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1...Need to try to locate these firms.
2......that seems to be trying to automate its conventional control
3...Should send this firm information on SDS, since they seem to be
4...Should send her the article on POIMS.
CONTACTS
SUBJECTS
Personnel, Training, Management Skills, Methods
Enterprise Workflow; Information Management (IT), Automated Management
Management productivity & Teamwork, Integration
CADD & Engineering Systems, Reengineering
Enterprise Workflow, Integrate
Competition, Cooperation, Balance
Poetry, Harmony, Creativity
Conflict with Existing Methods
Competition, Cooperation, Resistance to
1912 -
1912 - ..
1913 - Summary/Objective
1914 -
191401 - Received a "Special Report" on a new buz word,
191402 -
191403 -
191404 - Enterprise Workflow (EW)
191405 -
191406 -
191407 - ...coined by the publishers of AEC Computer Solutions, magazine, per
191408 - ref OF 5 7388, that applies "automated integration" to AEC, but not in
191409 - the manner SDS has in mind. DEC sponsored the special report.
191410 -
191411 - Enterprise Workflow extends thinking from article on 920125.
191412 - ref SDS 3 4977
191413 -
191414 - This special report contains 3 or 4 articles that are analysed
191415 - together in this record, segmented according to major issues.
191416 -
191417 - [On 951010 DEC did not seem to be developing Enterprise
191418 - Workflow. ref SDS 14 3958]
191419 -
191420 - [On 970525 article on Project Office ref SDS 16 7388.]
191421 -
191422 - [On 950710 Landauer's book "The Trouble with Computers," shows
191423 - the goals of EW are difficult to accomplish. ref SDS 10 3387]
191424 -
191425 - [On 980226 IBM announces plans for Business Intelligence,
191426 - similar to EM. ref SDS 18 0001]
191427 -
191428 - [On 990213 reviewed paper on Enterprise Knowledge Management
191429 - modeling that seems related. ref SDS 19 7696]
191430 -
191431 - [On 990427 Roy Roebuck's draft proposal for NSF research grant
191432 - supports Enterprise Management. ref SDS 20 3360 and also at
191433 - ref SDS 20 7503]
191434 -
191435 - [On 991222 reviewed Doug Engelbart's paper on groupware that
191436 - explains concepts of Enterprise Management. ref SDS 21 5360]
191437 -
191438 - ..
191439 - Reengineering Work Processes with Technology
191440 - Automated Integration Improves Productivity
191441 -
191442 - Enterprise Workflow is a business process engineering concept to
191443 - reduce costs by eliminating inefficiencies of existing manual
191444 - work methods for siting, designing, constructing and operating a
191445 - capital facility. It applies the POIMS concept to communicate
191446 - using integrated files to plan, design and construct a facility.
191447 - ref OF 5 7388
191448 -
191449 - Difficulties
191450 -
191451 - The article mainly covers integration of traditional work
191452 - functions, e.g., architect, engineers, contractors, rather
191453 - than the tasks of thinking, remembering and communication
191454 - that managers perform, see ref OF 5 9639, and further at
191455 - ref OF 5 8370. Managers are still hoping they can just show
191456 - up and pull the trigger, instead of figure out what was said
191457 - and what needs to be done.
191458 -
191459 - ..
191460 - Competition and Cooperation, Conflict Needs Balance
191461 -
191462 - Probably overlooks the need to balance the conflict between
191463 - competition and cooperation that exists in the plan, design
191464 - and construct team, per analysis on 930313. ref SDS 4 0739
191465 -
191466 - When authors note that 10 years later the process starts
191467 - over, they omit the fact that shared information may mean
191468 - that 10 years later the lawsuits from the first effort are
191469 - not yet resolved.
191470 -
191471 - This is the goal of POIMS to provide harmony and balance
191472 - between competing objectives, ref OF 2 line 27, per telecon
191473 - with Henry at McCellan AFB on 930326. ref SDS 5 5468
191474 -
191475 - [Law is one means by which natural conflict is resolved,
191476 - per ref SDS 12 0564.]
