Using Agile and traditional methods in the Development of Web based Decision Support Systems

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1 Using Agile and traditional methods in the Development of Web based Decision Support Systems Natheer Gharaybih Al-Balqa' Applied University Aqaba University College Ahmad,AlAzzazi AlZaytoonah University, Jordan ABSTRACT Web Based Decision Support System is becoming more and more important in the huge space of the internet. In this paper we present a comparative analysis between agile and traditional methods in which both of them have strengths and weaknesses so there is a need for balancing the agility and traditional of their key processes in order to develop Web based Decision Support Systems. We believe that Success in any endeavor requires both agility and traditional plan driven so this paper examines the aspects of agile and traditional methods and provides an approach for balancing Quality and Agility in Web based Decision Support Systems Development. Since it is known that Semantic web is the future of the web, in this paper, We will try to introduce a theoretical framework for this issue in order to draw a conclusions that help both application designers and managers to build more useful web based DSS Key Words: Requirements Engineering, Decision Support System (DSS), Web based Decision Support System (Web-DSS), Web Engineering, Agile Software Development (ASD ), Plan-Driven (traditional) methods, Semantic Web 1. Introduction Decision Support Systems evolved early in the era of distributed computing [1]. The history of such systems begins in about As the World Wide Web have been developed since 90 s of the last century, today A wide variety of specific Decision Support Systems have been and can be built using Internet and Web technologies. Specifically in 1995, data warehousing and the World Wide Web began to impact practitioners and academics interested in decision support technologies. Web-based and web-enabled DSS became feasible in about Putting all of these issues together lead us to the important question that arises here is What system development methodologies are used for the development of Web based decision support systems? We will try to answer this question in this paper. Also we recommend Agile methodologies. Agile software development methods have evoked a substantial amount of literature and debates. However, academic research on the subject of Web based Decision Support Systems is still scarce, as most existing publications are written by practitioners or consultants. Yet, many organizations are considering to use or have already applied practices that are claimed to make their way of performing and delivering software more agile. This paper examines the aspects of agile and plan-driven methods in the Development of Web based Decision Support Systems. We characterize "home grounds" where the approaches are most likely to succeed, identifying five critical dimensions [2] that describe the agile/plandriven spectrum.

2 Semantic web has been implemented in many intelligent web based applications, such as Agent technology which is active field of research for Internet applications and e-commerce development, but there is no theoretical framework for the role Of the Semantic web in the Decision Support Systems (DSS). Finally, since it is known that Semantic web is the future of the web, W tried to introduce a theoretical framework for this issue,in order to draw a conclusions that help both applications designers and managers to build more useful web sites, especially for Web based Decision Support Systems 2. Background 2.1 Web-based DSS Web-Based DSS [1] deliver decision support information or decision support tools to a manager or business analyst using a "thin-client" Web browser like Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer that is accessing the Global Internet or a corporate intranet. The computer server that is hosting the DSS application is linked to the user's computer by a network with the TCP/IP protocol. Web-Based DSS can be communications-driven, datadriven, document-driven, knowledgedriven, model-driven or a hybrid. Web technologies can be used to implement any category or type of DSS. Web-based means the entire application is implemented using Web technologies; Web-enabled means key parts of an application like a database remain on a legacy system, but the application can be accessed from a Web-based component and displayed in a browser. 2.2 What system development methodologies are appropriate for the development of Web based DSS Software development methodologies for Web based Decision Support Systems are constantly evolving due to changing technologies and new demands from users. Today s dynamic business environment has given rise to emergent organizations that continuously adapt their structures, strategies, and policies to suit the new environment which is adaptable and flexible in dealing with changes. To answer the above question we have to look to the major characteristics of the DSS, According to Turban[3], a DSS has four major characteristics: DSS incorporate both data and models; they are designed to assist managers in their decision processes in semi-structured (or unstructured) tasks; they support, rather than replace, managerial judgment; and their objective is to improve the effectiveness of the decisions, not the efficiency with which decisions are being made. This means that the development process must be able to meet these criteria, users and managers should be involved in every phase and iteration, Learning and training process is part of design, because of interactive nature of DSS provide Short interval between iterations and increments, so it will be adaptive to change which is important characteristic in Web applications. Furthermore as the DSS has more Specific nature than any other software we need for DSS Development Tools Software components (such as editors, code libraries, specific objects, visual and graphic interfaces) to facilitate the development of a specific DSS. And it is difficult to keep up with changing web technologies [4], this fact required from managers to be selective in a caning and reading technical materials So that, the systematic process for system development that is recommended for use in creating DSS is Evolutionary (Iterative) Design Process. A portion of the DSS system is quickly constructed, then tested, improved, and enlarged in systematic steps. This convenient methodology for DSS lead us to Prototyping and Rapid Application Development (RAD).Which is part of a methodology that specifies incremental development with constant feedback from the customers. The point is to keep projects focused on delivering value and to keep clear and open lines of communication. Oral and written communication is not completely adequate

