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CHAPTER 15

DESSAC: A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR

QUANTIFYING AND ANALYSING AGILITY

15.1 INTRODUCTION

In the previous chapter, the method of applying agile quantification

tool in Salzer to measure agility indices before and TADS anticipated
implementation was described. Though this implementation study was carried
out smoothly, it was discernable that applying this quantification tool in real
time situations would be a tedious and tiring process. Hence, a computer
assisted Decision Support System (DSS) incorporated with this tool was
found to be a need of the hour not only to quantify agility but also to analyze
them. In order to fulfill this need, a DSS for quantifying and analyzing agility
has been developed during a module of this research work. This DSS is
named as DESSAC (stands for DEcision Support System for quantifying
Agile Criteria). DESSAC was introduced to the members of TADS
implementation team. These team members operated DESSAC and responded
to a questionnaire based feedback. Finally their responses were analyzed to
interpret the practical adoptability of DESSAC. The details are briefly
narrated in this chapter.

15.2 DESSAC

DESSAC incorporated with simple decision making tools and

utilities has been developed using Visual Basic 6.0 as the front end and
Microsoft Access as the back end. The Visual Basic programming language
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was used while developing DSSs for its ability to provide user friendly
screens (Chan et al 2000). Microsoft Access is the database which can be
easily linked to Visual Basic. Before beginning the design of DESSAC, the
agile quantification tool proposed in Ramesh and Devadasan (2007) was
refined in response to the comments of the reviewers received on submitting
another paper. The screens of DESSAC have been designed by referring to
the refined agile quantification model and its score allotment tables. The user
has to respond to the questions asked by DESSAC against the twenty agile
criteria. After responding to all the questions, DESSAC may be consulted to
quantify and analyse the agility level prevailing in the company.

15.2.1 Operation of DESSAC

After coding, DESSAC was introduced to the TADS

implementation team. Because of the prior knowledge on AM, those team
members viewed DESSAC with interest. Therefore, the introduction of
DESSAC at Salzer was a fruitful experience. After the demonstration, the
team members were asked to operate DESSAC. The working of DESSAC is
described in this section by presenting some of the screens that appeared
while these team members operated it. One of the beginning screens of
DESSAC is shown in Figure 15.1.

As shown, the user is not shown the grouping of agile criteria under
AM enablers. This has been deliberately done to avoid the user from getting
biased to allot higher or lower scores against any of the AM enabler. Now the
user is free to click any one of the agile criteria for responding to the
appropriate questions. As shown, the user can respond to the questions by
clicking the given options. Further, the user will be able to know the
characteristics of the respective criterion on pressing the button given at the
bottom of the screen. The screen displaying these details of the agile criterion
‘Organisational Structure’ is shown in Figure 15.2. After responding to all the
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questions, the user is prompted to click the button ‘consultation’. Then, the
screen shown in Figure 15.3 appears.

Figure 15.1 A beginning screen displaying twenty agile criteria

Figure 15.2 Screen narrating the details of agile criterion

‘Organisational Structure’
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Figure 15.3 Screen that appears on pressing the button ‘consultation’

On pressing the “Overall Score” button, the screen showing the

agility score and index will appear. This screen is shown in Figure 15.4.

Figure 15.4 Screen that appears on pressing the button ‘Overall Score’
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As shown, this screen displays the total score and agility index. If
done manually, the calculation of total score and agility index would consume
many hours and prone to even errors. These deficiencies have been avoided
by DESSAC in which case the accurate values are displayed within the
fraction of a second. DESSAC is also incorporated with the facility of
viewing the ideal and actual scores obtained against all the agile criteria using
the bar chart. The screen displaying this bar chart is shown in Figure 15.5.

Figure 15.5 Screen that appears on pressing the button ‘Overall Bar
Chart’

This way of displaying the scores improves the clarity of viewing

the ideal and actual level of agility. Further, if the user wishes to see the bar
chart presentation for each criterion, he/she can do so by pressing the
“Criterion-wise bar chart” button in bar chart presentation screen. As a
sample, the screen displaying the bar chart against the agile criterion
“Organisational Structure” is shown in Figure 15.6.
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Figure 15.6 Screen that appears on pressing the button ‘Criterion wise
bar chart’ followed by the selection of the criterion
“Organisational Structure”

As shown, these types of displays indicate the maximum score

attainable and actual score obtained against the chosen agile criterion.
Similarly the pie chart presentation can also be viewed. As a sample, the
screen displaying the pie chart against the agile criterion “Organisational
Structure” is shown in Figure 15.7. As shown, this screen enables the user to
view the agility level prevailing in proportion against the chosen criterion. On
pressing ‘remarks’ button in the consultation screen (Figure 15.3), the screen
shown in Figure 15.8 appears.
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Figure 15.7 Screen that appears on pressing the button ‘Criterion wise
Pie chart’ followed by the selection of the criterion
“Organisational Structure”

Figure 15.8 Screen that appears on pressing the button ‘remarks’

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As shown, this screen will advise the company regarding the

pursuance of AM programme given the current situation. In case the user
wants to know the action to be taken to implement agility, then he/she is
required to press the “proposal” button in the consultation screen
(Figure 15.3). The user is given the option of viewing the overall proposal or
criterion-wise proposal. As a sample, the proposal screen displayed against
the agile criterion “Organisational Structure” is shown in Figure 15.9.

Figure 15.9 Sample Screen that appears on pressing the button

‘Criterion-wise proposal’ followed by the selection of the
criterion “Organisational Structure”

Thus, DESSAC enables the quantification and analysis of agility

level prevailing in a company. This enables the user to make decisions on
imparting agility in a company in an easier, faster and accurate manner.
Particularly, from the point of view of the research work being reported in this
thesis, DESSAC can be used to check the impact of applying TADS on
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achieving agility in a company. This can be exercised during the various

stages of TADS implementation.

15.3 CONCLUSION

DESSAC can be used either individually or by several categories of

users such as top management, managerial and non-managerial level
employees. The outcome of DESSAC can be either summarised or debated to
finalise the agenda of actions to be taken to infuse agility in the company.
Alternatively, the screens of DESSAC can be projected in the boardroom of
the company and the responses of the Chief Executive Officer and executives
could be entered in it. The outcome of DESSAC can subsequently be used to
take appropriate actions orienting TADS activities in such a way that agility is
infused in the company. Further DESSAC can be used as an agility
measurement kit to evaluate the impact of TADS on agility in a company at
regular intervals.