Browsing by Author "Ranjeeth, Sanjay."

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An agile based integrated framework for software development.
(2018) Ranjeeth, Sanjay.; Maharaj, Manoj Sewak.
Software development practice has been guided by practitioners and academics along an evolutionary path that extends from a Waterfall approach, characterised as highly prescriptive, to an approach that is agile, embracing the dynamic context in which software is developed. Agile Methodology is informed by a set of generic principles and agile methods that are customised by practitioners to meet the requirements of the environment in which it is used. Insight into the customisation of agile methods is pivotal to uphold the evolutionary trajectory of software development methodology. The study adopted a ‘socio-technical’ orientation to enhance the implementation of Agile Methodology. The social component of the study was aligned to the role played by organisational culture in the adoption of software development methodology. The amorphous concept of organisational culture has been operationalised by implementing the Competing Values Framework to develop a model that aligns organisational culture to an optimal methodology for software development. The technical component of the study has a software engineering focus. The study leveraged experiential knowledge of software development by South African software practitioners to develop a customised version of a prominent agile software development method. The model has been developed so that it is compatible with a variant of organisational culture that is aligned with agile methodology. The study implemented a sequential research design strategy consisting of two phases. The first phase was qualitative consisting of a phenomenological approach to develop the study’s main models. The second phase was quantitative, underpinned by technology acceptance theory, consisting of a survey based approach to determine South African software practitioners’ acceptance of the agile-oriented technical model that was developed in the study. The results from the survey indicated an 80% acceptance of the model proposed in study. Structural Equation Modelling was used to demonstrate that the inclusion of organisational culture as an independent construct improved the predictive capacity of technology acceptance theory in the context of software development methodology adoption. The study’s overall theoretical contribution was to highlight the significance of organisational culture in the implementation of agile methodology and to extend the evolutionary path of software development methodology by proposing an agile oriented model that scales the software process to an organisational infrastructure level.
Challenges affecting e-Health adoption in South African public hospitals: a case of Edendale Hospital.
(2021) Ndlanzi, Sifiso Liberty.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) plays a crucial role in improving healthcare by providing innovative and more efficient ways of accessing, communicating, and storing information. The use of ICT in healthcare is often referred to as e-Health. With the increase in costs of healthcare services and shortage of healthcare professionals in the public sector, it has become vital that healthcare organisations consider adopting e-Health. This is because e-Health enables healthcare organisations to provide services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, and allows healthcare providers to streamline many of their processes. The adoption of e-Health in developing countries has shown numerous benefits. These benefits include, giving patients access to quality healthcare services; provide healthcare providers with the ability to make informed decisions, access to medical knowledge databases and best practices. However, the literature shows that the adoption of e-Health in South African public hospitals has been slow and has been characterised by number of challenges such as a lack of skills, lack of ICT infrastructure, lack of management support, and lack of policies and standards to support its adoption. Using Edendale hospital as a case study, this study therefore tries to understand the factors that affect e-Health adoption in the South African public hospitals. This study adopted a quantitative research approach using questionnaire surveys as means to collect data from a total of 265 respondents that represented the study’s sample. A descriptive approach was employed in this study, and questionnaires were used to obtain data from healthcare professionals. The data collected was analysed with the use of the SPSS software. During the analysis of the data, the results obtained were based on the descriptive and inferential statistics produced. Based on this study’s results, the healthcare professionals expect an e-health system to produce an accurate patient diagnosis, improve patients’ education regarding their health, ensure stronger data privacy and security and improve the quality of safety of healthcare centres. Healthcare professionals indicated that if these expectations are met by an e-Health system, then they will adopt and use it. Also, healthcare professionals indicated that if an e-Health system is web-friendly and easy to access and use, then they will adopt and use it. The study showed that the presence of facilitating conditions (such as access to the Internet and at a low cost, adequate ICT infrastructure, relevant computer skills training, government support and involvement of the hospital management) would encourage healthcare professionals to adopt and use an e-Health system.
