The task of developing a cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a projectoriented IT company is set. The relevance and practical significance of the development of such a model is justified. The latest studies on the digitization of business processes of enterprises are analyzed. A cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a projectoriented IT company is proposed in the development of existing approaches. This model is formalized. The elements of the model are characterized. A set of standards for use in the project of digitalization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company is proposed. A SWOT analysis of the offered model was carried out. The SWOT analysis proves the relevance, validity of the model and the practical significance of its use. The risks of implementing the proposed model in an IT company are analyzed. Appropriate anti-risk measures are proposed. Prospects for further research in the chosen direction are outlined.
The last decade a significant growth and development in the field of information technologies are observed, in particular areas related to the Internet. This fact enabled and encouraged most companies to transfer their activities to the online space. The Covid-19 pandemic is also a significant factor in the transition of business to the digital world. All of the above unknowns, as well as development in the field of project management (improvement of existing and invention of new project management methodologies, methods and standards) are a solid basis for effective and rapid cognitive digitization of business processes of project-oriented IT companies.
Therefore, the development of a cognitive model of digitization of business processes of projectoriented IT companies is quite relevant and timely. A logical first step would be to examine existing work in the direction of digitization, so let's look at some recent research to provide a basis for further developments.
In order to obtain an up-to-date basis on which the development of an own model of digitization of business processes of project-oriented IT companies is proposed, some of the achievements of
2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors. researchers in the field of digitization of business processes of IT companies were examined. A brief analysis of these works is shown below.
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The study on digitalization as a tool for improving business processes [
Another study on the digitalization of business processes of a modern enterprise [
Scientists distinguish two main directions of digitalization: increasing productivity and creating enterprises that work with information that has been translated into digital form. Since the latest technologies can significantly reduce overall costs, businesses are able to improve their products and services in a particular industry. In addition, the productivity of the company also increases, because this transformation makes it possible to move to a certain new level of management, requires less effort, etc. If we consider the second direction, the creation of such enterprises requires cloud environments that provide access to information from any corner of the world and any device. Currently, it is becoming more popular every day due to maximum convenience and quarantine restrictions to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
There are five main stages of developing measures for the digital transformation of business processes. At the first stage, certain processes or technologies that are considered relevant for digitalization are identified. Then the weakest points and shortcomings are determined in order to eliminate or improve them already during this transformation. At the second stage, they are engaged in improving the qualifications of employees and forming certain working groups. After that, new technologies are tested and verified. At the third stage, strategic directions of digitization for the organization as a whole and for individual processes begin to be formed. The work of the working groups created at the second stage is evaluated. In addition, they provide investments for the transformation of selected business processes. At the fourth stage, direct digital transformation strategies are developed taking into account all possible aspects, priority technologies are selected and approved taking into account the direction of activity of this enterprise. At the fifth stage, the goal of the need for constant and continuous development of the company in the field of the latest technologies is set.
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When implementing digitization projects, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the processes to be digitized. That is, to audit them. The article [10] considers various approaches, models and methods of IT audit. It is noted that the most popular of them are: • COBIT 5 – a set of standards and recommendations developed by the Association for Auditing and Control of Information Systems (ISACA) in cooperation with the Institute for IT Management (ITGI); • ITIL, which is the best description of international practice in the public and private sectors. It contains information about the company's IT services, documentation of IT service management (ITSM) processes, functions and roles; • Prince 2 – a project management methodology that covers the quality of management, control and organization of the project consistently and according to the goals. Prince 2 is used for IT projects as well as many other types of projects; • ASL is a description of best practices used to standardize application management processes and is the basis for creating and maintaining information systems and applications; • ISO 27001 and 27002. The international security standard ISO 27001 contains requirements for information security management and information security management system. ISO 27002 provides information security management guidelines based on best practices.
At the same time, despite the importance and rapid growth of the IT industry in Ukraine, the problem of IT audit is still at an initial level, which may cause significant problems in the future. The most obvious problem is the vulnerability of the infrastructure to external attacks, as well as the insecurity of companies and enterprises. That is, the main problem now is the management's ignoring of the problem of IT security. Even considering some steps that have been taken after major attacks, these actions are rather local and do not solve the problem as a whole.
