RAPID prototyping, INFORMATION technology, TECHNOLOGICAL innovations, and BUSINESS partnerships

To build a platform for (high, sustainable) use, we need to know what will thrill users. Finding the right concoction of technology, functionality and design to delight users takes a thousand decisions, pivots and changes. The JSTOR Labs team has been using Flash Builds -- high-intensity, short-burst, user-driven development efforts -- in order to prototype new ideas and get to a user saying "Wow" in as little as a week. In this paper, a distillation of a presentation I gave at NFAIS 2015, I will describe how we have done this, highlighting the partnerships, skills, tools and content that help us innovate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SYSTEMS development, INFORMATION resources management, COMPUTER software, NEW product development, KNOWLEDGE management, INFORMATION technology, MANAGEMENT information systems, SYSTEM analysis, RAPID prototyping, INDUSTRIAL management, and BUSINESS planning

Leading MIS executives and academicians have identified systems development as one of the most critical issues of the 1980s. Their concerns include providing user accessibility to stored information, reducing development cost and delay, increasing developer productivity, and increasing MIS's impact on organizational growth, productivity, and profitability. Among the number of proposed alternative approaches to traditional systems development, prototyping is mentioned frequently. Prototyping is routine in hardware development but not software. The authors review published references to prototyping and related concepts and synthesize a process model for information systems. In this model, resource requirements are enumerated and discussed. The article includes an analysis of the economics of prototyping, and a brief discussion of several examples. Prototyping for information systems development addresses today's critical issues; it will no doubt raise a new set of research questions for tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COMPUTER architecture, NANOTECHNOLOGY, MULTIPROCESSORS, INFORMATION technology, COMPUTER networks, MICROELECTRONICS, INTEGRATED circuit design, MICROPROCESSORS, and MICROTECHNOLOGY

The article presents several network on chip (NoC) prototypes and evaluates the potential of the NoC approach as a scalable and modular solution to on-chip communication. The prototyping of NoC architectures allows designers to accurately evaluate their various design trade-offs, performance and power. It includes an in-depth analysis of various subject matter relevant to the challenges of prototyping NoC architectures, as well as a discussion of the issues' implications for chip and silicon systems design.

SYSTEMS design and INFORMATION technology

Current demands on prototyping emphasize increasingly complex and dynamic applications that require sophisticated social mechanism and process enablers. However, much of the emphasis placed today in systems development under prototyping focuses on the supporting technology. The imbalance between product and process perspectives under this approach is explored. A view of prototyping effectiveness is presented in terms of non-linear problem solving, adequate technical and procedural solutions, and organizational support. Implications of this view are presented on the selection of prototyping techniques and on project management concerns. Future developments in prototyping practice are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INFORMATION resources management, RAPID prototyping, USER interfaces (Computer systems), COMPUTER software, TIME study, SYSTEMS design, COMPUTER systems, and INFORMATION technology

Purpose - The primary purpose of this paper is to present an integrated framework for user interface prototyping and evaluation for the development of information systems and to present architecture for evaluating generic applications. Design/methodology/approach - The framework is constructed through combining two distinctive methods of prototyping and evaluation, statechart and goals, operators, methods, and selection rules. Relevant methods and architectures of the integrated framework are presented in unified modeling language when possible. Findings - The importance of the usability of information systems is highlighted in this research. However, it still lacks an integrated framework for information system development and usability evaluation. This paper provides a framework that evaluation method is intertwined with user interface prototyping to shorten the time of development lifecycle. The architecture for evaluating generic applications is also invaluable for motion and time study and the procurement of vender-provided systems. Research limitations/implications - The user base of information systems is diverse and the requirements of these systems change over time. This paper provides a framework that helps managers and engineers smooth and shorten the development phases. For future works, an object-oriented programming framework and a tool for evaluating generic applications will be developed. Originality/value - This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for combining prototyping and evaluation, as well as architecture for the evaluation of generic applications. It shortens the development phases by using formal modeling for user interface construction and evaluation. It also provides means to evaluate candidate systems whose program logics cannot be accessed and modified. It also complements the models used in the framework by extending their practical and academic values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

QUALITY function deployment, RAPID prototyping, MANAGEMENT information systems, CONCURRENT engineering, INFORMATION technology, and COMPUTER industry

An integrated methodology using quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic network process (ANP) is proposed to determine and prioritize the engineering requirements of a cast part, based on the customer needs, for selecting and evaluating an appropriate rapid prototyping (RP)-based route for tooling fabrication. The QFD incorporates a planning matrix to translate the customer needs into measurable engineering requirements using a robust evaluation method based on ANP. Experimental data generated by carrying out benchmarking studies of widely used RP processes were used to facilitate assignment of relative weights in ANP. The methodology is demonstrated and validated with an industrial example of a separator body casting. It has proved to be a robust evaluation and decision-making tool for selecting appropriate tooling route for a given casting based on customer requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INFORMATION resources management, COMPUTER software development, RAPID prototyping, INFORMATION technology, EXTREME programming, and ACTION research