191477 -
191478 - [On 960620 paper for David Buoncristiani explains law as
191479 - a metric to resolve conflict between competition and
191480 - cooperation. ref SDS 15 VB7M
191481 -
191482 - Advocates believe automated integration, ref OF 5 line 163:
191483 -
191484 - Eliminates redundant, inefficient work processes
191485 - Reduces manual effort, i.e. speeds the work
191486 - Increases client satisfaction
191487 - Improves employee morale
191488 - Expedites retrieval of data
191489 - Is easy to use
191490 - Improve organizational productivity and earnings
191491 -
191492 - Lower costs, competitive advantages, ref OF 5 line 642
191493 - and at ref OF 5 line 1037, including "empowerment."
191494 -
191495 - Improved earnings are cited by Bechtel on its PRIDE
191496 - document management system, ref OF 5 line 954.
191497 -
191498 -
191499 - Other pluses are listed at ref OF 5 line 221
191500 -
191501 - Greater flexibility to meet changing owner demands
191502 - Enhanced project monitoring and control
191503 - Better coordination among all project team entities
191504 -
191505 - See "Difficulties" above
191506 -
191507 - EW leverages past experience to provide competitive
191508 - advantages, ref OF 5 line 569, a key attribute of SDS, per
191509 - ref OF 2 line 732.
191510 -
191511 - This sounds like the ISO practice of "Continual
191512 - Learning" [later reported at ref SDS 11 line 512].
191513 -
191514 -
191515 - Competitive pressure to deliver more service at less cost is
191516 - causing some firms to adopt automated integration, i.e. EW, per
191517 - ref OF 5 line 210.
191518 -
191519 - I think another factor is the need to keep up with the
191520 - explosion of information from new sources, e.g. cellular
191521 - phones, fax, e-mail, as explained at ref OF 2 line 68.
191522 -
191523 -
191524 - Management Cycle
191525 -
191526 - The project "plan, design, construct" cycle identified by the
191527 - authors at ref OF 5 line 38, supports the POIMS management cycle,
191528 - plan,, perform report, ref OF 2 line 39.
191529 -
191530 - ..
191531 - Enterprise Management Requires Seamless Integration
191532 -
191533 - The authors appear to recognize that effective integration
191534 - requires various aspects of management activity to work together
191535 - seamlessly, ref OF 5 line 60. But this is not enough. A critical
191536 - mass of work practices must support each other, as explained in
191537 - the POIMS paper, ref OF 2 line 162.
191538 -
191539 - A second article says enterprise workflow is achieved when func-
191540 - tional areas such as Sales and Marketing, Estimating, Accounting,
191541 - Project Management, Procurement and Material Control, Manpower
191542 - Planning, Human Resources and Administrative Support are fully
191543 - integrated on an enterprise-wide basis, ref OF 5 line 158. This
191544 - is only possible with a utility like SDS that can bridge the gap
191545 - between diverse information structures.
191546 -
191547 - Seamless integration is made possible by four factors listed
191548 - at ref OF 5 line 251.
191549 -
191550 - Relational DBMS & Gateways
191551 -
191552 - These technology advances are attributed with making
191553 - automated integration (EW) practical, ref OF 5 line 285.
191554 -
191555 - Client/Server
191556 -
191557 - This is defined at ref OF 5 line 324
191558 -
191559 -
191560 - Integrated "Data Base" = House of Cards
191561 -
191562 - Usually, these management systems wind up comprising email
191563 - and a LAN connection, plus a bunch of integrated "data base"
191564 - reports. Effective sharing of information and ideas is
191565 - stymied by the lack of a common subject structure that
191566 - permits assembling chronologies to observe changes in the
191567 - perceptions and therefore the direction of people. Managers
191568 - get lots of data, but they know from experience that it is
191569 - usually out of date and likely defective (on 911221 "they
191570 - cooked the books!" ref SDS 2 6632). They cannot get
191571 - assessments and commitments because it is all a jumble of
191572 - documents, email, letters that is essentially not accessible.
191573 -
191574 - [See 1978 bood describing "data explosion" ref SDS 17 line 296.]
191575 -
191576 -
191577 -
1916 -
SUBJECTS
Automation, Implementing
Re-Engineer Project Management
Learning/Education
2206 - ..
