Agile software development and service science

This paper shows the necessary steps, which should be taken in order to get the most out of agile software development in interdisciplinary settings involving scientific experts. If applied properly, Agile delivers increased productivity, higher quality and, last but not least, higher customer satisfaction. The task of developing high quality software is already difficult. Developing software for a new IT-enabled service in an interdisciplinary team however, is even more challenging. In interdisciplinary projects scientific experts from different fields need to work together with computer scientists, developers, testers, business analysts and domain experts. Software engineering is very time-consuming and scientific experts who have never been involved in a software project, often find it hard to understand why progress sometimes seems so slow. Therefore, it is important that they understand what it takes to write high- quality code, i.e. code that is clean, tested, documented and extendable at the right points. The best way to achieve this goal is to expand the software team, make the scientific experts an integral part of it and thus profit from their know-how

Current status and future challenges in psychological research of sport injury prediction and prevention : a methodological perspective

The purpose of this critical review was to propose methodological developments in sport injury prediction and prevention research. Altogether, 24 studies (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, and prevention intervention studies) conducted from 2006 forward were analysed, related to the "stress-injury model." The injury prediction studies were mostly based on prospective designs, using regression analysis, and studied trait anxiety and life stress. The qualitative studies used mainly thematic analysis, and the intervention studies showed some promising effects, but also inconclusive results. We proposed five specific needs for future research: (a) focus on separate research cohorts, (b) variation in preventive intervention designs, including sound protocols conducting experimental studies, (c) focus on behaviours in relation to cognition, (d) application of repeated-measure designs, and (e) use of statistics that could test complex interactions and intraindividual differences. Future research attention should also be oriented towards the psychology of overuse injuries, biopsychosocial perspectives, and health economic evaluations. While progress has been made in research on psychological antecedents of sport injury, prevention, and intervention in the last 10-15 years, several methodological issues still remain to be further developed, as outlined in this article.El propósito de esta revisión crítica es proponer una serie de progresos metodológicos en la investigación sobre predicción y prevención de lesiones. Para ello, se analizaron conjuntamente 24 estudios (cuantitativos, cualitativos y de intervención preventiva) llevados a cabo desde el año 2006 en adelante relacionados con el "modelo de estrés-lesión". Los estudios de predicción de lesiones utilizaron mayoritariamente diseños prospectivos, utilizando el análisis de regresión y estudiando el rasgo ansiedad y los eventos vitales. Los estudios cualitativos utilizaron principalmente el análisis temático. Los estudios de intervención mostraron resultados promisorios, aunque todavía no definitivos. En este trabajo proponemos cinco necesidades específicas para la investigación futura: (a) centrarse en diferentes cohortes, (b) variar los diseños de intervención preventiva, incluyendo protocolos experimentales, (c) centrarse en las conductas relacionadas con las cogniciones, (d) utilización de diseños de medidas repetidas, y (e) utilización de estadísticos que puedan verificar las complejas interacciones y las diferencias individuales. El foco de la investigación futura también debe orientarse hacia la psicología de las lesiones por desgaste excesivo, las perspectivas biopsicosociales y las evaluaciones económicas del impacto en la salud. Si bien en los últimos 10-15 años se han conseguido importantes avances en la investigación sobre los antecedentes psicológicos de la lesión deportiva, la prevención y la intervención, algunas cuestiones metodológicas deben ser aún desarrolladas, tal y como se señala en este artículo.O objectivo desta revisão crítica é propor uma série de progressos metodológicos na investigação sobre a predição e prevenção de lesões. Para tal, analisaram-se conjuntamente 24 estudos (quantitativos, qualitativos e de intervenção preventiva), realizados a partir do ano de 2006, relacionados com o "modelo de stress-lesão". Os estudos de predição de lesões utilizaram maioritariamente delineamentos prospectivos, utilizando a análise de regressão e analisando o traço de ansiedade e os acontecimentos de vida. Os estudos qualitativos utilizaram principalmente a análise temática. Os estudos de intervenção revelaram resultados promissores, embora ainda não definitivos. Neste trabalho propomos cinco necessidades específicas para futuras investigações: (a) foco em diferentes grupos, (b) variar os delineamentos de intervenção preventiva, incluindo protocolos experimentais, (c) abordar os comportamentos relacionados com as cognições, (d) utilização de delineamentos de medidas repetidas, e (e) utilização de métodos estatísticos que permitam verificar as interacções complexas e as diferenças individuais. O foco da investigação futura também deve ser direccionado para a psicologia das lesões por desgaste excessivo, as perspectivas biopsicossociais e as avaliações económicas do impacto na saúde. Embora nos últimos 10-15 anos se tenham conseguido importantes progressos na investigação sobre os antecedentes psicológicos da lesão desportiva, a prevenção e a intervenção, algumas questões metodológicas necessitam ainda de ser desenvolvidas, tal como se assinala neste artigo

Agile Software Development and Service Science How to develop IT-enabled Services in an Interdisciplinary Environment

This paper shows the necessary steps, which should be taken in order to get the most out of agile software development in interdisciplinary settings involving scientific experts. If applied properly, Agile delivers increased productivity, higher quality and, last but not least, higher customer satisfaction. The task of developing high quality software is already difficult. Developing software for a new IT-enabled service in an interdisciplinary team however, is even more challenging.In interdisciplinary projects scientific experts from different fields need to work together with computer scientists, developers, testers, business analysts and domain experts. Software engineering is very time-consuming and scientific experts who have never been involved in a software project, often find it hard to understand why progress sometimes seems so slow. Therefore, it is important that they understand what it takes to write high-quality code, i.e. code that is clean, tested, documented and extendable at the right points. The best way to achieve this goal is to expand the software team, make the scientific experts an integral part of it and thus profit from their know-how