The determinants of effective computer mediated communication between lecturers and students at a tertiary education institution.
(2021) Ntombela, Nonhlanhla Fortunate.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.; Ako-Nai, Sonny Anyetei Moses.
Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) is the transmission of data communication between individuals using two or more electronic devices. CMC provides digital platforms for one-on-one communication, conferencing and collaboration that is instantaneous. However, in the literature, there’s a lack of research that focuses on the interaction between lecturers and students through CMC in South Africa. Hence, there is a need for this study to understand the factors that influence an effective interaction between lecturers and students through CMC, and propose adequate strategies to foster such kind of interaction. In this study, an effective CMC interaction is defined as the behavioural intention to use CMC between a lecturer and a student that is perceived as prompt, professional and supportive by both the students and lecturers. The afore-mentioned constructs have been used to develop a conceptual model that guided the current study to investigate the determinants of the behavioural intention to use CMC between lecturers and students at a tertiary education institution, from the student’s perspective. The study made use of quantitative methods as its fundamental research approach. The study’s sample consisted of 276 students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. These students were surveyed using a closed-ended online questionnaire. From a research nomenclature perspective, the study’s theoretical constructs were identified as immediacy, professionalism and support which constitute the independent variables while intention to adopt/adoption of CMC has been labelled as the study’s dependent variable. The study’s main outcome revealed that the majority of students acknowledge the importance of immediacy, support, and professionalism in the facilitation of an effective CMC-based relationship. Empirically, the study confirmed a moderate, positive correlation between the constructs and students’ intention to adopt CMC as a conduit to achieving excellence in their studies. Evaluation derived from a structured equation modelling derivative of the original conceptual model revealed that the construct of support had more of a mediating influence on students’ intention to adopt a CMC-based learning approach. A concomitant outcome from the study was that a majority of the students preferred using CMC with academic staff than face-to-face communication, with a preference for technological platforms that support CMC based learning rather than general social media networking platforms. At the time that the study was conducted, the institution from which empirical data was collected had transformed to a remote/online learning approach that was necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a consequence, many of the study’s respondents had a natural preference for the video conferencing tool that was currently employed at the institution.
Determinants of ICT adoption by small and medium enterprises in Pietermaritzburg.
(2019) Ngidi, Nsikelelo Vincent.; Jere, Ntabeni.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been a major contributor to world economic growth. ICT plays a vital role when it comes to the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In developed countries, SMEs are making use of ICTs to support their business functions although this has not been the case in most developing countries. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) argues that the survival rate of start-up businesses is generally poor with SMEs in developing countries performing even worse than the standard survival rates. ICT can be used as a tool to improve the performance and survival rate of SMEs in developing countries. SMEs in developing countries are lacking behind when it comes to the adoption of ICT. This study aims to investigate the determinants that influence the intention to adopt ICT by SMEs in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The study made use of quantitative methods as its fundamental research approach. 227 SME owners in Pietermaritzburg were surveyed using a closed-ended questionnaire. The Technology, Organisation and Environment framework was used as a lens through which to understand the study. The TOE theoretical framework is largely used as a process to study the adoption of innovation at a firm level. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach was applied in order to analyse the data from the respondents. The study revealed that Technology Context and Organisation Context (-0.221) are significant determinants that influence the intention to adopt ICT amongst SMEs. Technology Context is the most influential determinant with a regression weight of 0.938, and the Environment Context is an insignificant determinant due to the lack of government support. The study contributes towards the understanding on the important determinants that influences the adoption of ICTs in Pietermaritzburg. The results of this study can assist service providers and government on how to help uplift SMEs. It further shines the light on the lack of the government support towards SMEs.
An evaluation of the usability and end user acceptance of an education management software system.
