· · · Institutional Repository

Contemporary organizations have access to a swiftly expanding selection of computing, storage and networking technologies. A remarkable trend of the past decennium is the advent of virtualization technologies. In this period, many IT companies shifted their attention to virtualization. This has led to the development of many types of virtualization technologies. In this report, a taxonomy model has been made in which virtualization technologies have been structured. In the taxonomy model, a virtual server architecture is displayed, showing the various layers of hardware, software and their relation with the virtualization domains. A case study was conducted with well-known virtualization vendors to evaluate the taxonomy model and at the same time identify the main virtualization trends.

An assessment at a large knowledge intensive organization to improve their knowledge management system to be faster and more accurate. This thesis shows the analysis to come to recommendations for KPMG on how to improve their KMS. The result is an overview of knowledge channels KPMG can use to increase speed and accuracy. The analyses are done from an employees perspective in order to get a bottom-up design.

In this project an HMD (head mounted display) is used to display augmented reality in 3D using a separate screen for each eye. Two cameras map the entire crime scene in 3D using state-of-the-art mapping and tracking software which is being developed at the TU Delft. This tool enables the forensic researcher to use built in tools such as thermal imaging, spectral imaging, and online databases to save details such as evidence and notes. Because the entire crime scene has been mapped and digitized, it can later be revisited to test hypotheses or witness statements. This project’s goal was to design a natural interface which would be controlled with either gestures or a tangible object. Because the system, which is currently still being developed, could not yet stably use readily available objects, a product which could take on different forms was designed. The Fold consists of six panels that can be connected to each other in several different ways. The panels are held together by a shape connection combined with magnets. The panels can either be clicked into each other to form a tablet, hexagonal prism, stack, or several other configurations. Using AR markers for tracking, menus with which the user can interact are augmented onto either the panels or the environment around the panels. Apart from the augmented menus, a HUD is always present with system information and a description of the option that is selected. Because the panels are hollow, real-world functionality can be added to them in the form of UV LED lights and lasers.

