Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2017), 2017
Many software products contain unnecessary functionality. Industrial reports show 45% of the feat... more Many software products contain unnecessary functionality. Industrial reports show 45% of the features in analyzed software products are never used. Software-centric organizations have been trying to sustain their competitive advantage by redefining their product development strategy. Recent attempts to re-strategize the product development process tend towards customer-centric approaches. We propose a validation-driven model based around proven lean principles, agile methods, and value-driven design. To increase the model's likelihood of success, the study discusses suitable guidelines and deployment protocols that have been evolved in industrial settings.
Lean principles for software development are relatively new, and their applications in software o... more Lean principles for software development are relatively new, and their applications in software organizations are yet to be established. Software-centric organizations should be warned that transferring Lean principles and best practices from other industries is not a straightforward process; it is complex and requires reinvention and reinterpretation of practices in these new Preface Collaborative Research Work. This thesis is an original work by Osama Hamdi Al Baik. Following is a list of published chapters included in this thesis. I was the primary investigator and was responsible for research design, data collection, and analysis, literature reviews, as well as manuscript composition. Professor James Miller, as the supervisory author, contributed in and directed the concepts formulation, research design, data analysis and validation, as well as manuscript composition.
2021 8th International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), 2021
The 3D technology has many benefits in several fields including mhealthcare and engineering, auto... more The 3D technology has many benefits in several fields including mhealthcare and engineering, automobiles, and space. The purpose of this research is to identify factors that influence the future utilization of 3D printing technology in the manufacturing and industrial sectors of Abu Dhabi. The research approach focuses on different demographic, economic and technological factors that may affect the acceptability of this technology in Abu Dhabi. The methodology of this research is to review earlier results in this fild from several academic journals and conference proceeding. We have also used quantitative research method for this study. Survey questions were designed to collect first-hand information from different manufacturing organizations working in the industrial sector of Abu Dhabi. We have analysed the survey results and discussed findings from the analysis. As a result, the we conclude that 3D printing technology has the strong probability to replace traditional manufacturin...
In the past decades, software organizations have been relying on implementing process improvement... more In the past decades, software organizations have been relying on implementing process improvement methods to advance quality, productivity, and predictability of their development and maintenance efforts. However, these methods have proven to be challenging to implement in many situations, and when implemented, their benefits are often not sustained. Commonly, the workforce requires guidance during the initial deployment, but what happens after the guidance stops? Why do not traditional improvement methods deliver the desired results? And, how do we maintain the improvements when they are realized? In response to these questions, we have combined social and organizational learning methods with Lean's continuous improvement philosophy, Kaizen, which has resulted in an IDKL model that has successfully promoted continuous learning and improvement. The IDKL has evolved through a real-life project with an industrial partner; the study employed ethnographic action research with 231 participants and had lasted for almost 3 years. The IDKL requires employees to continuously apply small improvements to the daily routines of the work-procedures. The small improvements by themselves are unobtrusive. However, the IDKL has helped the industrial partner to implant continuous improvement as a daily habit. This has led to realizing sustainable and noticeable improvements. The findings show that on average, Lead Time has dropped by 46%, Process Cycle Efficiency has increased by 137%, First-Pass Process Yield has increased by 27%, and Customer Satisfaction has increased by 25%.
2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), 2016
In recent years, there has been significant attention paid to the application of Lean thinking to... more In recent years, there has been significant attention paid to the application of Lean thinking to software-centric organizations. However, there is noticeable challenges accompanying the use of it. Even when applied properly, sustaining the realized benefits becomes challenging. There is a need to have a sustainable and continuous improvement method that is embedded into the daily operations of the development process. We provide a summary of our experience on how Kaizen has helped in improving a software development team's productivity by more than 20%, enhanced the responsiveness of the team by more than 62%, increased the overall customer satisfaction by more than 17%, and is still improving!
In this paper, we propose a new model to classify wastes in IT organizations. In the beginning, w... more In this paper, we propose a new model to classify wastes in IT organizations. In the beginning, we discuss the potential reasons behind the relatively low success rate of lean initiatives in knowledge-based industries in general and in IT organizations in particular. The virtual nature of business processes in IT organizations calls into question the applicability of Toyota’s categorization of physical wastes in IT settings. Then, through a real-life project, we develop a new model of waste categorization for the operation of a “medium-sized” IT department. In addition to the new classifications specific to IT, we discuss suitable elimination strategies and how they have improved the daily operations of the organization by reducing the lead-time by 56–60 %, increasing customer satisfactions by 15.7 %, and saving hundreds of thousands of the operational cost. Finally, we emphasize the need to think lean when developing the waste elimination strategies by eliminating the root cause of the waste and not the subsequent wastes.
The interest in lean product development in general and the Kanban approach in particular has inc... more The interest in lean product development in general and the Kanban approach in particular has increased over the years. However, practitioners, in the software development field, have significant challenges in implementing the Kanban approach as it lacks a clear definition of its principles, practices, techniques and tools. This study aims to provide insight into the Kanban approach and its elements (concepts, principles, practices, techniques, and tools) that have been empirically reported by scholars and practitioners. This insight is produced by using the systematic review method to analyze the available literature. A total of 37 primary studies were selected from more than 3,000 unique studies. Our findings show that the primary studies have considered and reported 20 different elements as part of the Kanban approach based upon considerations of being an agile approach or a lean principle; these elements have realized great benefits and improvements to the software development teams. These benefits along with the challenges have been reported in this study. Due to the variety of organization types, contexts, and project sizes reported in the primary studies, it is expected that the results in this study would help in establishing knowledge on what are the different elements of the Kanban approach as well as offering a first step towards developing guidelines for practitioners to help in introducing the Kanban approach to software development organizations.
Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2017), 2017
Many software products contain unnecessary functionality. Industrial reports show 45% of the feat... more Many software products contain unnecessary functionality. Industrial reports show 45% of the features in analyzed software products are never used. Software-centric organizations have been trying to sustain their competitive advantage by redefining their product development strategy. Recent attempts to re-strategize the product development process tend towards customer-centric approaches. We propose a validation-driven model based around proven lean principles, agile methods, and value-driven design. To increase the model's likelihood of success, the study discusses suitable guidelines and deployment protocols that have been evolved in industrial settings.
Lean principles for software development are relatively new, and their applications in software o... more Lean principles for software development are relatively new, and their applications in software organizations are yet to be established. Software-centric organizations should be warned that transferring Lean principles and best practices from other industries is not a straightforward process; it is complex and requires reinvention and reinterpretation of practices in these new Preface Collaborative Research Work. This thesis is an original work by Osama Hamdi Al Baik. Following is a list of published chapters included in this thesis. I was the primary investigator and was responsible for research design, data collection, and analysis, literature reviews, as well as manuscript composition. Professor James Miller, as the supervisory author, contributed in and directed the concepts formulation, research design, data analysis and validation, as well as manuscript composition.
2021 8th International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), 2021
The 3D technology has many benefits in several fields including mhealthcare and engineering, auto... more The 3D technology has many benefits in several fields including mhealthcare and engineering, automobiles, and space. The purpose of this research is to identify factors that influence the future utilization of 3D printing technology in the manufacturing and industrial sectors of Abu Dhabi. The research approach focuses on different demographic, economic and technological factors that may affect the acceptability of this technology in Abu Dhabi. The methodology of this research is to review earlier results in this fild from several academic journals and conference proceeding. We have also used quantitative research method for this study. Survey questions were designed to collect first-hand information from different manufacturing organizations working in the industrial sector of Abu Dhabi. We have analysed the survey results and discussed findings from the analysis. As a result, the we conclude that 3D printing technology has the strong probability to replace traditional manufacturin...
In the past decades, software organizations have been relying on implementing process improvement... more In the past decades, software organizations have been relying on implementing process improvement methods to advance quality, productivity, and predictability of their development and maintenance efforts. However, these methods have proven to be challenging to implement in many situations, and when implemented, their benefits are often not sustained. Commonly, the workforce requires guidance during the initial deployment, but what happens after the guidance stops? Why do not traditional improvement methods deliver the desired results? And, how do we maintain the improvements when they are realized? In response to these questions, we have combined social and organizational learning methods with Lean's continuous improvement philosophy, Kaizen, which has resulted in an IDKL model that has successfully promoted continuous learning and improvement. The IDKL has evolved through a real-life project with an industrial partner; the study employed ethnographic action research with 231 participants and had lasted for almost 3 years. The IDKL requires employees to continuously apply small improvements to the daily routines of the work-procedures. The small improvements by themselves are unobtrusive. However, the IDKL has helped the industrial partner to implant continuous improvement as a daily habit. This has led to realizing sustainable and noticeable improvements. The findings show that on average, Lead Time has dropped by 46%, Process Cycle Efficiency has increased by 137%, First-Pass Process Yield has increased by 27%, and Customer Satisfaction has increased by 25%.
2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), 2016
In recent years, there has been significant attention paid to the application of Lean thinking to... more In recent years, there has been significant attention paid to the application of Lean thinking to software-centric organizations. However, there is noticeable challenges accompanying the use of it. Even when applied properly, sustaining the realized benefits becomes challenging. There is a need to have a sustainable and continuous improvement method that is embedded into the daily operations of the development process. We provide a summary of our experience on how Kaizen has helped in improving a software development team's productivity by more than 20%, enhanced the responsiveness of the team by more than 62%, increased the overall customer satisfaction by more than 17%, and is still improving!
In this paper, we propose a new model to classify wastes in IT organizations. In the beginning, w... more In this paper, we propose a new model to classify wastes in IT organizations. In the beginning, we discuss the potential reasons behind the relatively low success rate of lean initiatives in knowledge-based industries in general and in IT organizations in particular. The virtual nature of business processes in IT organizations calls into question the applicability of Toyota’s categorization of physical wastes in IT settings. Then, through a real-life project, we develop a new model of waste categorization for the operation of a “medium-sized” IT department. In addition to the new classifications specific to IT, we discuss suitable elimination strategies and how they have improved the daily operations of the organization by reducing the lead-time by 56–60 %, increasing customer satisfactions by 15.7 %, and saving hundreds of thousands of the operational cost. Finally, we emphasize the need to think lean when developing the waste elimination strategies by eliminating the root cause of the waste and not the subsequent wastes.
The interest in lean product development in general and the Kanban approach in particular has inc... more The interest in lean product development in general and the Kanban approach in particular has increased over the years. However, practitioners, in the software development field, have significant challenges in implementing the Kanban approach as it lacks a clear definition of its principles, practices, techniques and tools. This study aims to provide insight into the Kanban approach and its elements (concepts, principles, practices, techniques, and tools) that have been empirically reported by scholars and practitioners. This insight is produced by using the systematic review method to analyze the available literature. A total of 37 primary studies were selected from more than 3,000 unique studies. Our findings show that the primary studies have considered and reported 20 different elements as part of the Kanban approach based upon considerations of being an agile approach or a lean principle; these elements have realized great benefits and improvements to the software development teams. These benefits along with the challenges have been reported in this study. Due to the variety of organization types, contexts, and project sizes reported in the primary studies, it is expected that the results in this study would help in establishing knowledge on what are the different elements of the Kanban approach as well as offering a first step towards developing guidelines for practitioners to help in introducing the Kanban approach to software development organizations.
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Papers by Osama Al Baik