Contemporary ICT and Engineering Issues Bi-Modal IT

Question: Discuss about theContemporary ICT and Engineering Issuesfor Bi-Modal IT. Answer: Bi-Modal IT an Introduction Bi-modal IT is the practice that refers to the management of IT delivery using two modes in an amalgamated manner. The first mode focuses upon stability and is a traditional mode that comprises of sequence of defined steps and ensures safety and accuracy. The second mode focuses upon agility and is non-linear, process based in nature that emphasizes upon agility and speed. Bi-modal IT differs from other IT governance models in terms of agility. The other models do not have this element and are based upon the pre-defined steps and phases which are currently finding it difficult to deal with the continuous changes and risks. Bi-model IT, however, can efficiently respond to the changing nature of digital business by following an ad-hoc approach through its focus on the agility and also delivers the services quickly along with required accuracy. Thus, it fits perfectly in the world of digital business (Gartner IT Glossary 2016). A Case Study of Bi-Modal IT Melbourne IT Enterprise Services is an organization that adapted to the modes defined under bi-modal IT in order to maintain the pace with the digital disruptions. There were a number of instances that allowed Melbourne IT to deliver on time with the aid of bi-modal IT model. One such instance was when the biggest giant in the field of online retailing had to move to a new hosting platform with the introduction of cloud services in the digital world. Melbourne IT was able to deliver the designs and implementation of a new managed cloud platform in a short period of time. The entire project was completed in less than a period of 12 weeks for the online retailer and even lesser for Melbourne IT. Popular Agile Methodologies A few agile methods are discussed below. Adaptive Software Development is based on rapid application development (RAD). Speculation, collaboration and learning cycles are the main aspects of ASD. Speculation is the applied method during the initial phase. Collaboration comprises of extending the initial model to unexplored situations. The faults are examined during the learning phase to understand the mistakes. Agile Unified Process is based on rational unified process (RUP). Inception, elaboration, construction and transition are steps followed in AUP. An initial sketch of the model is structured during inception, which is followed by validating the structure in the elaboration phase. The model is designed in detail during the construction phase and during the transition phase, the model is finally deployed (Ambysoft.com 2016). In Scrum, the product owner specifies a number of tasks. The scrum team followed by the scrum master selects a few tasks based on priority and works on it. The work is reviewed daily, in a process called sprint. Once the product with the selected functionality is developed it is shipped and new tasks are selected to work on after a retrospection of the developed product (Scrumalliance.org 2016). All the agile methodologies are based on the same structure: initial draft, followed by the structure and then implementation. Hence, the different agile methodologies can be mixed. The iterative method is one aspect of agile method that can be easily incorporated into traditional methods. Mixing of other agile methodologies with traditional approaches is also possible. However, the ad hoc nature of agile process contrasts the planned approach of traditional methods (Agilemethodology.org. 2016). Case Study of an Organization The Danish Business Authority or ERST adopted agile methods for its digital transformation. ERST is responsible for regulating policies framed by the Ministry of Business and Growth in Denmark. The corporation took the decision for digital transformation in 2009. The company initially started following the Waterfall model. Requirement gathering took more time than anticipated. Member of the development team were unable to come to consensus. As the waterfall model does not allow proceeding to next stage without the completion of the previous stage, all of the implementation was came to a standstill. Gradually, the project came to a halt and the company took to agile methods, following this standstill. The product was envisioned, keeping the customer in mind. This approach simplified the process of requirement analysis. The project was partitioned into a number of manageable components and the architecture was developed to enable gradual changes. The company outsourced its project components to multiple partners for competitiveness and best products. The project development was greatly simplified and the time involved in the project was greatly reduced (McKinsey Company 2016). Short Notes on Few Terms Outsourcing is the process of transferring work outside the company to reduce production cost, consequently increasing profit. However, outsourcing decreases control over the development of the product takes more time in communication and jeopardizes companys security. In-sourcing is the process of assigning a project inside the company, instead of transferring it outside the company. As the project remains inside the company, its development can be controlled. Moreover the process is handled by employees, who understands the requirements of the company. However the company loses options to choose the best product. Multi-sourcing is the process of using the optimal combination of insourcing from and outsourcing to more than one groups in order to achieve business goals. Multisourcing provide the most efficient methodologies in theory. The division of