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CommonKADS Context Models

CommonKADS Context Models. Organization Model Task Model Agent Model. Knowledge always functions within an organizational context. Why context modelling? Role of aspect models: organization, task, and agent models Steps and techniques in knowledge-oriented business analysis

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CommonKADS Context Models

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  1. CommonKADS Context Models Organization Model Task Model Agent Model

  2. Knowledge always functions within an organizational context • Why context modelling? • Role of aspect models: organization, task, and agent models • Steps and techniques in knowledge-oriented business analysis • Illustrations: ice-cream case study, housing case study

  3. Why context modeling? • Often difficult to identify profitable use of (knowledge) technology • Laboratory is different from the ''real'' world • Acceptability to users very important • Fielding into ongoing process not self evident • Often not clear what additional measures to take

  4. Goals for context modeling • Identify problems and opportunities • Decide about solutions and their feasibility • Improve tasks and task-related knowledge • Plan for needed organizational changes

  5. Role of knowledge systems • "automation" is not the right way to look at KSs • tasks are usually too complex • much better view: KS as process-improvement tool • typical role of KS: active intelligent assistant

  6. Context modelling process • Step 1: Carry out a scoping and feasibility study • Tool: Organization Model (OM) • Step 2: Carry out impact and improvement study • Tool: Task and Agent Models (TM, AM) • zooming in/refinement of organization model • Each study consists of an analysis part and a “constructive” decision-making part

  7. Step 1: scoping and feasibility study • Step 1a: analysis • Identify problem/opportunity areas and potential solutions • Put them into a wider organizational perspective. • Step 1b: synthesis • Decide about economic, technical and project feasibility • Select the most promising focus area and target solution.

  8. Step 2: impacts and improvements study • Step 2a: analysis • study interrelationships between the task, agents involved, and use of knowledge for successful performance • what improvements may be achieved here? • Step 2b: synthesis • Decide about organizational measures and task changes, • Ensure organizational acceptance and integration of a knowledge system solution

  9. Three context models • scope and feasibility study • organization model (OM) • description and analysis of the broader organizational environment • impacts and improvements study • task model (TM) and agent model (AM) • more focused and detailed • zooms in on the relevant part of the organization • TM: tasks plus knowledge directly related to the target problem • AM: agents involved in TM tasks

  10. Worksheets • Modeling process supported by worksheets • Organization model: 5 worksheets • Task model: 2 worksheets • Agent model: 1 worksheet • Summary: 1 worksheet • Act as checklist and information archive • Should be used flexibly

  11. How to analyze a knowledge-intensive organization? • describe organization aspects: • opportunity/problems portfolio • business context, goals, strategy • internal organization: • structure • processes • people (staff: functional roles) • power and culture • resources (knowledge, support systems, equipment,…) • do this for both current and future organization • comparison, and first decisions on where to go

  12. Worksheets Organization Model

  13. OM-1: problem /opportunity identification • shortlist of perceived problems/opportunities • organizational context = invariant part • mission, vision, goals of the organization • important external factors • strategy of the organization, value chain • list possible solutions • for the perceived problems and opportunities • compatible with organizational context. • techniques: interviews, brainstorming

  14. Case Study: Ice-cream productdevelopment • Unilever food/personal care industry worldwide • First analysis step by worksheet OM-1: • Perceived problem/opportunity issues: • Speed-up time to market of new ice-cream products • Leverage best-practice knowledge throughout the company • Vision:

  15. OM-1 for Housing

  16. Case: “Housing” • Local government institution is responsible for assignment of rental houses to applicants • Transparent assignment procedure • two-weekly magazine with house offers • publication of results • Partially automated process • Existing databases of applicants and residences

  17. Problem & opportunity • Two sides of the same coin • Opportunity: • a part of the business process in which it might be useful to introduce knowledge technology • Problem: • an opportunity, that is currently being perceived as a problem in the organization

  18. Organization boundary • Sometimes difficult to define the scope of what is “the organization” • Example in the housing domain: • baseline organization: assignment office • includes applicants? • includes rental agencies? • Decide on variant and invariant parts • invariant parts are assumed to be stable from the development point of view

  19. OM-2: variant aspects • refers to a single problem-opportunity area of OM-1 • describes the subpart of the organization involved • describes the aspects that might change or be affected by a knowledge-system solution

  20. Variant aspects OM-2 (1) • structure • structure chart of departments, groups, units • process • decomposed into tasks plus dependencies • detailed in Worksheet OM-3 • people • staff members involved as actors or stakeholders • decision makers, providers, users, customers • not "actual" people but functional roles

  21. Variant aspects OM-2 (2) • resources • information systems • equipment and materials • non-knowledge skills and competencies. • knowledge • special resource in this context • detailed in Worksheet OM-4 • culture and power • "unwritten rules of the game”, styles of working and communicating, informal relationships

  22. OM-2: ice-cream organization analysis General director Technical Personnel Marketing Finance director director & Sales director director Logistics Technical Dept. Development Dept. Manufacturing Coldstore Information management management management management & Warehouse & IT management management Ice Cream Quality Packaging development assurance design • Example part of OM-2 analysis: • Structure