3 for specification of computer systems. RAD overcomes the limitations of language by minimizing the time between concept and implementation. 2.3 What about traditional Methods? As we conclude in the previous paragraphs it is not recommended to use traditional Methods in development of Web based Decision Support Systems. Because they are inappropriate [5, 6] for a software world that thrives on change. But they have some advantages that we need in building DSS, they strive for structure and order.these two factors we need in the development process.so we will gain this advantage in section What about Agile? With respect to gathering requirements and domain knowledge, agile methods advocate strongly for active stakeholders and users participation through practices ranging from joint-application design (JAD) sessions and customer focus groups [7]. This is important characteristic in development process of Web based DSS. In their paper, Balancing Agility and Discipline, Boehm B. and R. Turner [2] mention that agile development methodologies (such as XP, Scrum, and ASD) promise higher customer satisfaction, lower defect rates, faster development times and a solution to rapidly changing requirements. For the Web based DSS development one of the most important managerial factors affecting is the Knowledge Sharing Knowledge Sharing in Agile methods Agile development approaches rely [8] heavily on socialization through communication and collaboration to access and share tacit knowledge within the project team. When externalization and internalization are used to transfer knowledge, all agile methods suggest that they should be supported by close communication and collaboration. All agile methods involve the customers directly in acquiring requirements and domain knowledge. An iterative development approach is used to provide rapid feedback and continuous learning between the customers and the development team. To facilitate learning among developers, agile methods use daily/weekly stand-up meetings, pair programming, pair rotation and collective ownership. The use of retrospectives also supports continuous learning at a project team level. Agile methods emphasis on people, communities of practice, communication, and collaboration excels in facilitating the practice of sharing tacit knowledge at a team level. They also foster a team culture of knowledge sharing, mutual trust and care. In addition, tools like Wiki enable easy and effective sharing of explicit knowledge. 3. General comparison Agile and traditional Methods From the Agile manifesto [9] we can extract the most important differences between Agile methods and Traditional methods, in this table we concentrate on the four major areas: Application, management, technical and personnel Fundamental Assumptions For the Application Traditional Systems are fully specifiable, predictable, and can be built through meticulous and extensive planning. Agile High-quality, adaptive software can be developed by small teams using the principles of continuous design improvement and testing based on rapid feedback and change. Management Style Command-andcontrol Leadership-andcollaboration Control Process centric People centric Communication Formal Informal Desired Organizational Form/Structure Mechanistic (bureaucratic with high formalization) Knowledge Explicit Tacit Customer s Role Important Critical Project Cycle Development Model Guided by tasks or activities Life cycle model (Waterfall, Spiral, or some variation) Organic (flexible and participative encouraging cooperative social action) Guided by product features The evolutionarydelivery model 4. Technology Traditional, No restriction AGILITY other Favors object-oriented technology aspect Table 1: differences between Agile methods and Traditional methods