project into fragments and the handling of fragments by possibly unrelated groups, makes the methodology unviable. Adaptive sourcing is the process by which vendors and customers work on a single project throughout the product lifecycle adapting the product to changing technology needs, which helps in keeping the project with the same developers and increases cost effectiveness. However, keeping the product with the same people reduces its innovative development. Shared service is the provision of sharing the services of a service provider. Sharing services reduces cost but the quality of service received might be degraded. Multiple sourcing approaches can be applied depending on a requirement, which in turn complicates management. More than one sourcing method can be applied depending on requirement, availability of resource and business goals. Case Study on IT Outsourcing Danish Business Authority based in Denmark applied outsourcing in the process of digitization. The company outsourced its software development to four companies instead of one. The company wanted to increase its revenues by endorsing competition between its vendors to obtain the best product at optimum cost. The rationale behind the strategy was to provide the development of succeeding modules to the bidder who understands the project and is willing to put effort in creating the best product. This proposal served as a motivation for producers to overinvest in the development, which increased their understanding of the product and consequently develop products that were easy to expand. Outsourcing can prove cost effective if it is applied, keeping the requirements of the company in perspective. Exploring the options of outsourcing available also serves as a benefactor. To be specific, the business to be outsourced should be considered as commodity that vendors sale. Mobility and Success of Digital Business Increase in the number of mobile devices shifted the focus of digital business to these devices. Mobile devices provide access to business irrespective of location. This accessibility increases the number of visits made to a site. Online payment option increases the sale of the company and more so when the options are available online. Availability of mobile devices broadens the scope of customer service. Companies are putting in efforts to build services and applications that work on devices like mobile phones and tablets. The ability to access a customers personal device(s) enables companies to customize the data or information that is presented to a customer. Customer specific data increases the customer satisfaction and yields better output. Impact of Mobile Application Development Mobile application development provides a number of advantages over traditional method. The traditional method either consisted of manual reports or limited and confined access to resources. Mobility resolves this issue by providing easier, faster and efficient accessibility to business using mobile devices. Mobility demands restructuring of the current enterprise methodologies to include mobility. Web developers are an integral part of business and the developers should be able to adapt themselves with the changing technological need. From a security standpoint, the simplest issue will be a stolen mobile that compromises customers data. Depending on the complexity of the app and the range of affected customers situations vary. New York, Penton media, and many more organizations are trying to include support for mobile devices. Case Study of a Jurisdiction Responding to Digital Disruption Digital disruption is a type of technology disruption in which an organization adopts newer technologies and consequently its competitors are compelled to do the same. This process causes considerable changes in the way business works and new methods are incorporated. Danish Business Authority is entitled with the registration of new companies in Denmark and implementation of policies designed by Ministry of Business and Growth. The organization faced considerable issues during digitization of its functioning. The organization initially adopted the waterfall model to design its product; the progress of the product stalled due to inherent difficulties in waterfall model. The enterprise took to agile methods and introduced changes in its development method. The developed product was cost effective and was developed faster. The government of United Kingdom took similar initiatives (Brown, Fishenden and Thompson 2014). References Agilemethodology.org. (2016). The Agile Movement. [online] Available at: https://agilemethodology.org/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2016]. Ambysoft.com. (2016). The Agile Unified Process (AUP) Home Page. [online] Available at: https://www.ambysoft.com/unifiedprocess/agileUP.html [Accessed 26 Oct. 2016]. Brown, A., Fishenden, J. and Thompson, M., 2014.Digitizing Government: Understanding and Implementing New Digital Business Models. Springer. Gartner IT Glossary. (2016). What is Bimodal IT? See Gartner's IT Glossary For The Answer. [online] Available at: https://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/bimodal/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2016]. McKinsey Company. (2016). From waterfall to agile: How a public agency launched new digital services. [online] Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/from-waterfall-to-agile-how-a-public-agency-launched-new-digital-services [Accessed 26 Oct. 2016]. Scrumalliance.org. (2016). What is Scrum? An Agile Framework for Completing Complex Projects - Scrum Alliance. [online] Available at: https://www.scrumalliance.org/why-scrum [Accessed 26 Oct. 2016].