About the Contributors

Chapter 1

Mikael Collan, Doc., D. Sc. (Econ. & Bus. Adm.), is the Director General of the Finnish State Institute for Economic Research in Helsinki and a professor of Strategic Finance at the LUT-University in Lappeenranta, Finland. His research concentrates on enhancing and creating new profitability analysis methods for industrial investments and especially on real options analysis. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications. Dr. Collan is a life member of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, the oldest academy of science in Finland, and a past president of the Finnish OR society. He is an investor and a board member in many Finnish and international SMEs.

Jyrki Savolainen, D.Sc. (Econ. & Bus. Adm.), M.Sc. (Eng), is a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Business and Management at LUT-University, Lappeenranta, Finland. His research focuses on profitability and real options analysis of project investments with system dynamic simulation models. Dr. Savolainen has close to 10 years of industrial experience in the mining industry and is a founding partner in an industrial analytics consultancy company.

Chapter 2

Reyna Virginia Barragán Quintero (Member, IEEE) received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in Corporate Finance from CETYS Universidad, Tijuana, México, and the Ph.D. degree in Management Science from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana, in 2017, with a dissertation on the innovation capabilities of the wine industry in Guadalupe Valley, México. She worked in the private industry for more than 20 years and has held management positions in global companies, such as HSBC Bank and Scotiabank Mexico. During her practice, she was certified on Ethics for Financial Markets, as an Investment Markets Promoter, and as a Stockbroker by the Mexican Association of Stock Market Intermediaries. She is also certified in Human Resource Development, Foreign Trade for IMMEX Companies, and recently has been certified as a Professional Junior Trainer for Atlas.ti in Berlin for Qualitative Studies. She is currently the MBA coordinator with the School of Engineering, Management and Social Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, and a professor in the fields of business strategy, finance, and management. Her research interests include finance, innovation for regional development, innovation management, strategic management, and people and organizations and is a published author and a lecturer in international forums.

Fernando Barragán Quintero graduated as a Lawyer from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico, and as a Classical Philologist from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City. His graduate studies in social sciences include a master's degree in Asian and African Studies, specializing in India and Southeast Asia, and a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies, both from El Colegio de México (Colmex), Mexico City, Mexico. He has done research work on Roman law, legal history, international law, specifically international trade law, Fintech and Fintech law, and globalization.

Chapter 3

Eduardo Ahumada-Tello is a Research Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Mexico, and Visiting Professor at San Pablo Catholic University, Bolivia, and the Global Humanistic University, Curaçao. He is a Member-at-Large of the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS) and has over 20 years of experience helping to create technology-based companies. Prof. Ahumada-Tello holds a Ph.D. in Management Sciences from the UABC, a Ph.D. in Education from the Universidad Iberoamericana, a master's degree in Administration from the UABC, a master's degree in Psychology from CIDH University, and a BSc in Computer Engineering from the UABC. He is also a member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico at Level 1. His research interests span Organizational Intelligence and Knowledge Management, Engineering Management, Subjective Well-being and Happiness Management, and Complex Systems. He has authored numerous scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, including Quality and Quantity, Engineering Management Review, Sustainability, and Corporate Governance.

Oscar Omar Ovalle-Osuna joined the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in 2010 and is currently a Research Professor and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Administrative and Social Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Administrative Science Studies from the UABC, a master's degree in Organizational Engineering and Administration from the Universidad de Castilla la Mancha Spain, a master's degree in Administration (with a focus on Management) from CETYS Universidad, and a bachelor's degree in Mechatronic Engineering from the UABC. Prof. Ovalle has been a member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico since 2021 and has earned the recognition of Professor with a Desirable Profile (PRODEP) since 2012. He has also been awarded an Academic Certification in Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer. His research interests span innovation, technological change, digital strategy, and product knowledge. Prof. Ovalle has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and is the author of the book "Analysis of Economic Complexity and Innovation for Productive Capacities Management."

Richard D. Evans is an Associate Professor in Digital Innovation within the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, Canada, where he also acts as Program Director for the Bachelor of Applied Computer Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Knowledge Management for Collaborative Product Development from the University of Greenwich, working in partnership with BAE Systems plc., a master's degree in e-commerce, and a bachelor's degree in computing. Prof. Evans is an established and award-winning academic with research and teaching interests spanning digital innovation and transformation, design and engineering management, and entrepreneurship. He has authored/coauthored over 150 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, including Technological Forecasting and Social Change, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Computers in Human Behavior, and the International Journal of Production Research.

Chapter 4

Scott Ambler is a Consulting Methodologist with Ambysoft Inc. Scott leads the evolution of the Disciplined Agile (DA) tool kit and is an international keynote speaker. Scott is the (co)-creator of the DA tool kit as well as the Agile Modeling (AM) and Agile Data (AD) methodologies. He is the (co-)author of 28 books, including Choose Your WoW! (Way of Working) [9], An Executive's Guide to the Disciplined Agile Framework, Refactoring Databases, Agile Modeling, and The Object Primer 3rd Edition.

The agile movement began in 2001 with the publication of The Manifesto for Agile Software Development [26]. It started with the desire to improve software development practice, but over the years people, teams, and organizations around the world have applied agile and lean concepts in a wide range of contexts and domains. Although many have benefitted from adopting agile strategies, it is clear there is more work required to fulfill the promise of the agile movement.

This paper addresses the following ideas:

1. Agile methods/frameworks are only a good start
2. In organizational transformation, context counts
3. Continuous improvement (CI)
4. Guided continuous improvement (GCI)

Applying GCI in practice

Chapter 5

Marcelo Da Costa Porto, Bachelor of Administration - Accountant graduated from the Economic Science University - Universidad de la Republica. Graduated from the first generation in Uruguay from the Program for Management Development of the ORT University - ESADE Spain. PMP® certified by the Project Management Institute (USA). Accredited in Belbin® methodology (United Kingdom). Master in Strategic Management from the Miguel de Cervantes University (Spain) - Uneatlántico.

Consultant, teacher, and speaker with extensive experience in strategic planning, project management, and organizational development processes for public and private sectors at a national and international level. Founding partner of Avanza Consulting.

The contributions made to the Uruguay Central Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (USA), the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Angola, Mozambique, Portugal), the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (Colombia), the International Monetary Fund (USA) stand out. Municipality of Montevideo (Uruguay), Mercado Libre (Argentina), Project Management Institute (USA), World Customs Organization (Belgium), Universidad de la Republica - Uruguay, CLAEH University.

He has led projects and made presentations on strategic planning, project management, and organizational assessment systems in Angola, Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mozambique, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, and Uruguay.

At a managerial level, he was Director of the Strategic Planning Advisory of the National Customs Directorate of Uruguay between 2014 and 2017, Executive Secretary of the National Institute of Professional Training (INEFOP)...