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AEI-3: A System for Managing Administrative Knowledge. Chandra S. Amaravadi Dept. of IMDS College of Business & Technology Western Illinois University. Paper presented at the Illinois Regional Workshop on Information Systems and Technology March 19, 2004 Springfield, IL.
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AEI-3: A System for Managing Administrative Knowledge Chandra S. Amaravadi Dept. of IMDS College of Business & Technology Western Illinois University Paper presented at the Illinois Regional Workshop on Information Systems and Technology March 19, 2004 Springfield, IL
OUTLINE OF THIS PRESENTATION • Introduction to KM • KM Concept • Brief review of research • Research problem • Nature of administrative knowledge • AEI3 - A method to manage knowledge • AEI3 – The system
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT.. The explicit management of organizational knowledge, including tools and processes to create, store, access and disseminate organizational knowledge. Adapted from [Pearlson ‘01] KM tools include groupware, discussion groups etc.
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE* * Adapted from Keri Pearlson, Managing & Using Information Systems, 2001 TACIT KNOWLEDGE EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE • Mechanisms to evaluate a • prospective buyer • Procedures in a • manual • Creating a price structure • that will maximize profits • Reports and financial • statements • Style preferences of • customers • Relevant news reports & articles • Estimating the time to • complete a project • Information from past • projects
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES* Identify Generate Define Strategy KNOWLEDGE Use/Measure Capture/Codify Transfer/Absorb * From Keri Pearlson, Managing & Using Information Systems, 2001
PREVIOUS WORK • Focus on case studies • [Martiny ‘98, Mann et al. ‘97, Liao et al. ‘04] • Focus on organizational processes • [Vail ‘99, Davenport et al. ‘96, Lank ‘97, Hackbarth & • Grover ‘99, Martiny ‘98] • Measurement • [Roos & Roos ‘97] Very little focus on operational knowledge, Very little focus on organization of knowledge
PREVIOUS WORK.. APPROACHES TO EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE DOCUMENT PERSPECTIVE • R&D documents -- [Mann et al. ‘97] • Contacts database -- [Retallick & Sanchez ‘98] KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE • Maintenance manuals -- [Rosner et. al ‘98] • Epidemiological research -- [Crofts et. al ‘99]
THE PROBLEM • Technical management of professional/managerial • knowledge unwieldy • Focus on “administrative knowledge” • -- operational significance Identify a generalized, large scale knowledge architecture to store and retrieve administrative knowledge Develop a system to manage the knowledge AEI-3
THE PROBLEM.. What is “administrative knowledge” & how do we store and retrieve it?
ADMINISTRATIVE KNOWLEDGE Administrative Knowledge: “Knowledge utilized in carrying out support operations in an organization” -- adapted from [Garvin ‘97] (we will also refer to it as office knowledge)
EXAMPLES OF OFFICE KNOWLEDGE 1. Every project has a BDM and a PM. 2. BSS cannot own fixed assets. 3. The Van leaves BSS at 11:00 am and goes to Elnet. 4. A project can be initiated by a CEO or by a PM. 5. Induction program is a two day training program for fresh recruits. 6. Jeff Ptomain from Manugistics will be visiting BSS from 23rd to 26th May. 7. BSS is in the process of getting Paradigm Plus. 8. Qualify is an in-house tool to support ISO-9000. Note: BSS stands for Baroda Software Services (name disguised)
NATURE OF OFFICE KNOWLEDGE • Concepts • Relationships among concepts • Elaborations on concepts • Assertions concerning people, places events etc. • Rules/policies Semantic Networks
DESIGN OBJECTIVES • Manage administrative knowledge • Extensive dialog not required • Knowledge stored in complete form • Intractable problems not addressed • Open-ended, extensible & maintainable • Robustly handle large volumes
AEI-3 (AGENT, ENTITY, INFORMATION)
THE SOLUTION – AEI3 • Design a knowledge exchange • User is a participant in the system • User contributes knowledge • Other users query system • The system acts as a knowledge server • Embedded in an OIS
