EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector

EDOS conducts surveys and analyzes information on digitalization in the public sector. The research center will contribute to new knowledge on effective digitalization of the public sector, input on how to improve processes and methods for the development of digital solutions, as well as research-based assistance to the Ministry of Local Government and Modernization and other parts of the public sector.
Key focus areas of the research center:
- Benefits management in the development of IT systems and in digital transformations
- Flexible work processes and flexible organization of software development
- Management and leadership of projects and product development
- Competence evaluation and resource management
- Cooperation and forms of agreement between actors
The center is funded by the Ministry of Local Government and Modernization and was created in 2020.
More information about the center is found on their website.
People at EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector
Who we are?
Simula Metropolitan employees are researchers, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, engineers and administrative people. We are from all over the world, ranging from newly educated to experienced researchers, all working on making research in digital engineering at the highest international level possible.
Publications at EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector
Talks, invited
Senter for Effektiv Digitalisering av Offentlig Sektor (EDOS)
In Helse Sørøst, 2023.Status: Published
Senter for Effektiv Digitalisering av Offentlig Sektor (EDOS)
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Talks, invited |
Year of Publication | 2023 |
Location of Talk | Helse Sørøst |
Type of Talk | Presentation for portfolio managers |
The Center for Effective Digitalization of the Public Sector (EDOS)
In SimulaMet, 2023.Status: Published
The Center for Effective Digitalization of the Public Sector (EDOS)
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Talks, invited |
Year of Publication | 2023 |
Location of Talk | SimulaMet |
Type of Talk | Presentation for Board |
Book Chapter
Eliciting and Prioritizing Services for Accessible Information - for Residential Real Estate Transactions
In HCI for Health, Well-being, Universal Access and Healthy Aging, 378-395. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022.Status: Published
Eliciting and Prioritizing Services for Accessible Information - for Residential Real Estate Transactions
A number of initiatives are underway for digitalizing real estate transaction processes. Public and private sector bodies are working to automate information retrieval and processing of the financial, ordinance and fiscal aspects of such transactions. Other initiatives, such as ours, are targeted toward helping stakeholders directly involved in selling and buying real estate. We present the results from a set of group sessions, where the focus was on improving the presentation of salient information to sellers and buyers of property. Based on an earlier conceptualization of perceived information difficulties, we elicited user stories for facilitating a better generation, provision and consumption of relevant information for the residential real estate transaction process. A total of ten services were aggregated from the user stories. We then asked a set of stakeholders to rate the effect of the services on functional objectives; i.e., on how they will affect the transaction process. We asked stakeholders at the managerial level to rate the functional objectives on strategic objectives. Combining the two sets of ratings, one obtains a rating of perceived benefit for the services, which can help in prioritzing which services to start developing first. In the outset, real estate transactions involve stakeholders with opposing interests. We conclude that multi-stakeholder group sessions can help generate services that serve these conflicting interests on a common ground.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Book Chapter |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Book Title | HCI for Health, Well-being, Universal Access and Healthy Aging |
Series Volume | LNCS 13521 |
Pagination | 378-395 |
Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
Place Published | Cham |
URL | https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-17902-0_27 |
DOI | 10.1007/978-3-031-17902-0_27 |
Scenario Design for Healthcare Collaboration Training under Suboptimal Conditions
In Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management. Health, Operations Management, and Design, 197-214. Vol. 19. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022.Status: Published
Scenario Design for Healthcare Collaboration Training under Suboptimal Conditions
Health care today usually consists of various services covering various parts of the total health care of a region or country. These services are required to coordinate and collaborate, often using procedures and IT collaboration tools that may not be designed for interoperating across the evolving wider landscape of health care services. We posit that it is necessary to train personnel in collaboration skills using whatever infrastructure is in place. To this end, we present design principles for simulation-based collaboration training scenarios that emphasizes the inclusion of suboptimal infrastructure elements. We applied the principles in a co-creational workshop with healthcare stakeholders from a hospital and surrounding municipalities in Norway where we discussed cases where collaboration training is perceived as critical. We elicited five training vignettes concerning the general case of detecting, and following up on, clinical deterioration in a patient at home or in a nursing home. We found that the design principles spurred highly relevant discussions among participants and that novel ideas for collaboration training were brought forth on the basis of these principles. We conclude that there is a potential in using these principles for eliciting training vignettes that address the actual situation more accurately.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Book Chapter |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Book Title | Digital Human Modeling and Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management. Health, Operations Management, and Design |