(2018) Manzungu, Richman.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
The study is aimed at evaluating the usability and end user acceptance of a management software system. The study serves an exploratory agenda to determine the current state of usability regarding SASAMS and to determine end users’ intentions to make use of SASAMS. The knowledge from the empirical phase of the study converges to an output that provides guidance on possible aspects of SASAMS that may be improved from a usability perspective. The quantitative research method is used to guide the study. The targeted population in this study will be composed of a total of 45 secondary, combined and primary schools that use the SASAMS within the Piet Retief Circuit and the sample for the study has been purposively selected to consist of 43 users of the SASAMS. The survey method is used for data collection and the data collection instrument is a questionnaire. The research findings indicate that SASAMS is a relatively user friendly package and the overall usability enabled an end user to quickly obtain proficiency in the use of the package. However, the usability of the package is dependent on intensive training sessions where end users have an opportunity to “internalise” elements of core functionality of the system as well as pick up on subtleties about the interface so that they could become expert users of the system. Aligned to this outcome from the empirical phase of the study, a recommendation is made with regards to the need for training and workshops for educators, heads of departments, deputy principals and school principals so that the usability of the system is enhanced. Another major area of improvement that has been identified is the issue of data input into the system. Proficiency in this regard is functionally dependent on the level of experience in the use of the system or the amount of training that a prospective user is exposed to. The activity of data capture has been identified as an area of improvement of the interface. The recommendations from the study also makes incursions into issues regarding the connectivity of the system which is dependent on a real-time link to the Department of Home Affairs as well as the Department of Basic Education in the Mpumalanga Province. Optimal usage of the SASAMS will only be viable if all the intended functional components of the system are available to educators on a regular basis. From a positive perspective, the empirical data shows that the SASAMS has been endorsed by school principals, Heads of Departments, educators and school administrators. There is a positive correlation with current usage practice and the intention to continue making use of the SASAMS. However, the issue of training and the availability of technical support for the use of the package has been highlighted as areas of significant concern.
Factors influencing the adoption of external web API’s: an examination of the uptake of external web API’s by Absa Bank (a case study of Absa Bank South Africa).
(2017) Ndlovu, Thobekani Tholamandla.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are enablers for many future technology concepts that enable interoperability and platform independence (such as the concepts of “open data” and “open Banking” and strategies such as Service Oriented Enterprise Architecture (SOEA)). Some of these concepts have been in existence for over a decade but the increase in the adoption of external Web API’s has become the driving force behind the growth and acceptance of the concepts of interoperability and compatibility of technology in the Banking industry. The ultimate beneficiary of this objective to enable open collaboration between technologies in the Banking sector, is the customer. The significance of external Web APIs cannot be emphasized enough for businesses that seek to remain relevant and competitive through digital strategies. However, information systems literature on the adoption of external Web APIs by financial institutions bears testimony to a low rate of adoption. In order to address this situation, the primary objective of the current study is to establish reasons for the low rate of adoption of external Web APIs in a South African context. A case study approach is adopted so that an in-depth analysis of issues underpinning the adoption of external Web APIs can be ascertained. Absa Bank of South Africa is used to conduct the study. The choice of Absa Bank as the focus of the case study is one of convenience and purposiveness. From a convenience perspective, the researcher’s engagement with external Web API technology as an employee of Absa Bank provided an opportunity for in-depth, meaningful interaction with crucial components of the technology. From a purposive perspective, Absa Bank have made a commitment to the use of external Web APIs in order to enable collaboration with its Banking partners. A mixed methods approach is adopted for the study. The conceptual framework adopted for the study is centred on Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory and the additional constructs of trust and security, both of which are pivotal to technology related influences in the Banking sector. The study’s corpus data is collected through interviews and questionnaires in order to answer the following main research questions:  What is the influence of the attributes of external Web APIs on the level of adoption at Absa Bank?  What is the influence of perceived trust of external Web APIs on the level of adoption at Absa Bank?  What is the influence of perceived security of external Web APIs on the level of adoption at Absa Bank? The first research question alludes to the attributes of a technology based intervention that influences the adoption of that intervention as propped in Rogers (2010) Diffusion of Innovation theory. A significant outcome of the study is that the DOI attributes have a positive influence on the adoption of external Web APIs. However, the technology itself needs to be adjusted to accommodate concerns of security and trust in order to enhance its adoption in the Banking sector.
