Banca de DEFESA: FERNANDO LUCAS DE OLIVEIRA FARIAS

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : FERNANDO LUCAS DE OLIVEIRA FARIAS
DATE: 26/03/2026
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: auditorio da sedis / remoto
TITLE:

Synarch Framework – Agile Governance Centered on User Communities: Applications in Digital Health Software Development

KEY WORDS:

Agile Governance; User Communities; Digital Health; Software Engineering; Synarch Framework.

PAGES: 300
BIG AREA: Ciências Exatas e da Terra
AREA: Ciência da Computação
SUBÁREA: Metodologia e Técnicas da Computação
SPECIALTY: Engenharia de Software
SUMMARY:

Context: Agile software development in the public sector faces structural, organizational, and cultural challenges that hinder the continuous delivery of efficient, user-centered digital solutions, especially in complex contexts such as public health. The specialized literature identifies major barriers, including rigid procurement processes, low interoperability among legacy systems, the absence of effective participation by end users, and limited familiarity with agile governance practices. In this context, the Synarch Framework is proposed as a process-oriented framework for agile, collaborative, and user-community-centered governance, supported by collegial bodies responsible for shared decision-making throughout the product life cycle. Objective: To systematize an agile governance framework for software development centered on user communities, oriented toward collegial decision-making across the product life cycle in complex organizational contexts, with an emphasis on the digital health domain. Method: This study adopts an applied research approach with a qualitative–quantitative and exploratory design, grounded in action research, with strong immersion of the researcher as both a transformation agent and participant observer. The study was structured around iterative cycles of diagnosis, planning, intervention, observation, and reflection, enabling the progressive refinement, evolution, and validation of the framework. The interventions were carried out in strategic digital health projects between 2021 and 2025, including the RN+Vacina, Vacina e Confia, PEP+RN systems, and the National Salus 2.0 Platform, developed by LAIS/UFRN in partnership with state health secretariats in partnership with state health departments and the Brazilian Ministry of Health. In addition, the framework’s potential was evaluated by more than 20 project and product managers and digital health consultants affiliated with higher education institutions, state health departments, the federal government, startups and public hospitals, through a survey-based study. Results: The Synarch Framework was modeled with six interdependent iterative cycles, 14 processes, 126 activities, 39 knowledge artifacts, 7 actors, and 6 groups, integrating agile development practices, participatory design, crowdsourcing, and product governance. The expert evaluation highlighted benefits related to increased transparency, improved decision-making quality, enhanced user engagement, and a stronger sense of ownership, while cultural resistance, reduced team sizes, and the structuring of collegial bodies were identified as the main implementation challenges. Among the solutions developed, Salus 2.0 stands out, used in 1,399 municipalities across 16 states for syphilis epidemiological surveillance; RN+Vacina, implemented in all 167 municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte; Vacina e Confia, impacting 4.4 million citizens in the state of Espírito Santo; and PEP+RN, operated in 10 state hospitals in Rio Grande do Norte, with over 6 million recorded patient evolutions, 190,000 electronic health records, and use by more than 8,000 healthcare professionals. Conclusion: The Synarch Framework proved to be adaptable, replicable, and capable of promoting advances in the digital transformation of Brazilian public health at the federal, state, and municipal levels. The organization of user communities into technical boards demonstrated effectiveness in institutionalizing collective intelligence, enhancing technological co-creation, and enabling agile governance of software development in complex and regulated environments.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 2195240 - MARCIA JACYNTHA NUNES RODRIGUES LUCENA
Interna - 1754430 - LYRENE FERNANDES DA SILVA
Externa ao Programa - 3229319 - APUENA VIEIRA GOMES - UFRNExterno ao Programa - 2488270 - RICARDO ALEXSANDRO DE MEDEIROS VALENTIM - UFRNExterno à Instituição - FERNANDA MARIA RIBEIRO DE ALENCAR - UFPE
Externo à Instituição - HÊIDER AURÉLIO PINTO - UFBA