  23. Structure & people “Housing”

  24. Process “Housing”

  25. Remainder of OM-2 for “Housing”

  26. OM-3: Process Breakdown • Key element => described in more detail • Fill-in for each task in the Process description • OM-3 elements: • Task: name + identifier • Performed by: agent (People or Resource) • Where?: location in Structure • Knowledge required: list of Knowledge assets • Knowledge-intensive?: yes/no • Significance: qualitative value, e.g. five-point scale

  27. OM-3 example: breakdown of ice-cream process • In ice-cream product development the main subprocesses are: • product idea generation • feasibility phase • production and sales planning • implementation and role-out • post-launch review • All subprocesses are knowledge-intensive, but feasibility and planning phases in particular

  28. Example OM-3 for “Housing”

  29. OM-4: Knowledge Assets • details the "Knowledge" element of OM-2 • coarse-grained description • refined in task model and knowledge model • elements: • Knowledge Asset: Name (OM-3) • Possessed by: Agent (OM-3) • Used in: Task ID (OM-3) • Right Form? Right Place? Right Time? Right Quality? • yes/no + comments

  30. OM-4: knowledge assets for ice-cream business process

  31. Knowledge asset “Housing” • Knowledge asset: • “general residence-application norms” • right form? • no, should be also in electronic form • right place, time, quality? • yes

  32. Feasibility document contents • One copy of Worksheet OM-1 • For each problem/opportunity area: OM-2 • For each task: OM-3 • For each knowledge asset: OM-4 • For each suggested solution: decision to "automate" yes/no plus reasons • Worksheet OM-5: checklist for this decision • Proposed actions

  33. Business Feasibility • expected benefits • tangible (economic) and intangible • expected added value • expected costs • comparison to possible alternative solutions • organizational changes required • economic and business risks and uncertainties

  34. Technical Feasibility • complexity of knowledge/reasoning process • availability of state-of-the-art methods • has it been done before? • critical aspects involved? • time, quality, needed resources • measurable success factors • tests for validity, quality and performance • complexity of user/system interaction • availability of state-of-the-art methods

  35. Project Feasibility • commitment from the agents and stakeholders • availability of resources in terms of time, budget, equipment, staff • availablity of required knowledge and other competencies • realistic expectations • adequate project organization and external communication

  36. Proposed Actions • recommended concrete steps for action • List of focus areas • Target solution for focus area • Expected results and benefits • Required project actions • When to reconsider?

  37. OM-5: feasibility decision document for ice-cream example • Business, technical and project feasibility • Proposed actions for solution direction • Ice-cream case study: • Clarification of knowledge bottlenecks achieved • Different knowledge improvement scenarios outlined • Requirements for technical and project feasibility stated • Proposed actions: • Prioritize knowledge improvement scenarios as next step • ….

  38. Feasibility “Housing” • Automation of “application assignment” • feasible from all perspectives • Actions • application construction • job changes within assignment department • provide additional training • consider also resource transfer to computer dept.

  39. Case: social security services (SSS) • Problem-opportunity-context: see book • Problem: laws and regulations are so complex => long time to reach a decision => backlog => social uproar => headlines in the papers • Solution (a priori formulated by SSS management): knowledge system stores the legal decision-making knowledge => backlog reduced

  40. SSS scope and feasibility decision making • Context analysis: see book • Solution: "KS for solving backlog problem" • Business feasibility • does not solve the problem as main task load is in archiving • requires organizational changes • status of people will change • Technical/project feasibility • state-of-the-art work • Proposed actions • redirect the project to simplify procedures for archiving and reporting.

  41. Next step of context modelling: zooming in on tasks • Task = subpart of a business process • goal-oriented value-adding activity • handles inputs and delivers desired outputs • in a structured and controlled way • consumes resources; • requires (and provides) knowledge/skills • adheres to quality and performance criteria • carried out by responsible and accountable agents

  42. Task Model aspects (Sub)Function and Flow Objects Structure (Data) Information Systems (3D) View Time and Control Managerial View TASK MODEL Knowledge and Competences Agents Resources Performance and Quality Goal and Value

  43. TM-1: Task Analysis • zoom in on a task • more detailed description than OM-3 • link to BPR/BPA methods • task is part of business process • link to SE analysis model • dependency and flow • data, function, control view on task

  44. Task description: internal • data dependency and data flow • preceding task, follow-up tasks • objects handled • simple information model • timing & control • frequency, duration, when performed • constraints: pre- and post-conditions

  45. TM-1: Top-level task model • Fill in TM components (see TM Figure) • Example: task decomposition and flow of feasibility phase • Gives first-cut version for task layer of knowledge model

  46. Data flow “Housing”

  47. Control flow “Housing”

  48. Task description: external • goal and value • agents involved • knowledge: • list of knowledge items further detailed in TM-2 • other competencies and skills • resources • refinement of OM-2 • quality and performance: • yardsticks for measuring task execution

  49. TM-2: knowledge item description • Possessed by: Agent • Used in:Task ID • Domain • specialist field, discipline, branch of science or engineering, professional community • Indicate nature, form and availability of knowledge • tick if bottleneck

  50. Characterizations of knowledge items • Nature • formal, rigorous; empirical, quantitative; heuristic, rules of thumb, ..... • Form • mind, paper, electronic, action skill, ... • Availability • limitations in time, space, access, quality, form

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