Factors influencing the learning of introductory computer programing at the Durban University of Technology.
(2019) Osaji-Onalo, Kelvin Samuel.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
Computer programming is an extremely difficult skill to master for students who are novice computer programmers. The preceding assertion is based on reports of high failure rates in introductory computer programming courses offered by tertiary education institutions. This is not just a South African problem but a number of cross-institutional and multi-national studies show that the problem is well known and is common (Grover et al., 2016). The current study investigated the factors influencing the learning of introductory computer programing at Durban University of Technology (DUT). The objectives of the study were to understand the influence of previous experience on students’ learning of introductory computer programming as well as to understand the influence of self-efficacy on students’ learning of introductory computer programming. The study also focused on understanding the influence of the ‘mental model ‘representation of the problem domain on students’ learning of introductory computer programming, and to understand the influence of the ‘mental model’ representation of the problem domain on students’ self-efficacy in the learning of introductory computer programming. The study adopted the quantitative research method to investigate the subject matter. This study embraced a survey research strategy and data collection carried out was over a short period. The study used simple random sampling to select 200 respondents at DUT. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data quality control was ensured by conducting a reliability and validity test on the data collection instrument used in this study. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from DUT. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using the SPSS, version 25.0. The study utilized statistics such as frequency, descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlation). The overall findings from the study suggested that the self-efficacy level of the research participants was high. The results of the study revealed that there was a moderate positive relationship between self-efficacy and computer programming. Furthermore, it found was that the mental model adopted by students when solving computer programming problems positively influences student performance in computer programming. An outcome of the study is the recommendation that the teaching and learning of computer programming should focus on language structure and the correct mental interpretation of the problem domain so that students could improve their performance.
Factors that influence the acceptance of the revenue management system at the eThekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2022) Khumalo, Zandile Rosemary.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
Traditional business processing models have been transformed by the intervention of technology. Technology has generally improved levels of productivity, efficiency, and accuracy when it comes to the processing of data. These attributes of the technological era have prompted many organisations to make a substantial investment in technological systems with the expectation of making achieving a competitive advantage and an elevated level of maturity of technology usage. This trend has been followed in the domain of public sector governance with many South African municipalities opting to follow the business model of using technological systems to replace manual systems and to redesign process models so that there is a strong alignment with the technology. However, the expectation of success due to technological intervention does not always guarantee a successful outcome. This has been prompted in response to anecdotal evidence that attests to a failed information system used by the eThekwini Municipality in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The main purpose of the system is to collect revenue from the citizens of the municipality based on services that are delivered at the municipality. The empirical phase of the study focused on the use of the Revenue Management System (RMS) at the eThekwini Municipality, South Africa. The study is aimed at evaluating the user acceptance of the RMS by employees of the eThekwini Municipality. The objective of the study is to ascertain the influence that technology acceptance factors play on the end users’ intention to accept the RMS at the eThekwini Municipality. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model was used to underpin a quantitative empirical phase. The main output from the study is the analysis of a set of technology acceptance factors that influence the usage of the system. Primary data was collected using questionnaire from 180 employees, and only 105 responses of which only 102 were useful. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the primary data collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to address the research objectives. The research findings of this study have revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions are the factors that significantly influence employees’ behavioural intention to accept and use RMS at the municipality. With the research findings and the recommendations presented, the management should ensure that the RMS at the municipality is improved, this will contribute to the optimum usage of the system thereby improving staff morale and contribute towards better service delivery to the citizens of the eThekwini Municipality.
Factors that influence the adoption of teledentistry by dental professionals in South Africa.