Volume | 19 |
Series Volume | LNCS 13320 |
Pagination | 197-214 |
Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
Place Published | Cham |
Keywords | Healthcare Collaboration, IT Services, Procedures, Scenario Design, Simulation-based training, Stakeholder Journey Analysis |
Stakeholder Perceptions on Requirements for Accessible Technical Condition Information in Residential Real Estate Transactions
In Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Novel Design Approaches and Technologies , 242-259. Vol. 7. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022.Status: Published
Stakeholder Perceptions on Requirements for Accessible Technical Condition Information in Residential Real Estate Transactions
Buyers of residential real estate frequently experience dissatisfaction with the property they have purchased. Recent findings suggest that insufficient knowledge about the property is a key trigger to ensuing disappointment and claims for compensation. Further, a good technical condition report reduces the probability of dissatisfaction and insurance claims. For the purpose of designing services for improving technical condition information and its flow, we elicited stakeholder perceptions on the suitability of residential real estate technical condition reports. Specifically, we conducted multiple surveys which we content analyzed and used as the basis for a conceptual model of information products and dependencies needed to deliver better information to stakeholders in a real estate transaction process. The conceptual model, in turn, forms the basis for specific service design in future work.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Book Chapter |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Book Title | Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Novel Design Approaches and Technologies |
Volume | 7 |
Chapter | 16 |
Series Volume | LNCS 13308 |
Pagination | 242-259 |
Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
Place Published | Cham |
ISBN Number | 978-3-031-05027-5 |
Keywords | Conflict Reduction, Information Services, Residential Real Estate Transactions, Technical Condition Information |
Journal Article
Enabling Autonomous Teams and Continuous Deployment at Scale
IT Professional 24, no. 6 (2022): 47-53.Status: Published
Enabling Autonomous Teams and Continuous Deployment at Scale
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Journal | IT Professional |
Volume | 24 |
Issue | 6 |
Pagination | 47 - 53 |
Date Published | Jan-11-2022 |
Publisher | IEEE Computer Society |
Place Published | New York City |
ISSN | 1520-9202 |
URL | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10017407/http://xplorestaging.ieee.... |
DOI | 10.1109/MITP.2022.3209871 |
A teamwork effectiveness model for agile software development
Empirical Software Engineering 27, no. 2 (2022).Status: Published
A teamwork effectiveness model for agile software development
Teamwork is crucial in software development, particularly in agile development teams which are cross-functional and where team members work intensively together to develop a cohesive software solution. Effective teamwork is not easy; prior studies indicate challenges with communication, learning, prioritization, and leadership. Nevertheless, there is much advice available for teams, from agile methods, practitioner literature, and general studies on teamwork to a growing body of empirical studies on teamwork in the specific context of agile software development. This article presents the agile teamwork effectiveness model (ATEM) for colocated agile development teams. The model is based on evidence from focus groups, case studies, and multi-vocal literature and is a revision of a general team effectiveness model. Our model of agile teamwork effectiveness is composed of shared leadership, team orientation, redundancy, adaptability, and peer feedback. Coordinating mechanisms are needed to facilitate these components. The coordinating mechanisms are shared mental models, communication, and mutual trust. We critically examine the model and discuss extensions for very small, multi-team, distributed, and safety-critical development contexts. The model is intended for re- searchers, team members, coaches, and leaders in the agile community.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Journal | Empirical Software Engineering |
Volume | 27 |
Issue | 2 |
Date Published | Jan-03-2022 |
Publisher | Springer Nature |
ISSN | 1382-3256 |
Keywords | agiel teams, agile leadership, agile methods, agile teamwork model, big five model of teamwork, mutual performance monitoring, peer feedback, redundancy, scrum teams, teamwork model, teamwork theory |
URL | https://rdcu.be/cIINu |
DOI | 10.1007/s10664-021-10115-0 |
Quantifying means-end reasoning skills in simulation-based training: a logic-based approach
SIMULATION 98, no. 10 (2022): 933-957.Status: Published
Quantifying means-end reasoning skills in simulation-based training: a logic-based approach
