Towards a System Support of Collaborative Knowledge Work€¦ · Towards a System Support of Collaborative Knowledge Work Presentation at 1 st Int’l. Workshop on Adaptive Case Management,

Towards a System Support of Collaborative Knowledge Work Presentation at 1st Int’l. Workshop on Adaptive Case Management, BPM’12, Tallinn, Estonia.

Nicolas Mundbrod, Jens Kolb & Manfred Reichert, Institute of Databases and Information Systems (DBIS), Ulm University

Nicolas Mundbrod, [email protected]

Institute of Databases and Information Systems (DBIS)

http://www.uni-ulm.de/dbis

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Towards a System Support of Collaborative Knowledge Work | ACM Workshop 2012

Agenda

1. Problems and objectives

2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle

5. Conclusion and Outlook

September 3, 2012 Nicolas Mundbrod 3


Status quo

• Routine work can be increasingly supported by information technology

• Companies outsource many standard processes to low-wage countries

• Globally competitive pressure concurrently requests:

• Constant and more rapid innovation

• Interdisciplinary research and development

• More individual services and products of a high quality

• Compliance to complex legal, financial and social norms

• …



Structural transformation

• In highly developed countries, companies crucially depend on

knowledge-intensive jobs performed by highly skilled workers

• Meta-sectoral structural transformation is taking place



Problems

• Only sparse research about knowledge work/workers yet

• Well known problems knowledge workers face today:

• Massive information overload

• Distribution of information and a lack of contextual relation

• Various information systems without problem-related interconnections

• Missing accessible/usable experiential knowledge

• Missing integrated and sustainable storage of gained experiences

• …




Provoking question:

Why is there still no system support for collaborative knowledge work?


Objectives

I. Clarifying the terms around knowledge work

II. Initial validation of the theoretical foundation with use cases

III. Establishing characteristics and dimensions of collaborative

knowledge work to gain first insights on requirements

IV. Creation of a collaborative knowledge work lifecycle to establish

a basis for a systematic, adaptive and sustainable support



Agenda


2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle




Knowledge work

• Knowledge work is comprised of

• objectifying, intellectual activities,

• addressing novel and complex processes and work results,

• which require external means of control and a dual field of action.

• Main difference to intellectual work:

• Novelty

• Complexity



Knowledge work process

• Result of complexity/dynamics: knowledge work cannot be described

by an undirectional cause & effect principle Knowledge work processes cannot be specified in detail a priori

• Instead constant adaptions are needed:



Knowledge workers

• Knowledge workers…

• have high degrees of expertise, education, or experience, and the primary

purpose of their jobs involves the process and the accomplishment of

knowledge work.

• professions are, e.g.,

Doctor

Lawyer Manager

Designer

Consultant Analyst Investigator

Researcher Auditor

Composer

Software Developer



Collaborative knowledge work

• Knowledge workers usually attach importance on individual autonomy.

• But complex and dynamic situations virtually coerce knowledge

workers to collaborate

• Objective I:

Collaborative knowledge work (CKW) is knowledge work jointly performed

by two or more knowledge workers in order to achieve a common goal.



Agenda


2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle




Use cases

• Objective II: Different, representative cases were studied to examine

typical characteristics and dimensions of CKW.

• UC1: Mechatronic development project (automotive environment)

• UC2: Investigations into offenses (public authorities)

• UC3: Individual service request (financial environment)

• Related cases:

• UC1: Research projects, design projects, consulting projects, …

• UC2: Investigative work of attorneys, judges, auditors, controllers, …

• UC3: Exceptional requests/cases like claims, product change requests, …



Agenda


2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases:

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle




Characteristics of CKW

C2: Goal Orientation - Integrative factor of CKW

- Goals resp. subgoals/milestones

C3: Emergence of work - Continuous planning &

performance of actions

- Proximity of time

C4: Growing knowledge base - Common information base

- Individual knowledge growth

C1: Uncertainty - Influencing factors

- characteristic per definition


Objective III:


Agenda


2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle




Dimensions of CKW

• Naturally, a lof of dimensions can be used to distinguish CKW

• Objective III: We identified nine dimensions we regard as „important“:


D1: Knowledge action types

D2: Usage of methodologies

D3: Degree of interdisciplinarity

D4: Organizational frames

D5: Degree of spatial proximity

D6: Number of involved knowledge workers

D7: Rigidity of temporal constraints

D8: Degree of information interdependencies

D9: Number of repetitions


Dimensions D1 – D3

• D1: Knowledge Action Types

– Differentiate CKW by the predominant way knowledge workers deal with

knowledge/information

– Possible „values“: acquisition, application, dissemination, …

• D2: Methodology

– Knowledge workers‘ adherence to a common methodology

– Possible „values“: explicit vs. tacit methodology, no methodology

• D3: Interdisciplinarity

– Knowledge workers‘ belonging to one or several domains

– Range: from domain-specific to interdisciplinary CKW




• D4: Organizational Frame

– CKW can be distinguished by the surrounding organizational frame

– Possible „values“: project, case, spontaneous collaboration (no frame)

• D5: Spatial Proximity

– Differentiation of CKW by knowledge workers‘ physical closeness

– Range: from very direct to remote collaboration

• D6: Involved Knowledge workers

– CKW’s complexity is a driver for the headcount

– Range: from two to countless knowledge workers




• D7: Temporal Constraints

– Time constraints may also distinguish CKW scenarios

– Possible „values“, e.g.: fixed vs relative deadlines

• D8: Information Interdependency

– Complexity and importance of information interdependencies

– Range, e.g.: from no focus to main focus on interdependencies

• D9: Number of repetitions

– Number of repetitive occurrences of related CKW scenarios (same goal)

– Range: from unique to frequent business cases



Agenda


2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle




CKW Lifecycle

• Objective IV: Lifecycle support to sustainably foster collaboration

between knowledge workers

• So a CKW lifecycle was created based on knowledge work/

management principles and the BPM lifecycle:



CKW Lifecycle



Agenda


2. Fundamentals

3. Use cases

i. Characteristics

ii. Dimensions

4. Lifecycle




Conclusion

• The support of collaborative knowledge work is a true challenge!

• Provided contribution may be used as a foundation as well as a vision to

gradually extend and interconnect concepts and technologies

• A broad range of available technologies already targeting single aspects, but

the their interplay towards a utilizable support needs way more research

– How to define collaboration templates?

– How to cope with the massive support requirements?

– How to deal with privacy issues? (leveraging records)

– …



Thank you for your kind attention!

Please feel free to ask your questions and give remarks!


Documents

Towards a System Support of Collaborative Knowledge Work€¦ · Towards a System Support of Collaborative Knowledge Work Presentation at 1 st Int’l. Workshop on Adaptive Case Management,