(2023) Mahomed, Ismaeel.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution has introduced many capabilities for the healthcare sector. The concept of telehealth, or "healthcare at a distance" has been studied extensively in various domains such as medicine, dentistry, cardiology, radiology, and mental health. South Africa, a country marked by a high prevalence of oral health disease and a lack of dental professionals to cater to the public and rural sectors, can benefit from the capabilities of teledentistry. Despite the promising capabilities of teledentistry, telehealth has not thrived in South Africa, and the successful adoption of teledentistry has not been investigated amongst South African dental professionals. Furthermore, technological innovations are susceptible to cyberattacks, and given South Africa's vulnerable standing to cybercrime, it is crucial to study trust and perceived risks that pertain to teledentistry. There exists a gap in the literature that identifies the factors influencing the adoption of teledentistry amongst South African dental professionals, and how cyber security risks influence teledentistry adoption as well. This study aimed to address the above, by utilizing a conceptual model based on the UTAUT and added constructs of trust and perceived risk. Online questionnaires were distributed to dental professionals on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and WhatsApp. A sample of 146 respondents was utilized in the study through convenience and snowball sampling. The study was predominantly quantitative and data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (one sample t-tests, Pearson correlation, and regression). The study’s questionnaire did include a section that elicited an open-ended response that was analysed from a phenomenological perspective. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, trust, and perceived risk all had significant positive correlations with behavioral intention to adopt teledentistry. The construct of performance expectancy exhibited the strongest correlation with behavioural intention and facilitating conditions the lowest. The main theme derived from the open-ended section was that teledentistry would be used in a supplementary manner to to enhance dentistry by increasing the capacity for quick patient consultations rather than become a fully fledged replacement for dentistry. The study provides a concise identification of factors that will enhance the use of teledenistry within the dentistry sector of South Africa thereby ensuring greater access to dental expertise at a cost that is economically viable.
A framework for IoT implementation in the public healthcare system in Zimbabwe.
(2019) Motsi, Kudakwashe Antony.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
The study’s main objective was to ascertain the viability of implementing a “best practices” implementation of an Internet of Things (IoT) intervention in the public healthcare system in Zimbabwe. The motivation for conducting this study is that currently, Zimbabwe is faced with a huge challenge to meet the healthcare requirements of its citizens. A major source of the problem lies in a lack of coordination between the various healthcare professionals and health management systems that are meant to ensure the optimum availability of expertise and infrastructure so that health related challenges are effectively countered. An efficient healthcare system will enhance the affordability and access to medical healthcare for many Africans who are in dire need of such services. This can only be achieved if there is an identification of critical areas of healthcare delivery where a technological intervention would provide a new enhanced dimension for the delivery of a quality healthcare service for the citizens of Zimbabwe. Currently, the technological systems are being used in an ad hoc manner with no structured mechanisms for ensuring a coherent, systemic approach to healthcare delivery. The current study was designed to obtain knowledge of the effectiveness of the current IoT setup that is used in the Zimbabwean healthcare sector. The empirical evidence obtained in the current study was used to initiate the synthesis of a framework based on IoT technology to enhance healthcare service delivery in the public healthcare system in Zimbabwe. The empirical phase of the studyconsisted of a qualitative phase where phenomenology was used to obtain insights from medical healthcare professionals into the healthcare system in Zimbabwe. The qualitative phase was followed up by a quantitative phase where the “best practices” framework was presented to a cohort of healthcare professionals for validation by ascertaining the behavioural intention to use the framework. The outcome of the validation phase indicated that 81% of the respondents indicated a high level of acceptance of the proposed framework. Minor changes to the framework were suggested by the study’s respondents and these were incorporated into a refined version of the “best practices” framework for IoT implementation in Zimbabwe.
An integration of traditional project management principles into Agile software development methodologies.