AEI-3 CHARTER 1. Will function as a knowledge exchange 2. Scope will be defined by use 3. Efficiency independent of volume 4. Ubiquitously accessible facilities 5. Participants will be producers and consumers 6. Transaction cost must be minimal 7. Transactions must be in raw form 8. Accept complete transactions when possible 9. Facilities must be simple, flexible and robust 10. Implemented with current technologies
AEI-3 ARCHITECTURE Word Processing Spread- sheets Brow- sers Application Interface AEI-3 Operating Environment KB Server Manual Server Hard disk repository
FURTHER COMMENTS AEI-3 • AEI-3 is a subset of FGOIS (also a KM system) • Thought of as extension of system help facilities • Includes domain help • A “parallel idea” to KM
AEI3*: A Method to Manage Administrative Knowledge * AEI3 represents a continuing effort to deal with the office Knowledge representation problem and stands for Agent, Entity, Information
THE AEI-3 SCHEME • Two types of nodes: class & instance • Two types of links: D links and S links • No other restrictions on node & link types • Can easily add new classes & assertions • Relative assertions handled separately
Class S – Structural link D – Descriptive link Instance THE AEI-3 SCHEME.. INSTRUCTOR S:is_a D:Teaches Rangarajan C++
THE AEI-3 SCHEME.. INSTRUCTOR MONTH S:is_a S:is_a D:Available Rangarajan August
THE AEI-3 SCHEME.. EMPLOYEE INSTRUCTOR S:is_a ALLISON S:is_a D:Teaches C++ RANGARAJAN S:is_a
THE AEI-3 SCHEME.. SOFTWARE PROJECT S:is_a S:is_a D:Ordered IDG Group Paradigm Plus D:Ordered March 2003
THE AEI-3 SCHEME.. PROJECTS CEO PM EMPLOYEE D:initiated D:initiated S:is_a S:is_a
TIME THE AEI-3 SCHEME.. HANDLING ADDITIONAL ASSERTIONS S:is_a D:availability MARCH 5TH RANGARAJAN
Classes/Instances? Yes Link semantics? Yes, “S” & “D” links Network partitioned? Relationship governed Structural assertions separated from descr.? Yes Conjunctions/disjunctions? No Incomplete knowledge? Yes Probabilistic knowledge No Beliefs/tense/modality? No Pronomial references? No Quantification Limited Relativity among concepts? Possible EVALUATION OF AEI3
AEI-3 (AEI-3 The System)
ABOUT THE SYSTEM • Roughly 200 knowledge items • Each item is stored as a predicate Predicate: Link(link label, link type, from node, to node) Example1: link(is_a, s, company, bss) Example2: link(job, d, allison, “travel arrangements”) Example3: link(is_a, s, “software tool”, “paradigm plus”) Example4: link(ordered_by, d, “paradigm plus”, “IDG group”) Example5: link(is_a, s, “project”, “IDG group”)
ABOUT THE SYSTEM.. • Programmed to answer standard query patterns Example pattern1: “Who is responsible for X” where X is a job function. Example pattern2: “Who does X?” where X is a job function. Example pattern3: “What is X?” where X is an inanimate object (company). Example pattern4: “What do you know about X?” where X could be any object. Example pattern5: “How many X does Y have?” where X and Y are objects.
ABOUT THE SYSTEM.. • Example clause is shown below: search_net(what, do, you, know, about, X, Result) :- % find all nodes connected to X with “d” links. findall(To_nodes, link(_,_,d,X, To_nodes), Child_nodes), % find list of link labels and format for output findall(D_links, link(D_links,_,d,X,_), D_list), list_to_string(X, Child_nodes, D_list, "", Return_str1), % find nodes connected to X with “s” links, format for output findall(Nodes_Class, link(_,_,s, Nodes_Class, X), Parent_nodes), get_prep_list(P_list), list_to_string(X, Parent_nodes, P_list, "", Return_str2), concat(Return_str2, Return_str1, Result).
SELECTED REFERENCES Amaravadi, C. “Research issues in Office Information Systems” paper presented at IFIP W.G. 8.4., 1998 Brachman, R. J., “On the epistemological status of semantic nets” in Associative Networks by Findler N. (ed.), pp. 3-50, 1979. Cordingley, E., “Intermediate knowledge representation for extended office systems,” Proceedings of the IFIP, Toronto, August 17-19th, 1987, North Holland pp 61-69. Garvin, D. “The processes of organization and management,” Sloan Management Review, 39(4), 1997, pp 33-50. Woods, W.A., “What’s in a link?: Foundations of Semantic Networks, Readings in Knowledge Representation, 1985.