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Name: Ian Allison mug shot
Job Title: Head of School
Home Page:
Email: i.allison
Telephone: +44 (0)1224 26 ext 2701
Room: St Andrews Street Building B18a
Area of expertise

Area of expertise

My expertise focuses on the management and deployment of information systems, drawing together engineering and organisational perspectives. After graduating I spent 10 years working in software development for global technology and financial organisations. Since becoming an academic I have maintained this commercial perspective in my work through undertaking consultancy, knowledge transfer and case study research.

 

My current work is in three areas of IS practice:

Software Process Improvement.

I have undertaken a number of commercial projects in this area. My current work in this field is developing a framework to support an agile approach to SPI especially in small software organisations based on action research.

Business Information Systems

I am experienced in applying Agile Systems Development Methods for developing enterprise level software and in single developer environments. This is based on a variety of case study sites related to local and supply chain production planning issues, the use of web services for CRM applications, and VR/gaming applications for health.

Information Systems Management

My commercial experience and teaching is in this area. I have developed IS strategies, undertaken feasibility studies and developed information security policies and related practices in organisations.

 

Research / Commercial projects

I have undertaken funded projects with the following organisations in the above areas:

Gas Container Services: Teaching Company Scheme to develop a business information system for cylinder rental business using agile development methods

Experian: Software process improvement via action learning: understanding the organisational factors in SPI initiatives

ABC Awards: A Strategic Innovation Scheme for the design and development of a corporate awards management system and infrastructure using agile development methods

Skylight Media: A Strategic Innovation Scheme to design homogenous CRM web services for e-commerce applications

Clinphone: A Strategic Innovation Scheme to evaluate and enhance the requirements analysis process

Shawtrack: A Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme to analysis, design and develop an integrated systems to deliver the tools and procedures to improve the supply chain and production management.

Freshcut Foods: A Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme to analysis, design and develop an integrated systems to deliver the tools and procedures to: plan and control production, enhance customer service and improve production performance.

Codify: To develop, apply and evaluate an agile approach to implementing software process improvement based on the CMMI model for a small software organisation.

 

In addition I have supervised numerous student projects with commercial partners involving areas such as ITIL, agile methods, and project, risk and metrics management.

 

Current Role

I have been Head of School since joining in 2007. In addition, I convene the RGU Heads of School forum. I am currently involved in co-leading a workstream on the Estates Masterplan. I also lead the Faculty IT forum, and provide expert advice on a number of IT project boards and IT committees. I have two research students as Director of Studies and one as co-supervisor. I teach in the area of IS Strategy and professional issues.

 

External appointments

 

Professional Body:

Member of the Committee for the British Computer Society Aberdeen branch

Member of the British Computer Society’s (BCS) Academic Accreditation Committee 2006-date, including its “Type 2” working group.

BCS Examiner for Professional Issues 2000-date.

 

External Academic:

Acted as External Examiner for undergraduate, taught postgraduate and masters by research programmes; external for validation panels; external review of Readership applications  

 

Editorial Review:

Member of the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of International Technology and Information Management

and Communications of the IIMA; and the review panel for Information and Software Technology.

 

Programme Committee Membership:

Track Chair IIMA conference 2006, 2007, 2008

2009 World Congress on Software Engineering (WCSE 2009)
2009 Information System in Distributed Environment (ISDE 2009)

 

 

 

Allison, I and Strangwick, C

Publications

 

Allison, I and Strangwick, C. (2008) Privacy Through Security: Policy and Practice in a Small-Medium Enterprise, In: Subramanian, R (ed.) Computer Security, Privacy and Politics: Current Issues, Challenges and Solutions, pp. 157-179 Hershey, PA: IRM Press, IGI Global. ISBN 978-159904804-8.

 

Stratton, R., Robey, D and Allison, I. (2008) Utilising buffer management to manage uncertainty and focus improvement, Electronic proceedings EurOMA Conference, Groningen, Holland, June.

 

Senior, J. Allison, I, and Tepper, J (2007) Automated Software Quality Visualisation Using Fuzzy Logic Techniques, Communications of the IIMA, 7(1), 25-40, ISSN: 1543-5970

 

Allison, I and Merali, Y (2007) Software Process Improvement as Emergent Change: a Structurational Analysis, Information and Software Technology, 49(2), 668-681. ISSN: 0950-5849

 

Allison, I and Merali, Y (2006) Learning to Improve Software Processes: Making Sense of Practice, Communications of the IIMA, 6(1), 17-28. ISSN: 1543-5970

 

Allison, I and Merali, Y (2006) Intra-Team Software Process Emergence: Resilience Through Improvisation, Proceedings of 11th UKAIS conference, University of Gloucestershire, April 10-11th

 

Allison, I (2005) Towards an agile approach to Software Process Improvement: addressing the changing needs of software products, Communications of the IIMA, 5(1), 67-76 ISSN: 1543-5970

 

Allison, I and Merali, Y (2003) Software Process Improvement: towards an emergent perspective, Levi, M, Martin, A., Schweighart, C. (eds) Proceedings of 8th UKAIS conference, University of Warwick, 9-11 April

 

Allison, I. Orton, P, and Powell, H (2002) A virtual learning environment for introductory programming, Proceedings of the 3rd Conference of the LTSN-ICS.

 

Allison I. (2000) In at the Deep End: The introduction of student-led seminars in a computing curriculum, Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, 9(3), 33-46

 

Allison, I & Singh, G.  (1999) IS development methods and techniques: their current and future use for designing DSS, In: Brooks, L. and Kimble, C (eds) Proceedings of the 4th UKAIS Conference, 168-177,York April, McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead.

 

Allison,I, (1999) Information Systems Professional Development: a work-based learning model, Journal of Continuing Professional Development,  2(3), 86-92

 

Allison, I (1999) Software maintenance: a backroom or boardroom activity? In: Hackney, R. (ed) Proceedings of the 9th annual BIT Conference (Business Information Management: Generative Futures), Manchester 3/4 November

 

Allison, I. (1998) An evaluation of student-led seminars, Innovation in Learning and Teaching, 3, 13-18

 

Allison I (1998) Technology Transfer through work-based learning, Conference on Technology Transfer and Innovation (TTI'98), July, Teaching Company Directorate

Allison I (1998) An evaluation of student-led seminars, 1st annual Lilly Conference on college & university teaching in July 1998

 

Allison I (1998) Post-graduate degrees via work-based learning: approach to life-long learning, 1st annual Lilly Conference on college & university teaching in July 1998

 

Allison I. (1998) A review of estimation and control techniques at Experian Emperical Assessment in Software Engineering Conference,April, Keele.

 

Allison, I. (1997) An alternative to essays, Innovation in Learning and Teaching, 2, 15-20   

 

Allison, I. (1996) Executive Information Systems: An evaluation of current UK practice, International Journal of Information Management, 16 (1), 27-38

 

 

 

 

 

 

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