eXtreme Programming (XP) is a well-known agile software development method. While a number of reports have been published on explaining the XP methodology and the perceived benefits when using XP for system development in recent years, less is known about the actual operationalization of the XP principles. This paper presents an action research study reporting on the experiences of implementing the XP methodology in a development project for a Web-based, distributed information system. The goal of this research was to increase the understanding of how to effectively operationalize XP techniques so that the system being developed catered to today's fast-paced technological environment by allowing the developers to respond quickly to innovative and changing requirements. Overall, the research indicates that most of the XP principles could be effectively implemented; however, three of the principles required modification (i.e., testing, pair programming, customer collocation). Several benefits resulted from the usage of XP. The rapid prototyping enabled information technology developers and users to clarify system requirements, communicate openly, quickly build rapport, and create an interface that was easy to use and learn. Further, the research found that where the technology was new or foreign to the development team and the user, the XP process was flexible enough to support several iterations of technology and produce prototypes in a timely manner. Pair programming appeared to work effectively and offer value; however, it is not always practically feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NEW product development, TIME to market (New products), HIGH technology industries, STRATEGIC planning, ELECTRONIC industries, ECONOMIC competition, INFORMATION technology, COMPETITIVE advantage in business, MARKET share, and RAPID prototyping

In fast-cycle, high technology industries, the speed and rate at which companies can introduce products into the market are critical for sustaining competitive advantage and market share. The authors analyze new product development by three international manufacturers that dominate a segment of the electronic component industry. The objective is to examine the impact of two distinct product development strategies and structures on time-to-market. The analysis of more than 200 new product developments provides important findings. A concentrated new product development structure, in contrast to a distributed structure, affords rapid prototyping. However, volume production is reached faster in the distributed structure. Also, devoting more time to prototyping hastens volume production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MULTIVARIATE analysis, ESTIMATION theory, RAPID prototyping, MANUFACTURING processes, PRODUCTION engineering, TOTAL quality management, INFORMATION technology, SEMICONDUCTOR industry, and SYSTEM identification

Many semiconductor manufacturing processes have by nature multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) variables. For the first-order MIMO process with a linear drift, the double multivariate exponentially weighted moving average (dMEWMA) controller is a popular run-to-run (R2R) controller for adjusting the process mean to a desired target. The long-term stability of this closed-loop MIMO system has not yet been thoroughly investigated and is the focus of our present study. The stability of this MIMO system using a controller with estimated process parameters depends on whether an initial input-output (1-0) predicted model can be obtained successfully in advance (i.e., offline) to accurately and precisely estimate these process parameters. However, the predicted model is typically constructed during an offline DOE/RSM stage, based on a random sample from the 1-0 variables, and thus the sample size and the strength of the linear relationship between 1-0 variables play major roles in determining the stability of the process. In this article we first obtain the stability conditions for the MIMO process. Obviously, these conditions depend on the estimated controller, and, consequently, one of the conditions is expressed in terms of a probability. We then derive a formula for the adequate sample size required to achieve stability for the closed-loop MIMO system with a guaranteed probability. We also describe how the offline DOE/RSM is conducted to obtain process parameter estimates. We give two practical MIMO examples to illustrate the proposed procedure. Finally, we describe a study demonstrating the impact of the covariance structure of 1-0 variables on the required sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DATA acquisition systems, INFORMATION technology, RAPID prototyping, USER interfaces (Computer systems), BUSINESS software, and DEVELOPMENT of application software

The article focuses on the significance of agility, the speed of processes in an organization, used in a software intensive system (SIS) development. It cites several aspects covered in the process such as business, system and software. It states that the acquisition process in information technology (IT) systems should have user involvement, prototyping and open-systems approach.

TECHNOLOGICAL innovations, INFORMATION technology, INFORMATION & communication technologies, KNOWLEDGE management, and VIRTUAL communities

Abstract Fab Labs are places of learning through the exchange of knowledge among its members. They allow to leverage innovation using technological resources available in the space, stimulating the creativity of its participants and enabling the development of products and solutions based on personal projects from ideation, or the construction supported on knowledge developed by other elements collaboratively, enhancing the result. It'll be described how users learn with others in Fab Labs, which are laboratories of digital fabrication, serving as prototyping platforms of physical objects, with broad educational, social and economic advantages. Its users can leverage their imagination and develop sustainable, social, local, economic innovative solutions to solve real problems, supported by tacit and explicit knowledge transfer. Seven semi structured interviews were performed with the Fab Managers of one Portuguese Lab, one Spanish Lab, one French Lab, one Italian Lab, and three Brazilian Labs. Interesting findings characterized the researched environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TECHNOLOGICAL innovations, FLEXIBLE manufacturing systems, CLOTHING industry, INDUSTRIAL productivity, TIME to market (New products), and INFORMATION technology

The paper addresses a new holistic organization paradigm along the garment value chain, covering the main advanced technology innovation solutions at the aim to foster industry sustainability and competitiveness. The proposed manufacturing system will allow the garment industry to fully satisfy the final customer requirements in terms of functionality, comfort and fashion while increasing industry sustainability and competitiveness through its implications in terms of productivity, time to market and wastes reduction. The framework and the method developed for garment industry is presented and two IT based innovative solutions regarding product tracking and virtual prototyping are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]