To solve complex problems brainstorming with a Group Support System can be a helpful tool. Social comparison and association effects are factors that stimulate the generation of creative and high quality ideas or concepts. Also, the GSS’ capabilities that allow a group to work in parallel contributes to the swiftness with which a fast growing set of ideas is generated. Groups of 10 to 15 are able to produce 100 to 150 ideas in as little as 15 minutes. The set of generated ideas however also has some limitations. Typically the set of ideas is characterized by redundancy, ambiguity, off-topic ideas and a lack of shared understanding. Extracting the key ideas from such a large set of ideas is time consuming and easily cause the facilitator and participants to suffer from cognitive overload. Extracting the key ideas is a process in which the group uses a combination of selecting and summarizing ideas and uses clarification techniques to create shared understanding. To address these challenges, groups and facilitators can benefit from methods and techniques to effectively extract the key ideas from the brainstormed list of ideas, without losing any promising ideas. Such techniques and methods are typically referred to as convergence methods. In interviews with professional facilitators we indeed found that they considered convergence to be difficult and time consuming. Also a large body of literature, mainly GSS case studies, was found that describes hurdles to convergence. These hurdles include (1) information overload at the beginning of a convergence task and (2) the cognitive effort required to complete a convergence task. Therefore the main research question of this thesis is: ‘how can convergence processes become more successful and effective?’. Based on an analysis of the current set of methods for convergence we identified four opportunities to improve the successfulness and effectiveness of a convergence process. The methods included in this study originate from the ThinkLet library, the method database of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) and from a literature review. The identified opportunities are: • Removing the task of detecting redundant concepts away from the facilitator to lower his/her workload. • Improving the current hurdles that exist when converging in a parallel way, as is done is the FocusBuilder thinkLet among others. The current limitations of this thinkLet include: o Lack of comprehensiveness of the end result o Inability for the facilitator to monitor the process • Creating a scalable and fast pre-selection method. • Improving support for inexperienced facilitators to manage a convergence process in a large group. Classifying and comparing the methods found was possible by using a classification scheme based on two axes, (1) the output of a method and (2) the way of working implied by a method. By using the example of a creative problem solving workshop, in which we tried to find a match between a method for convergence and a convergence task for different scenarios, we have identified the opportunities for improvement. The differences in the scenarios were in the number of participants and facilitator skill level. In response to these opportunities we have designed three artefacts. One new thinkLet, Divide&Conquer, is developed that enables large groups to quickly make a pre selection of concepts. Secondly we designed a modifier to the FocusBuilder thinkLet. This thinkLet supports the creation of shared understanding, achieves a reduction of the concepts under consideration and removes redundant concepts from a brainstorm artefact in a scalable and fast way. Thirdly a technique for similarity detection, normally used for plagiarism detection and automatic grading of written texts, is adapted and evaluated for use to detect redundant concepts in a brainstorm or convergence artefact. The technique uses normalized vector representations of concepts based on a thesaurus to detect similar concepts. To assess the effectiveness and success of the designed artefacts the following process and result oriented metrics are used; process oriented: acceptance, satisfaction, facilitator dependence, scalability, commitment, productivity and efficiency. Result oriented: speed, redundancy, reduction, refinement, comprehensiveness, shared understanding (ambiguity), satisfaction and commitment. Evaluation in groups of the technique for similarity detection, the new Divide&Conquer thinkLet and the modified FocusBuilder thinkLet revealed that: • Even with a moderate detection rate of 50% participants are able to remove redundant concepts faster than participants that did not use the artefact in which concepts were ordered according to the automatic detected redundancies. Evaluation however is limited to one case study. Further evaluation is needed to validate the results and research the use of similarity detection within the new and other thinkLets. • The Divide&Conquer thinkLet can be used within groups to quickly make a pre-selection of concepts that the group deems worthy of paying further attention to. The process and results of the thinkLet were accepted by the participants of two workshops, however the process needs thorough explanation before the start to reach agreement on the process. The thinkLet achieves a pre-selection quicker than other pre-selection methods because in principal less votes than the number of participants are collected per concept. Based on the average value and standard deviation it is decided whether more votes per concept are needed. This increases speed and therefore scalability of the pre-selection process. The pre-selections made in the evaluation workshops with this thinkLet contained only on-topic items and reduced the original brainstorm artefact by 50% on average with a standard deviation of 10%. Besides explaining the process and presenting the results no facilitator efforts are required. • The modified FocusBuilder thinkLet can be used on a brainstorm artefact directly or after a pre selection has been made. The thinkLet fosters the creation of shared understanding and achieves a (further) reduction in the number of concepts under consideration by removing and summarizing redundant concepts and removing off-topic concepts. The thinkLet uses sub groups of participants that work on sub sets of concepts in parallel and convergence is achieved in three or four rounds. In previous case studies the comprehensiveness of the end result was too low. We removed the first round from the thinkLet, in which the participants work alone, to limit participant bias. Evaluation revealed that the comprehensiveness of the end result increased, without changing any other values that already were positive. Because of the parallel way of working the thinkLet is fast and scalable. Facilitator interventions are needed to explain the process and to present the end result, the real convergence effort is executed by the participants, therefore facilitator dependence of this thinkLet is low. The inability for the facilitator to monitor the process also is an opportunity for improvement of this thinkLet. A design for this is described, but is not evaluated. The outcome of this project is relevant for every professional interested in efficient collaboration within his project team, business unit or organisation. But also for practitioners, facilitators and collaboration engineers, because it proposes solutions for the time consuming step of convergence in GSS supported meetings. Further effort is however needed to evaluate the performance of the two thinkLets within more workshops, but the results indicate that the field of evaluation can be extended to organizations and professionals. Further research is needed to improve the accuracy of detection of redundant concepts and to integrate the detection technique within the two thinkLets mentioned.

Today, engineering systems offer a variety of local and webbased applications to support collaboration by assisting groups in structuring activities, generating and sharing data, and improving group communication. To ensure the quality of collaboration, engineering system design needs to analyze and define possible collaboration processes. Currently, engineering system design focuses on collaboration processes in a static environment. However, today’s world is characterized by dynamic environments that can influence the requirements of a collaboration process and require to adapt the process during runtime. This paper introduces a new approach for engineering systems design that provides adaptive collaboration support for changing environments. This approach is based upon a conceptual architecture for engineering systems that uses data streams to analyze the dynamic environment and adapts a collaboration process on demand according to varying goals, time and data.

This paper introduces a novel gesture-based interface for crime scene investigation. The interface is part of a mediated reality system in which remote collaboration is supported. Requirements elicited from interviews and interactive sessions showed that our gesture-based user interface is effective in operating a 3D interface and allows the user to interact with a crime scene. We report on the design of the mediated reality system and the evaluation of the gesture-based interface. The results show that the gesture-based interface is easy to use and to learn.

