An Approach for Software-Intensive Business Innovation Based on Experimentation in Non-software-Intensive Companies

Abstract

Several companies whose businesses are not centered on technology might fail to innovate and get advantages over their competitors. For them, meaningful innovations are not necessarily related to the usage of new technologies but the optimization of some business process. In the literature, experimentation is described as an essential aspect of the innovation process. Although software engineering studies have explored experimentation, none has focused on software-intensive innovative projects in non-software-intensive companies, which consists of a contrast between the fast-changing environment in software-intensive to rigid structures in consolidated businesses. This paper proposes an experiment-oriented process to identify and implement innovation in this kind of company, including the roles involved in such processes. It has steps to identify business bottlenecks, search for solution alternatives, 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, several internal procedures in a year were improved and received software support.

Adaptation and Validation of Responsible Innovation Practices Scale for Innovativeness and Competitiveness of Pharmaceutical Companies in Pakistan

“…In the present era of the fourth industrial revolution (called industry 4.0), manufacturing firms must introduce technological innovations and systems that deliver value to stakeholders. The meaningful innovations may involve the usage of new technologies as well as business process optimization (K. Silva et al, 2020). Process innovation has three core stages; idea generation, promotion, and implementation (Palazzeschi et al, 2018;Scott & Bruce, 1994).…”