220601 - EW entails "reengineering" automated integration of the best
220602 - work practices, ref OF 5 line 155, and also at ref OF 5 line 230.
220603 -
220604 - This article is mainly about automating traditional "control" systems,
220605 - ref OF 5 line 385, rather than automating management.
220606 -
220607 - Comment
220608 -
220609 - Right now this integration takes place within the minds of people,
220610 - so that must be automated by tools for common identification,
220611 - fast and reliable linkage and retrieval.
220612 -
220613 - Need a means to test understanding: communication metrics.
220614 -
220615 - Controllable action items.
220616 -
220617 -
220618 - The "planning" phase is poorly explained in this article, ref OF 5
220619 - line 401. Author says system must be user friendly and users require
220620 - adequate training, ref OF 5 line 489
220621 -
220622 - Need for planning and using outside resources for creating an
220623 - "Information System" is in another article that chronicles a
220624 - case study, ref OF 5 line 539, with further ideas at ref OF 5
220625 - line 710.
220626 -
220627 - The need for training is commonly understood among developers and
220628 - consultants, as seen for example
220629 -
220630 -
220631 - Adequate funding, and commitment and participation of executive
220632 - management is needed, ref OF 5 line 420.
220633 -
220634 - Problem of cost being charged to a job, rather than to organiza-
220635 - tional productivity, which is a restraint at Dinwiddie, ref SDS 7
220636 - line 174, is explained at ref OF 5 line 426.
220637 -
220638 -
220639 - "Re-engineering" means effective automation requires more than simply
220640 - automating conventional work practices so they can be done faster, ref
220641 - OF 5 line 444. This is a major hurdle in selling SDS, because Users
220642 - want to improve what they are doing, and are confused by seeing the
220643 - SDS record that improves on that.
220644 -
220645 -
220646 - Fist step is to create means to transfer drawings via modem, per ref
220647 - OF 5 line 712
220648 -
220649 -
220650 -
2207 -
SUBJECTS
Resistance to Automated Integration
Disillusioned by Technology
Productivity Managers Not Improved by
Managers Work for Computers Instead of...
Disallusioned Computers Do Not Improve
Cost/Benefit
Humor Marketing Over Sells Computers
Humorous Examples
2911 -
291101 - ..
291102 - Past Failures Cause Reluctance to Embrace Enterprise Workflow
291103 -
291104 - Use of PC's in an organization are largely ad hoc, where each user
291105 - and/or department has tried to apply automation on a narrow aspect of
291106 - the work, then later found out it conflicted or was inadequate. This
291107 - causes distrust that a good solution is available, but points up the
291108 - need for SDS.
291109 -
291110 - An example on 890513. ref SDS 1 6690.
291111 -
291112 - Another example is at ref OF 5 line 1049.
291113 -
291114 - 10 Commandments of purchasing computer systems is at ref OF 5 7366
291115 -
291116 - This is a humerous list of difficulties with computer systems and
291117 - being cautious about marketing presentations.
291118 -
291119 -
291120 - Companies tried automation in 1970's and found it didn't work because
291121 - the tools were inadequate, ref OF 5 6404, and at ref OF 5 8705.
291122 -
291123 - They now fear failure and are unaware of benefits, ref OF 5 line
291124 - 186.
291125 -
291126 - Lack of integration caused inadequate results, ref OF 5 line 190.
291127 -
291128 -
291129 - This is actually a selling point. Not only was hardware inadequate in
291130 - the past, but there were no unifying ideas to integrate the mass of
291131 - stuff people have to think about. SDS provides this unifying tool to
291132 - augment the work of the human mind.
291133 -
291134 - Author's say there are more technology solutions that meet unique
291135 - needs of engineering and construction industry, ref OF 5 line 247.
291136 -
291137 - I think this is incorrect.
291138 -
291139 - The need that are most in demand is for a tool like SDS that
291140 - melds at a lower level the range of issues every manager faces
291141 - each day.
291142 -
291143 -
291144 - Authors identify four factors that make technology today better able
291145 - to achieve integration, ref OF 5 line 252.