The article [11] notes that any time-tested planning solution can benefit a project-oriented company. In particular, such a decision can be used to plan the project of digitalization of business processes of IT enterprises. It is noted that Microsoft Project is not the only such a tool, but one of the most powerful. Scientific and practical research on the implementation of calendar and network solutions that carry out project planning and monitoring in the activities of project-oriented organizations may relate to: the development of models, methods and algorithms for the implementation of digitization in the activities of a specific project-oriented organization, taking into account its specifics; development of scientific foundations for the creation and development of corporate project management systems; creation of creative management of the project team; creating models based on digital project management tools. In another article [12], work on automation and digitization of business processes was analyzed. In general, a sufficiently large number of works on the automation of various types of business processes have been analyzed. In most of these works, the authors define digitization as the further development of automation using modern IT technologies. This makes it possible to define automation as a prerequisite and reason for digitalization of business processes. This analysis outlines the basic vectors of digitalization of business processes and their ultimate goal.
The purpose of the article is to develop a cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company.
The tasks of the article are the analysis of modern developments in the digitization of business processes of enterprises, the analysis of the suitability of such developments for the task of formalizing the cognitive model of the digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company, the development of the model, its characteristics and formalization, SWOT analysis of the model, the risk analysis of the model implementation, the determination of prospects for further research in the selected direction.
In general, the analyzed studies talk about the benefits of digitalization of business processes and its positive impact on the efficiency of business processes. Therefore, future research in this direction has a high scientific value. Considering the rapid pace of development of IT technologies in the modern world, research in this direction is relevant, but requires further continuous development and constant updating. For a deeper understanding of the digitization of business processes in general, developments related to the digitization of various project management and business sectors were considered. The foreign experience of digitalization of business processes of companies was also analyzed. After analyzing the models and methods of digitalization of business processes, their weaknesses and strengths were evaluated in order to highlight and apply already existing experience for further development in the field of digitalization of business processes, as well as outline possible further directions of research.
Based on the results of the analysis and the development of the analyzed research, we will propose a cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company (Fig. 1).
In general, the formalized model can be represented as: =< , , , , > (1) Let's define the constituent elements of the model:
I – Input block (data of the current state), which can be represented as: I=<I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7>, where: I1 is a subset of input business processes of a project-oriented organization; I2 – I7 – subsets of organization artifacts, I2 – values of a project-oriented organization, I3 – rules of corporate culture, I4 – personnel competency models, I5 – company competency model, I6 – knowledge base model, I7 – used innovation models;
S – External factors that can be represented in the form: S=<S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7>, where: S1 – subset of stakeholders of a project-oriented organization, S2 – subset of stakeholder values, S3 – subset of stakeholder influences, S4 – models of IT market tools and technologies, including their trends towards obsolescence, S5 – models of crises and their impacts, S6 – subset of IT market trends, S7 – models of IT evolution of the company;
M – Methodological foundation of digitalization, which can be represented in the form: M=<M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7>, where: M1 – subset of project management models, M2 – subset of project management methods, M3 – subset of reengineering models, M4 – subset of reengineering methods, M5 – subset of digitalization models, M6 – subset of digitalization methods, M7 – subset of IT tools, in including those based on cloud technologies;
P – Project of digitalization of business processes of a project-oriented organization, which can be presented in the form: P=<P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7>, where: P1 – subset of project team roles, P2 – subset of project team competencies, P3 – project activity knowledge base, P4 – project activity process models, P5 – project activity risk model, P6 – subset of project management scenario models, P7 – subset of cognitive models and methods of project activity;
O – Block of output (resulting data), which can be represented in the form: O=<O1, O2, O3, O4, O5, O6, O7>, where: O1 – a subset of the original digitized business processes of a project-oriented organization, O2 – adjusted models and methods of project management, O3 – adjusted models and methods of reengineering, O4 – adjusted models and methods of digitalization, O5 – adjusted cognitive models and methods, O6 – subset of the risks that have occurred and anti-risk measures, O7 – knowledge base updated based on the results of the project. • assessment of project management quality; • cost savings; • acceleration of the appearance of the necessary project results; • identification of errors and analysis of their causes; • providing stakeholders with information.
Project management of digitization of business processes of project-oriented IT companies is proposed to be based on one of the international project management standards (or a combination of such standards). Along the recommended standards for the described tasks, the use of the following three is suggested: 1. Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) of the American Project Management Institute (PMI). This standard is updated approximately once every four years. The basis of the standard is the generalized experience of project management practices and the use of modern IT technologies and methods [13]. 2. IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB), which is an international normative document that defines the system of international requirements for the competence of project managers. This standard was developed by the international association IPMA (International Project Management Association). On its basis, national systems of requirements for the competence of specialists in countries that are members of IPMA are being developed [14]. 3. ISO 21500 standard, which is the fundamental document from the series of standards of the considered profile. The main attention in the standard is given to the principle of efficiency of designing the optimal process of project management and control of this process [15].