Need-supportiveness and athlete well-being: Coaches' competence-support at risk in the elite sport context throughout the season

The aim of this study was to explore how coaches’ behaviour affected athletes’ well-being by examine: (a) the potential change in perceptions of need-support from the coach (over an academic year), and (b) the within-person relationship between the three aspects of need-supportiveness and subjective vitality at the end of the winter sport season. 102 youth elite student athletes completed ta questionnaire three times. Bayesian growth curve analyses showed that the levels of relatedness and autonomy support were stable and high throughout the year. In contrast, competence support decreased during the season. In addition, the results showed a credible positive within-person relationship between changes in all three facets of need-supportiveness from the coach and vitality measured at the end of the season which support SDT tenets. These findings indicate the importance of need-support for athletes' wellbeing, and that competence support needs extra attention in the elite sport context where the competence need is constantly challenged

Common demanding conditions among professional high-level military and sport leaders: a cross-contextual qualitative reflexive thematic analysis

Military and sport have attracted increased research interest separately as two distinctly demanding performance- and leadership-driven contexts. However, cross-contextual psychological research in leadership is lacking. Such research has potential to expose unique cross-fertilising insights into resemblances in leadership challenges among military and sport leaders, transferable to a broader range of contexts. Thus, the current study simultaneously explored high-level military and sport leaders’ real-life experiences of similarities in demanding conditions and their psychological manifestations. Sixteen participants - eight Swedish high-level military leaders and eight Swedish high-level sport leaders, participated in the study. Using a qualitative inductive cross-contextual design enabled in-depth knowledge and transferability. A reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) of sixteen interview transcripts generated four common themes of demanding conditions: (1) Developing organisations: Leading under an extensive workload and responsibility, (2) Managing destructive superiors and subordinates: Standing up for oneself, (3) Taking care of the minds and moods of others: Leading deliberated difficult conversations, and (4) Periods of extreme concentration: Leading critical coordination, decisions, and timing. The findings tie high-level military and sports leaders together into a high-stress and high-stakes leader role invoked to manoeuvre a complex buildup of demanding conditions. Implications are presented. Keywords: High-level leaders, military, sport, demanding conditions

Mental health among elite athletes in Norway during a selected period of the COVID-19 pandemic

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial.Objective: To investigate the prevalence of mental health problems and satisfaction with life among different groups of elite athletes during a selected period of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine how COVID-19 related consequences were associated with these variables. Design: Cross-sectional data collection during a selected period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Participants: 378 elite athletes, mean age 26.86 (range 18–59), 159 females and 219 males, divided into Olympic-level and Paralympic-level athletes (n=194) and elite and semielite athletes (n=184). Main outcome measures: Hopkins Symptoms Check List − 10; symptoms of anxiety and depression; Bergen Insomnia Scale; Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short; Canadian Problem Gambling Index and Satisfaction with Life Scale. In addition, we included specific COVID-19 questions (eg, financial concern, keeping daily routines, perceived coping and motivation). Results: Symptoms of insomnia (38.3%) and depression (22.3%) were most prevalent within the sample. Symptoms of eating disorders more prevalent among female athletes (8.8% vs 1.4%) while symptoms of gambling problems were higher among male athletes (8.6% vs 1.3%). Olympic and Paralympic athletes reported lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than elite and semielite athletes. Financial concerns were associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, while daily routines and perception of coping were associated with less mental health problems and higher satisfaction with life. Conclusion: Symptoms of insomnia and depression were the two most common mental health problems reported during this selected phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elite and semielite athletes reported financial concerns as a risk factor for mental health problems at a larger degree than Olympic and Paralympic athletes.publishedVersionInstitutt for idrett og samfunnsvitenskap / Department of Sport and Social Science

Longitudinal relations between needs satisfaction and physical activity among psychiatric patients with dual diagnoses

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.Objectives: Studies including people with severe mental illness (SMI) have reported beneficial effects from physical activity (PA) on psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, and global functioning. However, it is important to be regularly physically active to obtain these effects. Using the motivational lens of self-determination theory, the aim of the current study was to explore the dynamic interplay between satisfaction of psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in PA and the patients’ weekly PA level. Methods: The study had a longitudinal design, following 10 in-patients with dual diagnoses (SMI and addiction) over 12 weeks at a psychiatric ward offering physical activity as part of treatment. Data were collected 14 times with a questionnaire measuring psychological need satisfaction, while an accelerometer was used to objectively count steps to reflect participants average PA-level each week. To analyse the week-to-week relationships between the basic psychological needs and PA-level, the Bayesian dynamic p-technique analysis was used to explore both cross-sectional-, autoregressive- as well as cross-lagged effects between the constructs. Results: The results indicated credible and strong positive autoregressive effects for all three psychological needs as well as for PA-level, and positive credible cross-sectional associations between all three psychological needs and PA-level. However, the cross-lagged effects were small and not credible for all three psychological needs in relation to PA-level. Conclusions: In total, these results support the established positive relation between basic psychological need satisfaction and PA-level yet failed in finding any predictive effects between need satisfaction and PA-level.publishedVersio