(2016) Mapongwana, Yonga.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
A large amount of money and effort has been invested by companies into establishing their project management (PM) environment and processes which follow the classical phased approach where requirements are defined upfront and fixed. However organisations also desire to react more quickly to new global challenges and to the changing business environment. These business requirements then result in the failure of these classical approaches to PM. There is therefore a need to enhance the current PM environment so that it is more adoptive to changes in the business environment. As a result of these changes in the business landscape agile software development methodologies (ASDM) have acquired a lot of popularity in the software development community. This popularity is being driven by their dynamic nature and the notion that user requirements do not have to be fully specified in the initial phases of the development process. This has resulted in the improvement in success levels of information systems (IS) projects that have made use of an ASDM. A shift to ASDM can increase the success rate of IS projects and mitigate some issues that are typical for heavy weight methods. Good examples can be found in the case studies (Balada, 2013; Raithatha, 2007), where agile methods were successfully used in software development projects of all sizes and complexity. However introducing ASDM for large and complex projects particularly in large enterprises can introduce a number of challenges (Thamhain, 2014). While agile principles foster great flexibility and agility in changing environments, they are very difficult to realize in larger projects that require more execution formality and discipline to deal with the specific complexities (Waardenburg & Vliet, 2013). In order to address these problems, the current study investigates the problem of integrating Traditional Project Management (TPM) techniques into the development of large scale IS projects in large enterprises with complex IT landscapes that make use of AM. This study followed a hybrid approach combining both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Data collection entailed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The sampling strategy that was used was purposive sampling. A phenomenographic approach was used to obtain an insight into the experience of software development (SD) by software practitioners who made use of ASDM. The qualitative data elicited from this phase of the study was analysed thematically to identify aspects of AM that had a pivotal influence on software practitioners’ perspective on ASDM. A substantive component of this phenomenographic incursion was to establish whether there was some form of resonance between ASDM and PM or whether these methodologies were diametrically opposite to one another. The objective of the qualitative component of the study was to obtain sufficient information to enable the development of a model for SD that integrated the principles of PM into ASDM. This phase of the study was followed-up by a quantitative phase that was underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in order to ascertain software practitioners’ acceptance of the proposed model (referred to as the Agile-Project Management Model (APMM)) The results of the UTAUT-based acceptance test indicate that the proposed APMM received a high acceptance rate by the software practitioners who constituted the main subjects of the current study.
The relationship between user involvement in information system development and user acceptance of the information system : a case study at Sasol.
(2013) Kundalram, Vedantha.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
A critical component of software development is the process whereby the software requirements of users and stakeholders are established. This process is referred to as the Requirement Elicitation (RE) process of software development. The high rate of failed, cancelled or unsuccessful projects due to not meeting user requirements may be attributed to insufficient focus on the RE process. This case study investigates the relationship between the type of RE technique used and the success of an information system at a global petrochemical company based in South Africa. The end user involvement during the software development life cycle (SDLC) and the acceptance of the resultant information system was also examined. Three information systems (IS) projects that employed different RE techniques were selected for the purpose of this study. An electronic questionnaire was disseminated to a randomly selected representative sample from the user community for each system in order to obtain feedback with regards to the success of the system from the user’s perspective. The study adopted the strategy of focusing on end user acceptance of each information system as a pivotal contributory factor to information system success. In this regard, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model was used to operationalize user acceptance of each information system that formed the focus of the study. For each IS project, the quantitative dimension was extended to include a qualitative aspect that entailed structured interviews with the business analyst (BA) and project manager (PM), with the primary purpose of ascertaining the RE strategy used for the development of each system. The interviews also served the purpose of providing the researcher with an opportunity to obtain a deeper insight into the logistics of system development. The results of the study indicated that planned, user intensive RE techniques resulted in greater system acceptance by the end users of the respective systems. A significant outcome of the study is that there is a strong correlation between the amount of end user involvement in the SDLC process and the success of the information system. A converse of this trend was also noted. When users have systems imposed on them, this results in lower satisfaction levels as a consequence of poor system usability and a lack of confidence in the value that the system provides for the end users.
The acceptance of chatbot technology to support academic activity at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2023) Johnson, Ebunoluwa Ehikowoicho.; Ranjeeth, Sanjay.
Abstract available in PDF.