Beating information chaos via changing information logistics

1. Beating information chaos via changing information logistics Dr. Ilia Bider, IbisSoft, Sweden Improving internal communication/collaboration through proper use of today’s ICT technology

2. Process-oriented Organization Siloed Functional Organization Presentation: IbisSoft – a knowledge based consulting company Our mission - promoting business process orientation as a way of working, and  automation of business processes as a way of achieving high productivity and quality in administration and management Where does our knowledge come from?

3. Particles accelerator Our approach = “university hospital” Bird watching IbisSoft – a laboratory for Information Systems (IS) Research • IS field studies behavior of IT-enabled human organizations • Two ways of study complex systems • With minimum interference • With maximum interference VS

4. Prolog: Problems withBackup & storage - tip of an iceberg Companies struggle with large storage volumes… Volvo invests 37000000 :- in a project to reduce e-mail usage …

5. Information chaos What is under? Why? • It is easy to produce and transfer information • We get more than we can consume and process • And we cannot find what we need in this multitude • Because we use the working habits from pre-computers era – shuffle documents around (only now, in electronic form)

6. Why are old habits dangerous? Chaos on the desk becomes unmanageable in the computer One particular habit that needs changing - information logistics

7. Information logistics - bringing together people and information • Can we achieve conveyor belt cost-effectiveness? • Is the logistics simple? Conveyor belt in industry • Let us try something else – move people to information Move information to people - conveyor belt logistics • Cost-effective • Relatively simple logistics

8. Information logistics - bringing together people and information Construction site Move people to information - construction site logistics Asking somebodey else to do the job at your desk Convenient but difficult to organize …

9. Conveyor belt vs. Construction site Summary: Why conveyor belt logistics was employed in pre-computers era? • It was much cheaper to move information than people • It was difficult to arrange construction site logistics so that people do not run into each other on the way to, from or at the “construction site” • However …

10. Moving in the virtual world is neither expensive nor difficult nowadays “Going” to the bookshop in the virtual world is easy And it’s quite OK if thousands go to the same shop

11. This is all you get What is the difference between moving information and moving people Example1: Moving information to people: Sending a document

12. This is what you get What is the difference between moving information and moving people Example2:Moving people to information Asking to go to a place where a document is

13. What is the difference …Summary: • Costs of movement: • To move people to information is as cheap as to move people to information • Cost-effectiveness: • Improves when moving people to information • Quality: • Improves when moving people to information • Consequence: move people to information

14. What is needed for implementing construction site logistics? Multi-case/desk/worker environment

15. In which Desks are arrange in a proper way Documents Logbook To do list Time Machine Call panel How one works in such an environment

16. Example of how it could look like Call panel Executing task in context

17. What have we actually described? A process-oriented way of working, which is: • Efficient teamwork where members of a team • are building many different “houses” in parallel • while fully exploiting time, and the unique competence and experience of each member

18. Next step: Automation of business processes (Just-in-Time principles) Move right person to right place at right time with right tools • Automated JiT-planning: identify where and when some person is needed • Automated JiT- human resource management: decide on whom to move to this place • Automated JiT- knowledge management: give right tools to complete the task

19. What new logistics + automation of business processes gives? • Higher productivity, and • Higher quality • via optimal use of time, competence, and experience of people engaged in business process • Additional benefits that could be easily obtained: • Performance measurement for improvement • Better tracking and accountability • Goal-conciseness of personal • Experience and knowledge sharing • Transparency

20. What is needed? • A computer system that implements a virtual environment for “construction site” logistics and JIT-principles • Reengineering of business processes, to fully utilize the possibilities provided by new logistics • Teaching and inspire people to use the new logistics in their every-day work

21. Summary • We have a challenging task – beating information chaos • We have a promising approach – new information logistics • Today's technology provides tools for employing the new logistics • The only thing we need is changing our pre-computer habits

22. Thank you for your attention! Ilia Bider, IbisSoft www.ibissoft.com/English Email: ilia@ibissoft.se