Information and Knowledge Management using ArcGIS ModelBuilder

Luigi Lavazza
In conclusion, when a PA plans an evaluation of process automation initiatives, it has to decide what
the scope of the evaluation is. On the one hand, it is clear that performing the assessment embracing
the whole set of scopes would provide the most complete and precise indications; on the other hand,
however, the cost of the evaluation increases with the extension of the addressed scope.
An instrument for planning multi-scope evaluations is thus needed. Such instrument should produce
well defined plans on which it is possible to reason in order to find a good trade-off between the cost
of the assessment and the representativeness of the results. In this paper a method for planning and
executing multi scope evaluations based on the well know Goal/Question/Metrics (GQM) technique
(Basili and Weiss 1984, Basili and Rombach 1988, Basili et al. 1994) is presented. The method is
illustrated by means of two cases studies, derived from real evaluation activities.
2. The case studies
The first case study is derived from an evaluation activity dealing with the process automation
initiatives of a local administration. In this case, the automation initiatives embraced several different
processes; some of the deployed software systems dealt with internal operations such as
communication and recording, while others (like the invoice management and payment system and
the Information Technology contract management system) dealt with processes involving external
entities. The deployed software systems were also different in nature: some were developed ad-hoc,
while others were built as services of a common document management platform. In any case, our
evaluation –as described in detail in Section 3.1– abstracted away from the specificity of the software
systems, concentrating on the effects on the target processes. The multiplicity of scopes of the
initiative, and consequently of the evaluation, is schematically illustrated in Figure 1 (a).
The second case study is derived from an evaluation activity dealing with an initiative of a local
administration aiming at establishing a common e-procurement platform to manage bids. In this case,
the automation initiatives embraced processes at two levels: the management of the bid within the
PA, and the actual execution of the bid, involving providers and the entities that are the beneficiaries
of the goods or services being acquired through the bid. The multiplicity of scopes of the initiative, and
consequently of the evaluation, is schematically illustrated in Figure 1 (b).
External actors
Local administration
Administration
processes
Companies
Citizens
Process
automation
PAs and other
organizations
Suppliers
Local entities
Administration
processes
Companies
Hospitals, schools, etc.
Process
automation
Citizens
(a) (b)
Figure 1: Local administration process automation (a) and Procurement process automation (b)
scopes
3. Definition of the evaluation criteria and measurement plan
The evaluation was defined and planned according to the GQM method. It must be noted that in
applying the GQM method the author exploited a quite relevant experience: see for instance
(Fuggetta et al. 1998, and Lavazza and Mauri 2006). Automated support (Fuggetta et al. 1998,
Lavazza and Barresi, 2005) was also used, to some extent.
3.1 Local administration process automation
The evaluation of the local administration process automation addressed five of the several initiatives
of the local administration. Five goals were defined, differing with respect to the addressed quality.
The goals were defined as follows, according to the usual GQM format:
Purpose: evaluation
Object: the five considered automation initiatives
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