The Impact of Technology Insertion on Organisations

HFIDTC/2/12.2.1/1
Version 3 / 21 November 2007
• possible convergence <strong>of</strong> the roles <strong>of</strong> ‘Yeoman’ and ‘Foreman’.
Personnel and organisational issues that needed to be addressed included:
• current organisational structures need to be assessed to take account <strong>of</strong> role
changes;
• provision needs to be made for new specialist IT and s<strong>of</strong>tware engineering roles;
• policies on recruitment and retention need revision to reflect future needs.
Authors such as Martin and McLaughlin [211], and Bowyer and Martin [212] claim that
the POINTS method has been successfully validated through application in these
technology programmes. Despite the face validity <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the POINTS outputs, it is
unclear from the literature whether predictions have proven accurate. Similarly there is
little evidence <strong>of</strong> whether this approach has enabled technology programmes to avoid the
risks that were identified.
10.1.3 Discussion <strong>of</strong> OSTA and POINTS Methods
Socio-technical design approaches focus on involving users in the design process and on
considering a wide range <strong>of</strong> social and technical alternatives. Although these approaches
involve users at various stages <strong>of</strong> the design, they are not without their problems. One <strong>of</strong>
the main problems is the need for a socio-technical expert to guide the design process and
support users. Another is the degree to which it can be integrated with other system
development processes and methods. This need for extra effort needs to be understood.
Another problem is that these methods can only be used if the organisational and political
climate accepts practitioners, their requests for workshops and views these methods as
valuable and valid processes. If these methods are not perceived as valuable, their costs
may be perceived to be unnecessary by programme managers. Sometimes the issue <strong>of</strong>
cost effectiveness is raised and there must be a commitment by management to involve
users and take on board their requirements. <strong>The</strong> OSTA method has been criticised by
some due to the fact that whilst it provides useful guidance it is difficult to apply
effectively.
10.2 Tools and S<strong>of</strong>tware to Support Practitioners
10.2.1 Supporting <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Insertion</strong> Programmes
In recent years, a number <strong>of</strong> tools have been developed to support practitioners in
decision making about when technology insertion programmes should be carried out. In
platforms with long lifespans, component obsolescence is an issue that needs careful
consideration. <strong>Technology</strong> insertion <strong>of</strong> new components can have an impact on system
performance and can be a costly process to undergo. In order to help the practitioner
predict when technology insertion is appropriate within the platform’s lifecycle, a number
<strong>of</strong> tools have been developed, which are described in the following sections.
10.2.1.1 Mitigation <strong>of</strong> Obsolescence Cost Analysis (MOCA)
<strong>The</strong> Centre for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) in the Dept <strong>of</strong> Mechanical
Engineering at the University <strong>of</strong> Maryland, has developed a methodology for determining
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