We develop a logic-based approach for designing simulation-based training scenarios. Our methodology embodies a concise definition of the scenario concept and integrates the notions of training goals, acceptable versus unacceptable actions and performance scoring. The approach applies classical artificial intelligence (AI) planning to extract coherent plays from a causal description of the training domain. The domain- and task-specific parts are defined in a high-level action description language AL. Generic causal and temporal logic is added when the causal theory is compiled into the underlying Answer Set Programming (ASP) language. The ASP representation is used to derive a scoring function that reflects the quality of a play or training session, based on a distinction of states and actions into green (acceptable) and red (unacceptable) ones. To that end, we add to the casual theory a set of norms that specify an initial assignment of colors. The ASP engine uses these norms as axioms and propagates colors by consulting the causal theory. We prove that any set of such norms constitutes a conservative extension of the underlying causal theory. With this work, we hope to lay the foundation for the development of design and analysis tools for exercise managers. We envision a software system that lets an exercise manager view all plays of a tentative scenario design, with expediency information and scores for each possible play. Our approach is applicable to any domain in which means-ends reasoning is pertinent. We illustrate the approach in the domain of crisis response and management.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Journal | SIMULATION |
Volume | 98 |
Issue | 10 |
Pagination | 933-957 |
Date Published | 05/2022 |
Publisher | SAGE journals |
Keywords | Answer Set Programming, automated scoring, deontic logic, means-end reasoning, Simulation-based training |
URL | https://doi.org/10.1177/00375497221095070 |
DOI | 10.1177/00375497221095070 |
Realizing benefits in public IT projects: A multiple case study
IET Software (2022).Status: Published
Realizing benefits in public IT projects: A multiple case study
IT investments in the public sector are large, and it is essential that they lead to benefits for the organizations themselves and for the wider society. While there is evidence suggesting a positive connection between the existence of benefits management practices and benefits realization, less is known about how to implement such practices effectively. The paper aims to provide insights into when benefits are most likely to be realized, and how benefits management practices and roles should be implemented in order to have a positive effect on the projects’ success in terms of realizing benefits. The authors collected data relating to ten Norwegian public IT projects. For each project, they collected data on benefits management from project documents, by interviewing the project owners and benefits owners, and follow-up surveys. The benefits internal to the organization were those with the highest degree of realization, while the societal benefits were those with the lowest degree. Projects assessed to have more specific, measurable, accountable, and realistically planned benefits were more successful in realizing benefits. Benefits owners were most effective when they were able to attract attention towards the benefits to be realized, had a strong mandate, and had domain expertise.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Journal | IET Software |
Date Published | 12/2022 |
Publisher | IET |
Relative estimates of software development effort: Are they more accurate or less time-consuming to produce than absolute estimates, and to what extent are they person-independent?
Information and Software Technology 143 (2022): 106782.Status: Published
Relative estimates of software development effort: Are they more accurate or less time-consuming to produce than absolute estimates, and to what extent are they person-independent?
Context: Estimates of software development effort may be given as judgments of relationships between the use of efforts on different tasks – that is, as relative estimates. The use of relative estimates has increased with the introduction of story points in agile software development contexts.
Objective: This study examines to what extent relative estimates are likely to be more accurate or less time-consuming to produce than absolute software development effort estimates and to what extent relative estimates can be considered developer-independent.
Method: We conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, we collected estimates from 102 professional software developers estimating the same tasks and randomly allocated to providing relative estimates in story points or absolute estimates in work-hours. In the second experiment, we collected the actual efforts of 20 professional software developers completing the same 5 programming tasks and used these to analyse the variance in relative efforts.
Results: The results from the first experiment indicates that the relative estimates were less accurate than the absolute estimates, and that the time consumed completing the estimation work was higher for those using relative estimation, even when only considering developers with extensive prior experience in story point–based estimation for both tasks. The second experiment revealed that the relative effort was far from developer-independent, especially for the least productive developers. This suggests that relative estimates to a large extent are developer-dependent.
Conclusions: Although there may be good reasons for the continued use of relative estimates, we interpret our results as not supporting that the use of relative estimates is connected with higher estimation accuracy or less time consumed on producing the estimates. Neither do our results support a high degree of developer-independence in relative estimates.
Afilliation | Software Engineering |
Project(s) | EDOS: Effective Digitalization of Public Sector |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Journal | Information and Software Technology |
Volume | 143 |
Pagination | 106782 |
Date Published | 03/2022 |
Publisher | Wiley |