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AEI-3: A System for ManagingAdministrative Knowledge

Chandra S. AmaravadiDept. of IMDS

College of Business & TechnologyWestern Illinois University

Paper presented at theIllinois Regional Workshop on Information Systems

and TechnologyMarch 19, 2004 Springfield, IL

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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

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INTRODUCTION

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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.

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TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE*

Information from past

projects

Estimating the time to

complete a project

Relevant news reports & articles

Style preferences of

customers

Reports and financial

statements

Creating a price structure

that will maximize profits

Procedures in a

manual

Mechanisms to evaluate a

prospective buyer

EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGETACIT KNOWLEDGE

* Adapted from Keri Pearlson, Managing & Using Information Systems, 2001

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KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENTPROCESSES*

KNOWLEDGE

Identify

Generate

Capture/Codify

Transfer/Absorb

Use/Measure

Define Strategy

* From Keri Pearlson, Managing & Using Information Systems, 2001

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PREVIOUS WORK

Focus on case studies [Martiny ‘98, Mann et al. ‘97, Liao et al. ‘04][Martiny ‘98, Mann et al. ‘97, Liao et al. ‘04]

Focus on organizational processes [Vail ‘99, Davenport et al. ‘96, Lank ‘97, Hackbarth & [Vail ‘99, Davenport et al. ‘96, Lank ‘97, Hackbarth & Grover ‘99, Martiny ‘98]Grover ‘99, Martiny ‘98]

Measurement [Roos & Roos ‘97][Roos & Roos ‘97]

Very little focus on operational knowledge,Very little focus on organization of knowledge

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PREVIOUS WORK..APPROACHES TO EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE

R&D documents -- [Mann et al. ‘97]R&D documents -- [Mann et al. ‘97] Contacts database -- [Retallick & Sanchez ‘98]Contacts database -- [Retallick & Sanchez ‘98]

DOCUMENT PERSPECTIVE

KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE

Maintenance manuals -- [Rosner et. al ‘98]Maintenance manuals -- [Rosner et. al ‘98] Epidemiological research -- [Crofts et. al ‘99]Epidemiological research -- [Crofts et. al ‘99]

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THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

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THE PROBLEM

Identify a generalized, large scale knowledge architecture to store and retrieve administrative knowledge

Develop a system to manage the knowledge

Technical management of professional/managerial knowledge unwieldy Focus on “administrative knowledge” -- operational significance

AEI-3

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THE PROBLEM..THE PROBLEM..

What is “administrative knowledge” & howdo we store and retrieve it?

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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)

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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)

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NATURE OF OFFICEKNOWLEDGE

Concepts Relationships among concepts Elaborations on concepts Assertions concerning people, places events etc. Rules/policies

Semantic Networks

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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

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AEI-3(AGENT, ENTITY, INFORMATION)

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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

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AEI-3 CHARTER1. Will function as a knowledge exchange2. Scope will be defined by use3. Efficiency independent of volume4. Ubiquitously accessible facilities5. Participants will be producers and consumers6. Transaction cost must be minimal7. Transactions must be in raw form8. Accept complete transactions when possible9. Facilities must be simple, flexible and robust10. Implemented with current technologies

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AEI-3 ARCHITECTURE

WordWordProcessingProcessing

Spread-Spread-sheetssheets

Brow-Brow-serssers

Operating EnvironmentOperating Environment

Hard disk repositoryHard disk repository

ApplicationApplication

InterfaceInterface

ManualManualServerServer

KBKBServerServer

AEI-3AEI-3

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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

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AEI3*: A Method to Manage

Administrative Knowledge

* AEI3 represents a continuing effort to deal with the officeKnowledge representation problem and stands for Agent, Entity, Information

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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

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THE AEI-3 SCHEME..

Rangarajan

S:is_a

D:TeachesC++

INSTRUCTOR

Class

InstanceS – Structural linkD – Descriptive link

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Rangarajan

S:is_a

D:AvailableAugust

THE AEI-3 SCHEME..

S:is_a

INSTRUCTOR MONTH

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RANGARAJAN

S:is_a

ALLISONS:is_a

D:TeachesC++

THE AEI-3 SCHEME..

S:is_a

EMPLOYEE

INSTRUCTOR

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Paradigm Plus

S:is_a

PROJECT

S:is_a

D:OrderedIDG Group

THE AEI-3 SCHEME..

SOFTWARE

March 2003D:Ordered

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THE AEI-3 SCHEME..

D:initiated

D:initiated

S:is_a

PROJECTS

EMPLOYEE

PM CEO

S:is_a

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THE AEI-3 SCHEME..

RANGARAJAND:availability

MARCH 5TH

TIME

S:is_a

HANDLING ADDITIONALASSERTIONS

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EVALUATION OF AEI3

PossibleRelativity among concepts?

LimitedQuantification

NoPronomial references?

NoBeliefs/tense/modality?

NoProbabilistic knowledge

YesIncomplete knowledge?

NoConjunctions/disjunctions?

YesStructural assertions

separated from descr.?

Relationship governed Network partitioned?

Yes, “S” & “D” linksLink semantics?

YesClasses/Instances?

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AEI-3(AEI-3 The System)

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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”)

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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.  

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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 outputfindall(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).  

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AN EXAMPLE QUERY..

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AN EXAMPLE RESPONSE..

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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 forextended 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.