Action Research Paper: Establish a Career as a Software Developer - JAVA User Interface (UI)

Running Head: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLGY

Introduction And Methodology

Venkata Satyanarayana. Alokam

Wilmington University

Introduction

The project at hand, involves the use of RFID technology in the retail marketplace. The primary project objective is to use technology in solving problems that are affecting society. An example of a problem that the project will address is delays at retail centers. Under this, the project will seek to enhance the efficiency specifically in retail centers checkout lines. This is through mechanisms that reduce the time each shopper spend in the checkout lines. Customers have raised concerns regarding service delivery time demanding more efficiency. No customer is willing to endure long lines and waiting in the current checkout lines. We have realized that this problem can be solved by the use of RFID, particularly at the retail centers (Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. 2006). Because of the high level of expertise, resources, and experience critical in this project, we will seek to enter into a contract with IBM Company. Below is a general review of the action research.

Action Research

Action research can be defined as any kind of research initiated with an intention of solving a certain immediate problem (McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. 2005). It is comprised of individuals and team members who come together a common goal i.e. providing a solution to a certain problem.

Action Research is generally classified into two major types:

(i) Participatory Action Research

(ii) Practical Action Research

Each action research has a strategy or a purpose which is inclined towards solving a particular problem. The strategy is also aimed at producing guidelines that encourage best practices during the implementation of the project.

For you to understand the action research better, it means you have to actively participate in any given change situation (McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. 2005). The nature of engagement must be through the use of a particular popular organization. Research is very critical in any action research.

Advantages of Action Research

According to our action research, we want to reduce delays on the retailing checkout points. As highlighted above, the action research will be of benefit to the customers. It will reduce delays that all of us (customers) have been experiencing after going to the malls to purchase products. If the action research is effective, the project team members and the sponsor (IBM) will be charged a commission of 2% on the goods bought by the customers in the malls and supermarkets using the RFID technology. In other words, the action research will not only come with advantages to customers, but also the firms and the team members/parties to the research will benefit.

Disadvantages of Action Research

The only disadvantage of the action research is that it will require resources in terms of time, expertise and technology to implement. It will also need tracking after implementation. If not initiated well, it may result in the failure of the entire retailing checkout systems.

Discussion and Analysis

International Business Machine Corporation (IBM) is one of the best technology company all over the world that was established in the year 1911. It is well known as a consulting and globally integrated company. Its headquarters is in Armonk, New York. When we say that IBM Company is globally integrated, we mean that it operates in different countries over the world. According to the past IMB statistics, it is currently operating in more than one hundred and seventy countries. Over the past decades, this company has been attracting and retaining some of the talented individuals in the universe (Bort, J. 2016). The intake of talented people on a regular basis is to enable the company to solve various technological problems so as to boost the businesses as well as government operations.

One of the primary reasons why IBM is the most suitable company for the RFID project is that this project depends highly on information technology, specifically in software development which requires a high level of creativity and innovation, IT experts, software developers, and IT engineers (Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. 2006). Innovation and creativity are core aspects of all the IBM strategies. RFID system software development by itself, not only requires expertise, but also need experience. IBM has over 100 years’ experience in software development. The collaboration with the customers via technology, R & D expertise, and consultation has seen the development of software that has led to healthier people, safer foods, better transportation and cleaner water across the world (Vanian, J. 2016). The other reason is that this company has all the technical and technological requirements to develop software of any kind. It is already a certified software developer, meaning that it has met all the software development requirements and standards. Cloud, consulting services, and a broad range of infrastructure at IBM makes the company the best for software development (Vanian, J. 2016). The ability of the IBM experts to customize the software according to the project demands is one of the remarkable things we cannot afford to go without recommending.

As stated in employment contemporary theories, there is no job which is a 100% perfect, but there are jobs which are better than others. A software developer is one of the highly paid experts at IBM Company when compared to other professions and jobs in this company other than the managerial jobs. It is ranked second after software programming job. Besides being one of the well-paid jobs, this job comprises of portable skills (Hardiman, N. 2014). The software developer is in a position of learning a lot of incredible skills ranging from software skills to programming skills (Garrison, E. 2001). This means you advance your knowledge each and every day. The possibility of getting a higher salary after shifting to another company is high due to greater exposure and enhanced skill levels. Do you know that as a software developer, you can work from anywhere? For example, you do not have necessarily to be on IBM premises to perform some of the software development roles. All you need is a laptop as well as an internet connection. This is a flexible job. The only disadvantage of being a software developer is that you have to upgrade your skills continuously. This is because technology changes now and then and therefore you have to be informed about the changes and advancement.

Methodology

The project requires interaction, collaboration, consultation, and integration. It is for these reasons that it will be an agile project (Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. 2006). The team members (management) will focus mainly on technological input as well as the continuous engagement of resources towards the success of this critical project. Extreme programming will be a crucial methodology at the operations management level. Every operation must focus on the stakeholders, the set objectives, and flexibility of both the project and the team members.

For the purpose of ensuring that we remain at the track, there is a criterion that will be used to measure the success of this project. After implementation, the success of the project will be examined through testing (Garrison, E. 2001). We will test how the installed RFID tags will be passing financial information regarding the consumers to the main computer (Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. 2006). According to the RFID standards, the passage of information should occur approximately within five seconds after the shoppers exit the mall or place the items in the cart (Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. 2006). To avoid disputes and other complications the error rate of the RFID system will be kept at a minimal level. For example, the error rate of one out of ten transactions will be termed as an acceptable error.

The project management team will comprise of four key people, i.e. the IT Specialist, Network Engineer, Software Developer and the designer. These four experts will be at the forefront in uncovering the benefits of RFID in the retailing. They must be among these things:

• Document the entire project.

• Collaborate with the project manager, sponsor, and customers in general.

• Respond to the changes regarding the project.

• See to it that this project is successfully implemented.

However, the project will rely heavily on the software developer. He/she will be responsible for:

• Reviewing current RFID systems.

• Presenting ideas for the system improvements.

• Working closely with the analysts, engineer, designers and team members.

• Producing detailed specifications.

• Writing program codes.

• Testing the project before going live.

• Preparation of the training manuals for the users.

• Maintaining the RFID systems once they are up as well as running.

After the implementation of the RFID tags, the customers will be in a position of walking into a mall and picking the items they desire and walking out of the mall without the need of queuing at the checkout points. This remarkable technology will convey all the details about the shoppers of the retailer’s computer system (Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. 2006). It will go ahead and facilitate financial transactions.

The team members and the stakeholders must work together continuously throughout the project. Each and every person must be given the support required as long as his/her activities are oriented towards the success of the project. A friendly working environment is fundamentally at all stages of project implementation.

References

Angell, I., & Kietzmann, J. (2006). “RFID and the end of cash?” Communications of the ACM.

Bort, J. (2016). “Ginni Rometty just set a big goal for IBM,” Spending $4 billion to bring in $40

billion. Business Insider.

Hardiman, N. (2014). A Portrait of Modern Cloud Developer.McNiff, J., & Whitehead, J. (2005).

All you need to know about action research. UK: London

Weinman, S. (2016). “IBM CEO Ginni Rometty,” Augusta National's third female member. Golf

Digest.

Garrison, E. (2001). “The Essential Guide to Computing,” The Story of Information Technology.

Prentice Hall. Retrieved from http://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/definition/IBM-International-Business-Machines

Vanian, J. (2016). “Cisco and the IBM's New Partnership,” Is a Lot about Talk. Fortune.

Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=IBM