development ecosystems, Addison-Wesley\ IT Services Qualification Center, No Date, The Models, Carnegie Mellon, [Online] Available at: http://itsqc.cmu.edu/models/index.asp [Accessed on January 26, 2010] IT Services Qualification Center, No Date, The eSourcing Capability Model for Service Providers (eSCM-SP) v2, Carnegie Mellon, [Online] Available at: http://itsqc.cmu.edu/models/escm-sp/index.asp [Accessed on January 26, 2010] 7. Bibliography Jones, C. 2007, Estimating software costs: bringing realism to estimating, McGraw-Hill Professional Stapleton, J. DSDM Consortium, 2003, DSDM: business focused development, Addison-Wesley Stapleton. J. 1997, DSDM, dynamic systems development method: the method in practice, Cambridge University Press http://www.sei.cmu.edu/reports/08tn006.pdf www.site.uottawa.ca/~misbah/seg3120/PowerPoint_03MI.ppt Read More