4 The traditional waterfall lifecycle [3] includes some feedback loops, some refinements, as developers cannot get everything right in one pass, but generally rework is considered a bad thing that should be minimized at all costs. The agile methods iterative nature, which can be traced back to the Spiral Model of Barry Boehm [2], allows them to be more accommodating to changes on several fronts: Traditional is the foundation for any successful endeavor. Without these basic skills there may be an occasional success using natural talent, but professional consistency and long-term prospects are limited. The strength and comfort that come from Traditional support the endeavor when things are difficult, when the body or mind is under the weather, or when something new or unexpected arises and a response is required. Traditional creates well-organized memories, history, and experience. Agility is the counterpart of discipline [2]. Where Traditional ingrains and strengthens, agility releases and invents. It allows the athlete to make the unexpected play, musicians to improvise and ornament, craftsmen to evolve their style, and engineers to adjust to changing technology and needs. Agility applies memory and history to adjust to new environments, react and adapt, take advantage of unexpected opportunities, and update the experience base for the future. Every successful venture in a changing world requires both agility and traditional.. Agile and plan-driven development approaches have generally been seen as opposing viewpoints, and the rhetoric on both sides still remains essentially confrontational. The claims and counterclaims, misrepresentations and salesmanship create a sense of perplexity in those of us who simply want to successfully complete our projects and please our customers. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. 4. Balancing Agility and Traditional to deliver high quality web based Decision Support Systems. Our method, concluded from Table 1, uses both Managerial and a Technical knowledge in order to construct a framework applied on the overall development strategy for web based Decision Support Systems. The method relies heavily on the ability of key development team members to understand their environment and organizational capabilities, and to identify and collaborate with the project stakeholders. 5. Integration with the Semantic Web as knowledge base for the DSS The brief discussion above provides some of the bases for considering the impact of a number of web technologies and standards on DSS Web design in relation to a Semantic web issues. So we have a good platform of technologies and infrastructure As Web protocols and technologies emerge, new opportunities become available and it may be possible to open Web content to yet more people and to develop even more powerful Design solutions.

5 There is no silver bullet that always leads to software development success [10].This For example, the integration of the Semantic Web and Web based DSS can precipitate substantial progress in adaptive nature and accessible interfaces. Web based DSS with a strong interest in web knowledge sharing can already be rendered more success through the interpretation of Semantic Web statements. For those reasons, to suggest a solution, we Must develop semantic models to handle many changing requirements problems The Semantic Web may best address the needs of managers in knowledge transferring without putting undue burden on web authors. RDF and annotation technology seem to create a solution to address these dilemmas and aid improvements in future policies for Web based DSS. 6.Evaluation In order to evaluate our proposed approach we can use these two factors: User-Friendly - An evaluative term for a Decision Support System's user interface. The phrase indicates that users judge the user interface as to easy to learn, understand, and use. Information Economics - This term refers to an approach to evaluating DSS/IS projects using a scoring approach to cost/benefit analysis that assesses technical and company tangible and intangible benefits and costs (see Parker, Trainor and Benson, Information Strategy and Economics, CONCLUSION is especially true in today s rapidly changing technology environment. However, for the development of Web based Decision Support Systems we recommend agile methods due to many reasons we mentioned. An important part of the growing work of the Web based Decision Support Systems Initiative is developing Semantic models to help managers to achieve a better understanding of the complementary aspects of an effective development solution. We have described the initial step of an ongoing research effort towards reconciling Management and Technologies in web based Decision Support Systems development. In this paper, each Manager uses his specific knowledge to characterize the semantic annotations and then applies our approach to develop the Web based Decision Support System integrating with the changing technical requirements References: [1] DSS resources web site, [2] Boehm B. and R. Turner, Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed, Addison Wesley, Boston, ACM [3] Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson "Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems"6th edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2001

6 [4] Building Web-based Decision Support Systems, Daniel J. Power,Shashidhar Kaparthi, College of Business Administration University of Northern Iowa [5] Pressman "Software Engineering practioner approach" 7th edition [6] Requirements Engineering and Agile Software Development, Frauke Paetsch, Fachhochschule Mannheim, Dr. Armin Eberlein, Dr. Frank Maurer,University of Calgary [7] J. Highsmith, K. Orr, Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems, Addison Wesley, [8] Knowledge Sharing: Agile Methods vs. Tayloristic Methods Thomas Chau, Frank Maurer, Grigori Melnik, Department of Computer Science University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada [9] Agile Manifesto, 2001, Manifesto for Agile Software Development, [10]. Brooks, Frederick P. 1995, The Mythical Man-Month -Essays on Software Engineering, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, p