Artificial intelligence and the conduct of literature reviews

2022 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 2

Authors: Wagner, Gerit; Lukyanenko, Roman; Paré, Guy

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to transform traditional research prac ... Expand

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to transform traditional research practices in many areas. In this context, literature reviews stand out because they operate on large and rapidly growing volumes of documents, that is, partially structured (meta)data, and pervade almost every type of paper published in information systems research or related social science disciplines. To familiarize researchers with some of the recent trends in this area, we outline how AI can expedite individual steps of the literature review process. Considering that the use of AI in this context is in an early stage of development, we propose a comprehensive research agenda for AI-based literature reviews (AILRs) in our field. With this agenda, we would like to encourage design science research and a broader constructive discourse on shaping the future of AILRs in research. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence database system knowledge representation usability graphical user interface

Methods: literature study theory development natural language processing ontological modelling experiment

The Transactive Processes of Social Coding: How Code Review Substitutes for Transactive Memory in Software Development Teams

2016 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Spohrer, Kai; Kude, Thomas; Schmidt, Christoph; Heinzl, Armin

Abstract: Social coding refers to a modern and technology-mediated way of peer code review ... Expand

Abstract: Social coding refers to a modern and technology-mediated way of peer code review between software developers. Whereas social coding has a long tradition in open source communities, it is only recently becoming popular in co-located, agile information systems development teams. Although social coding constitutes an important mechanisms of quality assurance and organizational learning in open source, little is known about its effects on co-located and ongoing professional software development teams. We close this gap by examining the question of how and why social coding affects professional development teams’ work outcome and transactive memory. Results from our questionnaire-based survey with 61 development teams of more than 300 developers, team leads, and product managers, suggest that social coding not only improves teams’ software quality directly but can also partially substitute for their transactive memory system. This has implications for theory on software development and transactive memory. Collapse

Topics: system quality systems development source code organizational culture open source

Methods: survey partial least squares regression structural equation modeling descriptive statistic field study

Theories: transactive memory theory

Impact of errors in operational spreadsheets

2009 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 4

Authors: Powell, Stephen G.; Baker, Kenneth R.; Lawson, Barry

Abstract: All users of spreadsheets struggle with the problem of errors. Errors are though ... Expand

Abstract: All users of spreadsheets struggle with the problem of errors. Errors are thought to be prevalent in spreadsheets, and in some instances they have cost organizations millions of dollars. In a previous study of 50 operational spreadsheets we found errors in 0.8% to 1.8% of all formula cells, depending on how errors are defined. In the current study we estimate the quantitative impacts of errors in 25 operational spreadsheets from five different organizations. Within these 25 spreadsheets we identified 381 potential errors, of which 117 (31%) were confirmed as errors by the developers of the spreadsheet. Among these confirmed errors, 47 (40%) had no quantitative impact on the results. Among the remaining 70 confirmed errors, the largest error was $100 million; however, 9 of the 25 spreadsheets tested had no errors at all. Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet code inspection

Methods: qualitative interview survey

An auditing protocol for spreadsheet models

2008 | Information & Management | Citations: 13

Authors: Powell, Stephen G.; Baker, Kenneth R.; Lawson, Barry

Abstract: Errors are prevalent in spreadsheets and can be extremely difficult to find. A n ... Expand

Abstract: Errors are prevalent in spreadsheets and can be extremely difficult to find. A number of audits of existing spreadsheets have been reported, but few details have been given about how the audits were performed. We developed and tested a new spreadsheet auditing protocol designed to find errors in operational spreadsheets. Our work showed which auditing procedures, used in what sequence and combination, were most effective across a wide range of spreadsheets. It also provided useful information on the size and complexity of operational spreadsheets, as well as the frequency with which certain types of errors occur. Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet auditing information system code inspection decision making

Methods: machine learning survey laboratory experiment literature study

Spreadsheets and Sarbanes-Oxley: Regulations, Risks, and Control Frameworks

2006 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Panko, Raymond R.

Abstract: The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) forced corporations to examine their spread ... Expand

Abstract: The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) forced corporations to examine their spreadsheet use in financial reporting. Corporations do not like what they are seeing. Surveys conducted in response to SOX show that spreadsheets are used widely in corporate financial reporting. Spreadsheet error research, in turn, shows that nearly all large spreadsheets contain multiple errors and that errors of material size are quite common. The first round of Sarbanes-Oxley assessments confirmed concerns about spreadsheet accuracy. Another concern is spreadsheet fraud, which also exists in practice and is easy to perpetrate. Unfortunately, few organizations maintain effective controls to deal with either errors or fraud. This paper examines spreadsheet risks for Sarbanes-Oxley (and other regulations) and discusses how general and IT-specific control frameworks can be used to address the control risks created by spreadsheets. Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet Sarbanes–Oxley Act code inspection

