JUNE 8-12, 2020
ONLINE! Copenhagen, Denmark
Presented Papers Abstracts
Presented Papers Abstracts
Stefan Trieflinger, Jürgen Münch, Emre Bogazköy, Patrick Eißler, Jan Schneider and Bastian Roling: Product Roadmap Alignment – Achieving the Vision Together: A Grey Literature Review (Full paper)
Context: A product roadmap is an important tool in product devel-opment. It sets the strategic direction in which the product is to be developed to achieve the company’s vision. However, for product roadmaps to be successful, it is essential that all stakeholders agree with the company’s vision and objec-tives and are aligned and committed to a common product plan. Objective: In order to gain a better understanding of product roadmap alignment, this paper aims at identifying measures, activities and techniques in order to align the dif-ferent stakeholders around the product roadmap. Method: We conducted a grey literature review according to the guidelines to Garousi et al. Results: Several ap-proaches to gain alignment were identified such as defining and communicating clear objectives based on the product vision, conducting cross-functional work-shops, shuttle diplomacy, and mission briefing. Besides this, the “Behavioural Change Stairway Model” was identified that suggests five steps to gain align-ment by building empathy and a trustful relationship.
Jorge Melegati, Rafael Chanin, Afonso Sales and Rafael Prikladnicki: Towards specific software engineering practices for early-stage startups (Short paper)
In this position paper, our goal is to argue the need for specific software development practices to early-stage startups. In order to reach this goal, we discuss the consequences of innovative and market-driven contexts, which are two of the key elements when describing software startups. We also argue that these practices could be applied to innovative initiatives within established companies since they share similar characteristics and challenges as those from startups.
Gabriella Laatikainen, Alexander Semenov, Yixin Zhang and Pekka Abrahamsson: ICO Crowdfunding Types (Full paper)
Blockchain technologies provide means to develop services that are secure, transparent and efficient by nature. Unsurprisingly, the emerging business opportunities has gained a lot of interest that is realized in form of successful Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) that are able to raise billions of USD through crowdfunding campaigns. In this exploratory study we investigate the special characteristics of 91 ICOs through content analysis in order to identify the special characteristics of ICO crowdfunding. Based on the provided incentives to their funders, we identified the following ICO crowdfunding types: equity-based, rewards-based, subscription-based or a combination of these.
Kelson Silva, Eduardo Guerra and Jorge Melegati: An Approach for Software-Intensive Business Innovation Based on Experimentation in Non-Software-Intensive Companies (Full paper)
Several companies whose business are not centered on technology might fail to innovate and get advantages over its competitors. For them, meaningful innovations do not necessarily are related to the usage of new technologies but to the optimization of some business process. In the literature, experimentation is described as an essential aspect in the innovation process. Although software engineering studies have explored experimentation, none has focused on software-intensive innovative projects in non-software-intensive companies. This paper proposes an experiment-oriented process to identify and implement innovation in the context of this kind of company including the roles involved in such a process. It has steps to identify business bottlenecks, search for alternatives for solutions, implement a fast and functional software proof of concept, create a plan for evolution, and migrate to a regular project to continue that idea. This paper also presents an evaluation of this process in a company focused on outsourced services, such as cleaning and maintenance. As a result, in the period of a year, several internal procedures were improved and received software support.
Andreas Kaselow, Dimitri Petrik and Sven Feja: Success Factors for a Launch of an Algorithmic Consulting Platform (Full paper)
Even the rather traditional consulting industry is not spared from digitization. Digital platforms are known to foster convergence and generativity. For the consulting industry, digital platforms offer the potential to win new customer groups who have not previously purchased consulting services before. If digital platforms for the mediation of consulting services are established by incumbent consulting companies, the new platform-based business models for the consulting market will appear. Since network effects fuel platforms, the launch phase of a platform is a serious challenge. In this paper, we examine the launch of a digital platform for the algorithmic consulting (AC) approach, due to its promising market potential. In order to research the adapt-ability of digital platforms for AC consulting, we perform a qualitative study of electronic documents on the actions of three successful crowdsourcing platforms. The analysis of the three platforms helps us to identify 14 success factors for the platform launch. The open nature of platform design in the areas of customer access, cooperation with other platforms, interfaces, and communication appeared to be particularly important for a successful platform launch. All identified success factors can be applied to AC services and the consulting market in the future.
Gabriella Laatikainen, Alexander Semenov, Yixin Zhang and Pekka Abrahamsson: What key aspects do ICOs reveal about their businesses? (Full paper)
Blockchain technologies disrupt industries by enabling decentralized and transactional data sharing across a network of untrusted participants, among others. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are a novel form of crowdfunding through which hundreds of blockchain-enabled businesses manage to raise billions of dollars in total only in the United States. However, there is a lack of understanding of the ICO phenomenon especially related to the business aspects. In this paper, we describe the results of an exploratory study of 91 ICOs and identify the key business model elements that ICOs reveal in their websites and whitepapers. Furthermore, we also note the immaturity and lack of transparency of the business aspects of businesses behind the ICO campaigns.
Saeid Heshmatisafa and Marko Seppänen: API Utilization and Monetization in Finnish Industries (Full paper)
Many companies have joined the trend to expose their business assets through open (web) Application Programming Interface (API). However, companies ap-pear to adopt API technology due to the need and demand of their customers. Such pressure from the industry to develop, implement, and maintain API products and services can cause neglect from companies’ side to understand the benefits behind this API development better. Thus, companies may avoid pressuring any monetary or non-monetary exploitation from their business assets. In this study, we explore the status of API development and the API economy in Finnish industries. The data set comprises publicly available information from 226 companies and organizations representing a wide variety of different industries such as industrials, consumer goods, and services. We will present current status regarding factors such as API readiness, types, protocols, and monetization mod-el in order to provide a more holistic view. Theoretical and managerial implica-tions conclude the paper.