A Process Research Framework - Software Engineering Institute ...

5systems are aligned with stakeholder values. The use of process simulationsbased on various parameters to reduce risks is common. Process isviewed as an enabler for cooperative working.Not only do organizations evolve rapidly in this environment to meetbusiness needs, but so too do their individual staff complements. Thenotion of a job for life has almost completely gone. Now people arebrought in on personal, short-term contracts, according to project workdemands. People are certified against processes or process components.This means that employers can ramp-up teams much more efficiently inresponse to business needs.5.5 Description of the Research NodesThe focus of this theme is from a “project” perspective. The three researchnodes in this theme are• operating under autonomous control (P.1)• managing through centralized cooperation (P.2)• agreeing under federated collaboration (P.3)The nodes represent progression from a research perspective and anorganizational complexity perspective. Most development organizationswould move through the three nodes as a progression. Very few developmentorganizations are expected not to pass through those stages ofgrowth. Moreover, the research issues become more complicated aswe progress through the nodes. Thus, it is reasonable to believe thatgood solutions are needed for one node before moving onto the followingnodes. For example, if someone would like to address research forNode P.3, the research questions in nodes P.1 and P.2 are most likelyalso relevant. (However, in presenting the nodes in this document, wedo not repeat research questions for nodes with a higher number.)For each of the three nodes, research has to address how open-source,multidisciplinary competence provisioning and experience bases arehandled. Furthermore, the processes need to be flexible and tailorable tothe needs and the size of the development (in terms of partners involvedand number of people involved). Moreover, different processes at differentparts of a company or across multiple companies must be able tointeract. The interfaces between process parts become crucial. Resultsfrom research questions could help us in structuring project work appropriatelyfor projects of varying sizes and distribution.For the nodes below, we are assuming process-inclined or process-savvyorganizations. We do not know how process maturity of an organizationcorrelates to its ability to move and progress through the nodes.44 Theme P | IPRC Framework