[AISWorld] Watts Humphrey 1927 - 2010

[Manuel Mora T.]

Dear Leon Kappelman,

Eminent scientis Watts S. Humphrey was one of the shapers of Software
Engineering discipline (together with Professor Barry Boehm, Professor
Frederic Brooks, and Professor Victor Basili). Their CMM/CMMI models
have been used also for elaborating other capability maturity models  like
ITCMM, and even ITIL variants. We regret this sad event (2 weeks ago).

This event also exhibits a bias on IS research at present: IT engineering
issues are few researched and published. I believe that a dangerous
psychology-oriented research bias on IS has weakened the discipline.
Micro-advances usign the about 150 micro-theories are not building a
robust "IT Knowlege Tree" (it is a chaos, if some has tried to build
a conceptual map of what is known on IT discipline). While other
disciplines, accept and promote some few core theories and set of core
constructs, we advance with micro-steps with micro-topics "overdone"
(e.g. marginal contributions but using excellent research methods).

IS/IT discipline is on engineering and management of core systems based on
IT for improving organizational processes (individual, group,
organization, or inter-organizational), and requires an own IT theory with
people-oriented, technology, process, and environment constructs
(subjective, intra-subjective, and objective). As examples of this bias,
the following toughts:

a) How many IT graduate courses are taught on Systems Approach, or IT
DataCenter Design, or IT Process Standards (like ISO 20000, etc) at
present ?

b) How many of us are aware on new RUP versions or new SDLC paradigms?
(RUP is now a meta-model for specific SDLCs. Spiral model has moved to
Win-Win Spiral (6 phases) or MBASE from 15 years ago, or Model-V from
Systems Engineering (from the 80s') is also unknown ... but ITIL V3 is
rescuing it now in the 2007 at present period).

c) What are the main themes (and contributions for micro-theories or new
micro-theories used in papers published in top journals at present)?

d) How many patents are reported by IS research community?

In summary, I believe we need:

1) Change the value research system focused on got published (with a
particular English style of written) than got cost-effective and
trustworthy solutions to addressed problems of real people. Relevance on
Means (publications) are replaced to Ends (solutions, advances,
integration
and formation of a robust discipline).

2) To develop a core IT theory which includes people, process and
technology, and environment constructs given that at present there is a
biased on individual or organizational constructs measured on perceptions
of individuals (from them or on behalf of the organization)

Well, just thoughts and reflexions on our discipline. Finally,
we regret such sad and unfortunate event, and I am sure that many
IS researchers share these toughts. Sincerely,
Manuel Mora
PS. We have developed research on CMM/CMMI Models but these topics
have been published in other journals. In Systems Engineering discipline
this topic (comparison of standards is very relevant). None paper on it
has been reported in 7 top journals.



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Manuel Mora, EngD.
Full Professor and Researcher "C" Level
Autonomous University of Aguascalientes
Ave. Universidad 940
Aguascalientes, Ags.
México 20100
www.uaa.mx
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