We will conduct a SWOT analysis of the proposed cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company. Let's highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the model, the threats of its use and the opportunities that can open up when it is used.
S (strengths): system, comprehensiveness, availability of feedback.
W (weaknesses): insufficient formalization, failure to take into account the development of tools and models.
O (possibilities): the scaling of the model within its open nature, the possibility of its application to any IT enterprise, taking into account its specifics. Ensuring effective innovative development of the IT company thanks to the use of the proposed model.
T (threats): mismanagement of the model by implementation specialists, which can discredit the approach, use of outdated modeling and business process optimization technologies, distraction of a significant part of the company's IT specialists for development.
In general, the SWOT analysis confirms the promising application of the proposed model. Further research may concern the formalization of individual elements of the model, the development of a mechanism for its adaptation to a specific IT company taking into account its specifics, the description of recommendations for the implementation of the model within the implementation project at a separate IT enterprise.
At the same time, based on the results of the research, the main risks of implementing a cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company were identified from the set P5={p51, p52, p53, p54, p55}: p51 – resistance to the implementation of the model by the IT company's staff; p52 – inconsistency of the model to the IT company in which the model is implemented; p53 – failure to adapt the model to the IT company conditions in which the model is implemented; p54 – increasing the load on the IT company's project office; p55 – increased conflict between the IT company's project office and the IT company's staff.
For a detailed risk analysis of the proposed model implementation, it would be appropriate to use the Monte Carlo method and the approach described in study [16]. Corresponding anti-risk measures are also proposed from the set P6={p61, p62, p63, p64, p65}:
p61 – conducting preliminary training on the basics of project management, the basics of reengineering and the basics of cognitive technologies;
p62 – conducting a preliminary study of the IT company's in the direction of clarifying the compliance of the proposed model with the company's conditions.
p63 – early preparation of the transition project from the "as is" state to the "to be" state, which will include an implemented cognitive model;
p64 – review of the role instructions of employees of the IT company's project office, based on the results of the review, it is possible to select additional personnel for the project office; p65 – update of the role instructions of the IT company's HR specialists regarding conflict prevention (models and methods of conflict resolution), implementation of constant monitoring of conflict.
Through to the identification of risks and the development of anti-risk measures, the implementation of the proposed cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company should take place with the use of additional management tools. This increases the probability of successful implementation of the developed cognitive model in the practice of IT companies.
Modern IT companies, whose activities are aimed at fulfilling orders for digitization of customers (that is, other enterprises), must themselves be digitized. The processes of such IT companies must be described and automated. This task is relevant, scientifically and practically significant. Many works of Ukrainian and foreign researchers are devoted to this scientific task. Part of such developments is analyzed in this article. Based on the analysis of relevant developments, as well as their further development, a cognitive model of digitization of business processes of a project-oriented IT company was proposed. The elements of the model are disclosed, its general formalization is proposed, a SWOT analysis of the model is conducted, The risks of implementing the proposed model in an IT company are analyzed, appropriate anti-risk measures are proposed. Prospects for further research in the chosen direction are outlined.
[10] O. Suprun, N. Klimenkova, It Audit as a Key Component of Information Systems Effectiveness and Data Security, in: Proceedings of the Conference on Information Technology and Interactions (Satellite), December 04, 2020, Kyiv, Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv: Stylos, 2020, pp. 229-231. [11] A. Timinsky, N. Kerdun, MS Project as a digitalisation tool of project management system for project oriented companies, in: Proceedings of the Conference on Information Technology and Interactions (Satellite), December 04, 2020, Kyiv, Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv: Stylos, 2020, pp. 231-232. [12] A. Timinsky, O. Voitenko, I. Raichuk, Analysis of models and methods of business processes digitalization, Management of Development of Complex Systems 46 (2021) 38-47. [13] A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 7th edition PMI, 2021, USA, 274 p. [14] IPMA Individual Competence Baseline (ICB) Version 4.0 (2015) for Project, Programme & Portfolio Management, IPMA, 431 p. URL: http://products.ipma.world/ipma-product/icb/readicb/. [15] ISO 21500:2012 (2012). Guidance on project management Project Committee ISO/PC 236, 36 p. [16] A. Biloshchytskyi, S. Omirbayev, and A. Mukhatayev, Methods of project-vector management of educational environments, Scientific Journal of Astana IT University 7 (2021) 15-31.