On The Value of Code Inspections for Software Project Management: An Empirical Analysis

2006 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Ramasubbu, Narayan; Subramanyam, Ramanath; Mithas, Sunil; Krishnan, M S

Abstract: Code inspections continue to gain significance as a software verification scheme ... Expand

Abstract: Code inspections continue to gain significance as a software verification scheme since Fagan introduced the concept. Software engineering researchers examining the value of code inspections have exclusively focused on defect removal benefits of inspections. In this paper we develop and test empirical models of both quality improvement and project management benefits realized because of effort spent on code inspections. We analyze data collected on 40 real world projects from a leading software corporation to provide rigorous empirical evidence for the value of code inspections. We find evidence for hitherto unexplored hypothesis that improved understanding gained during code inspection has project management benefit of better test planning and control that could eventually avoid project overruns. We provide a research framework that takes into account the sequential characteristics of waterfall software development model and the effects of rework generated by verification schemes to answer an important research question on the value of code inspections for project management. Collapse

Topics: code inspection system quality systems development project management waterfall model

Methods: design methodology linear regression analysis Poisson regression design artifact testing statistical hypothesis test

Applying Code Inspection to Spreadsheet Testing

1999 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 18

Authors: Panko, Raymond R.

Abstract: In programming, reliability requires an extensive testing phase. Spreadsheet dev ... Expand

Abstract: In programming, reliability requires an extensive testing phase. Spreadsheet development, which has about the error rate as program development, also needs to be followed by an extensive testing phase if spreadsheets are to be reliable. In this study, sixty undergraduate MIS students code-inspected a spreadsheet seeded with eight errors. They first inspected the spreadsheet working alone. They then met in twenty groups of three to reinspect the spreadsheet together. Effort was made to prevent hasty inspection. Individual code inspection, consistent with past studies of both spreadsheet and program code inspection, caught only 63 percent of the errors. Group inspection raised this to 83 percent. However, the group phase never found new errors; it merely pooled the errors found during the individual phase by the three members. One group even "lost" an error found during the individual phase. This raises the question of whether a group code inspection phase is really necessary. Other findings were that subjects were overconfident when inspecting alone, that certain types of errors are especially difficult to detect, and that the benefits of the group phase is greatest for these difficult-to-detect types of errors. Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet code inspection software developer

Methods: statistical hypothesis test experiment survey nonparametric test

Hitting the wall: errors in developing and code inspecting a `simple' spreadsheet model1An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, January 1996.1

1998 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Panko, Raymond R; Sprague, Ralph H

Abstract: Field audits and experiments have found substantial error rates when students an ... Expand

Abstract: Field audits and experiments have found substantial error rates when students and professionals have built spreadsheet models. In this study, 102 undergraduate MIS majors and 50 MBA students developed a model from a word problem that was relatively simple and free of domain knowledge. Even so, 35% of their 152 models were incorrect. There was no significant difference in errors per model between undergraduates and MBAs. Even among the 17 MBAs with 250 h or more of experience, 24% of the models contained errors. The cell error rate (CER)—the percentage of cells with errors—was 2.0%. When 23 undergraduates attempted to audit their models through code inspection, only three with incorrect spreadsheets (15%) produced clean spreadsheets when they finished the audit. Collapse

Topics: spreadsheet code inspection software developer

Methods: experiment survey parametric test Student's t-test F-test

Modeling the Performance of Software Processes Quantitatively

1996 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Raffo, David M.

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: top management support code inspection individual productivity business process improvement IT development project

Methods: business process modeling simulation trade-off analysis method field study multiple attribute decision making

Software Processes and Project Performance

1995 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 12

Authors: Deephouse, Christopher; Mukhopadhyay, Tridas; Goldenson, Dennis R.; Kellner, Marc I.

Abstract: Firms developing software face increasing pressures to improve project outcomes ... Expand

Abstract: Firms developing software face increasing pressures to improve project outcomes in terms of product quality, productivity, time to market, and customer satisfaction. As projects expand in size and complexity, and competition grows, firms are reengineering their software processes. They are adopting more intensive procedures for requirements management, project planning, defect tracking, configuration management, design and code inspections, and so forth. To assess the effectiveness of these efforts, we conducted a survey of senior practitioners at the 1993 Software Engineering Process Group National Meeting. The survey asked participants about the processes followed on, and the outcome of, a specific software project. Certain practices--notably project planning and cross-functional teams--were consistently associated with favorable outcomes. Based on the survey results, other practices may have little impact on project outcomes. Collapse

Topics: IT project systems development software process improvement IS effectiveness customer satisfaction

Methods: survey generalized least square design methodology design artifact F-test