291146 -
291147 -
291148 -
291149 -
2912 -
SUBJECTS
SDS marketing, Sales, Developing Leads
Firms listed as using or interested in
3005 -
300501 - The author lists following firms as interested in applying automated
300502 - integration, ref OF 5 line 215
300503 -
300504 - Monenco AGRA
300505 - ABB Lummus Crest (also mentioned at ref OF 5 line 290)
300506 - Burns & Roe Enterprises
300507 - Day & Zimmermann
300508 -
300509 -
300510 - Need to try to locate these firms.
300511 -
300512 - Maybe just submit SDS to the author and request he submit to
300513 - organizations he thinks are interested.
300514 -
300515 -
300516 - A case study of a company
300517 -
300518 - by Joel W. Zimmerman 313 983 3600
300519 - Director of Information Services
300520 - Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates
300521 - Detroit, Michigan 48226
300522 -
300523 - ...that seems to be trying to automate its conventional control
300524 - systems and so may be open to using SDS, per ref OF 5 line 560.
300525 -
300526 - This firm believes in "metrics" per ref OF 5 line 649, and so
300527 - may like SDS for its communication metrics.
300528 -
300529 -
300530 -
3006 -
SUBJECTS
Automated Integration applying SDS/POIMS
Design Objectives, Document Management Systems
Information Management (IT)
TQM Objectives, 930204
New World Order, Enterprise Workflow
Murphy's Law, avoiding mistakes
4009 - ..
400901 - The article by David E. Weisberg, on "The World is Becoming a
400902 - Smaller Place," at ref OF 5 line 669, reflects my article on the New
400903 - World Order..., ref OF 3 line 22, that supports the rationale and
400904 - market for SDS, under the theory of anticipating evolving market
400905 - trends, discussed at ref SDS 8 line 57.
400906 -
400907 - Should send this firm information on SDS, since they seem to be
400908 - interested.
400909 -
400910 - [Followed up at ref SDS 9 line 44.]
400911 -
400912 -
400913 - Impact of getting too much information too fast is reflected in part
400914 - in another article at ref OF 5 line 750.
400915 -
400916 - Reba F. Davis is Manager, Administration and Project
400917 - Services, PRIDE Project Manager, Bechtel Power Corp.,
400918 - Gaithersburg Regional Office. Inquiries may be di-
400919 - rected to: Reba F. Davis, Bechtel Power Corporation,
400920 - 9801 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg, Mary-
400921 - land 20878, (301) 417-3250.
400922 -
400923 - She claims Bechtel's PRIDE document system will help Bechtel
400924 - manage into the 21st Century, ref OF 5 line 980
400925 -
400926 - Should send her the article on POIMS.
400927 -
400928 - [Followed up at ref SDS 9 line 39.]
400929 -
400930 - This author seems to recognize that information, per se, is not enough
400931 - for managers, ref OF 5 line 759, but does not seem to understand
400932 - managers really need knowledge, as explained at ref OF 2 line 68.
400933 -
400934 - Document Management
400935 -
400936 - The article mainly describes Bechtel's automated document management
400937 - system, PRIDE, ref OF 5 line 784.
400938 -
400939 - The weakness in the system is its disconnect from the context of
400940 - the document, and from controllable action items.
400941 -
400942 - Since generally most people mean "documents" when they talk about
400943 - "Information Management," I assigned this segment to that subject.
400944 -
400945 - Bechtel's system permits reviewers to comment on the document by
400946 - attaching an external file created in a wordprocessing program of
400947 - choice, or creating comments color coded by discipline, ref OF 5 line
400948 - 891.
400949 -
400950 - Weakness is that comments are not linked to action items, and are
400951 - not in a system that permits assembling or retrieval according to
400952 - objective, contact, document, time, as SDS does.
400953 -
400954 -
400955 - TQM
400956 - ----
400957 - Ronald J. Patten, Assistant Vice-President of Information Systems,
400958 - recognizes TQM can be implemented using automated integration of
400959 - information technologies, ref OF 5 line 1157.
400960 -
400961 - The explanation seems more like the firm was using TQM ideas to
400962 - accomplish the integration of its information systems, rather
400963 - using automation to implement TQM, as available in SDS, per ref OF
400964 - 2 line 426.
400965 -
400966 -
400967 -
400968 -
4010 -