Lessons learned are one way to retain experience and knowledge in project-based organizations, helping them to prevent reinventin,g the wheel or to repeat past mistakes. However, there are several challenges that make these lessonts learned processes a challenging endeavor. These include capturing knowledge about project mai!Iagement, allowing learning from mistakes, and handling the group processes within the project team. We introduce a novel approach combining elements from storytelling, root cause analysis, and collaboration engineering to address these challenges, and report on first experiences utiliziing this approach in a project in the oil and gas industry.

This thesis examines the application of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) in civil engineering projects. VDV is a method which makes use of the multi-screen iRoom to allow stakeholders simultaneously describe, present and evaluate projects on product, organisation and process perspectives (Kunz and Fischer 2012). This thesis addresses the problem on how the application of VDC can achieve a shared understanding with problem owners in civil engineering projects to manage organisational complexity. Through observations on the application of VDC and interviews with the participants the added value of the method is regarded. The thesis shows that the application of VDC provides added value in the development of civil engineering projects. Through actively involving problem owners in the iRoom their understanding and perception of the design task is enlarged. However, the method can further develop by providing more guidance in the application for individual project managers. The iRoom is in particular useful in design tasks were a mutual agreement between problem owners is needed on spatial design issues. The extensive use of visualisations and metrics in the iRoom contribute to this.

In knowledge management, the act of telling stories is utilized to capture and convey knowledge. Spoken language is the basis for telling stories. Collaborative audio-based storytelling uses the act of verbally telling stories in groups. In this paper, we explore how to utilize verbally told stories for informal knowledge management. To identify the requirements for an information system that supports collaborative audio-based storytelling, we review the body of knowledge in relation to storytelling and knowledge management. After reviewing the state of the art, we present the CASTing information system. CASTing (Collaborative Audio-based StoryTelling) addresses the identified requirements and supports a process for collaborative audio-based storytelling. CASTing consists of a client application which supports nomadic work as well as a web portal which aims at building a storytelling community. We present CASTing along our process for collecting, structuring, linking and using verbally told stories. We conclude with a report on first experiences as well as an outlook on future directions.

The need for computer supported collaboration has grown over the last years and made collaboration processes an important factor within organizations. This trend has resulted in the development of a variety of tools and technologies to support the various forms of collaboration. Many collaborative processes, e.g. strategy building, scenario analysis, root cause analysis and requirements engineering, require various collaboration support tools. Within these synchronous collaborative applications to create, evaluate, elaborate, discuss, and revise graphical models, e.g. data flow, fishbone and brainstorming diagrams, play an important role. Currently, the necessary tools are not integrated and flexible enough to support such processes. In this paper, we introduce a synchronous collaborative brainstorming diagram editor that is integrated in a flexible group support system. By this our approach goes beyond the current state of the art as we can be seamlessly integrated with other collaboration support tools such as textbased brainstorming, voting, etc.

The need for computer supported collaboration has grown over the last years and made collaboration processes an important factor within organizations. This trend has resulted in the development of a variety of tools and technologies to support the various forms of collaboration. Many collaborative processes, e.g. strategy building, scenario analysis, root cause analysis and requirements engineering, require various collaboration support tools. Within these synchronous collaborative applications to create, evaluate, elaborate, discuss, and revise graphical models, e.g. data flow, fishbone and brainstorming diagrams, play an important role. Currently, the necessary tools are not integrated and flexible enough to support such processes. In this paper, we introduce a synchronous collaborative brainstorming diagram editor that is integrated in a flexible group support system. By this our approach goes beyond the current state of the art as we can be seamlessly integrated with other collaboration support tools such as textbased brainstorming, voting, etc.

Learning from projects is one of the major challenges which appears to be critical to consistent success of project-based organizations. To learn from past projects for current problem situations, knowledge and experience often has to be shared across time or space. However, while it seems to be possible to capture explicit knowledge (e.g. about products and technical problems), softer types of knowledge (i.e. knowledge about the processes that a team had deployed to achieve their goals and why these processes seemed to have worked well or badly) are more difficult to retain. By observing how knowledge people like managers or engineers communicate, we have found that they tell stories. Stories are an ancient way to communicate experiences (i.e. direct observations of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge) and are used by todays engineers to convey the challenges and solutions they encountered. Based on these grounds we propose an approach to freeze stories of project managers by capturing (and processing) their stories and thereby opening up an opportunity for sharing these stories across space and time. First trials of this approach are promising: it was easy for project managers to share experiences resulting in rich accounts. In addition, we tested the acceptance and applicability of frozen stories with apprentice project managers. We found that it reminded them of their own experiences and of stories they have heard. Furthermore, it stimulated the exchange of experiences with peers.