Dear God,
As you know, Amma has the uncanny ability to snook
you with her questions. Worse, they come when least expected. Like the other
day, she asked what seemed like a fairly easy question to answer – “Exactly,
what is it that you do at work?” But trust me, it isn’t.
One of two reasons why - I was dealing with a baby
boomer, who is yet to come to grips with the fact that people actually ‘work’ in Facebook or why Google is more
efficient than her! What also compounded the situation is that she belongs to a
time when education did not receive as much stress (I suspect she can locate
her Std X passing out confirmation).
And so, if I’d rattled out a fancy, ‘Entity
Management’ in response to her enquiry, I’d have had to deal with another grave
problem – her doubts on whether I went to work in an actual office!
Thus began a modest attempt to help her understand
how I put food on the table. If the ensuing dialogue and its contents appear
very basic (at times, silly too!), you know there is a very good reason. And so
it goes….
Amma: Exactly, what is it that you do at work?
I: Amma, this will take a while. Do you have the
time to stay with me on this? (Amma is usually busy being part of a local
Bhajan group. So busy, we have, on occasions asked her to put up a schedule
indicating when she was likely to be home!)
Amma (appears upset): Ok, go ahead.
I: So, remember Arcade Library and the huge
collection of books they shelved?
Books
= Entities
Amma: Yes, what about it?
I: Imagine walking into one such library. Think of
the huge collection of books neatly organized into sections of shelves and
clearly labelled. Now why do you think that an organization or structure as
such is required?
Entities
are meticulously categorized into a thoroughly deliberated, well-laid out
structure - Business -> Sub-Business -> Process -> Sub-process ->
Input/Output -> Task -> Segment -> SOP -> Role
Amma: Discipline, silly! They can’t have books
strewn around like your clothes and accessories.
I: Amma! (chants, “cool it, cool it”)
Amma: It is difficult to find a given book when a
customer asked for it, isn’t it?
I: Well said Amma. Yes, it helps to know which
corner of what block of which aisle houses a given book. Now, how do you think a
librarian knows that sitting behind a desk and looking at a huge collection,
sometimes thousands in number?
The
organisation houses over 140000 such entities (and still counting)
Amma: I remember the lady at Arcade library making
entries of books that came in and went out in a register.
I: Correct. Now replace that register with a
computer that can deftly manage books running into thousands.
Enterprise
Architecture has laid the path to managing the voluminous entities at MyWork.
Access to entities is centrally managed and a UI (in the works as I draft this)
keeps a tab on the in-tray and out-tray.
Amma: Ok, so are you saying that you are that guy
behind the desk? Are you a librarian
now? Do you realize how much money we poured into your education? This is what
you’ve become – a librarian?!?!?
I (red, but covers up with a chuckle): No Amma,
stay with me. We will get there in a bit. Now back to the library, what kind of
books go into a library?
Amma: Depends on the kind of library it is, doesn’t
it? A library can house all kinds of books but if it is a school library, it
doesn’t have to house movie magazines, books on fashion etc. Those are not of
any significance to it.
Only
those entities that are of significance and/or add value to the organisation
have been identified as entities. Everything in the world as we know it and
conceivable worlds beyond it is an entity. But we chose only those that are
pertinent to the organization.
I: Brilliant! There are different kinds of
libraries – Public, School, Special (like Hospitals, Corporations, Museums,
Military, Government, Private businesses etc).
Amma: Right. Wonder what happens inside a
multi-purpose library though, where books of various subjects are housed.
I: That is where theories like the Dewey Decimal
System are engaged. So books are classified into 10 broad classes:
000
– Computer Science, Information and general works
100
– Philosophy and Psychology
200
– Religion
300
– Social sciences
400
– Language
500
– Science
600
– Technology and Applied Sciences
700
– Arts and recreation
800
– Literature
900
– History and geography
55
such classes that cut through the organization have been identified. It is
significant to note here that ‘Activity’ provides the fulcrum to the entire
Entity arrangement.
Each of the classes is assigned a category number
(as above) and a cutter number/s to the right of the decimal point. This is
referred to as a Call Number.
Each of these classes has 10 sub-classes and each
sub-class has 10 sub-divisions, the objective being to narrow search down to
the last book. The purpose of Call Numbers is to group books of the same
subject together. So here’s a sample for a book on American fiction literature
written between 1861 and 1900 (the highest class being coded 800)
81: indicates
American literature in general
811: Indicates
American poetry
812: Indicates
American drama
And
so on…
So
for example, Sample collection as an activity has been mapped to Business ->
Sub-Business -> Process -> Sub-process -> Input/Output -> Task
-> Segment -> SOP -> Role. Some activities have extended headers
depending on the scope. Each of these headers are identified by unique codes as
laid out in the organisation’s Spirit&Letter and Blueprint
Numbers after the decimal usually indicate the
year the book was first written. In essence, 814.4 points to a book on American
literature -> Essays -> written between 1861 and 1900. More the numbers,
specific the subject of a book.
Sample
this: TS-15-01-LRN-KC-10001 indicates the place of origin, year, version,
business, entity name, count of a given entity.
Amma (sounding impatient): Ok, where are we going
with this?
I: So imagine the diverse and massive knowledge
that roughly 1500 people of our organization hold. All of that knowledge is in
the mind of each of the employees. There has to be a way to put that knowledge
in a meaningful and organized fashion. That way, anyone in the organization can
use the knowledge of any function, anytime. See how transparent the entire
organization will thus become. Everybody knows what another is doing at any
given time.
Amma (appears to submit): Hmm! (That could go
either way. Thankfully, her next question saved my day).
Amma: Now how does a library know how to select
and shelve a given book?
I: Good question, that’s why a thorough analysis
of the subject of the book is required to slot it into one of the main,
sub-classes and the several sub-divisions.
Extreme
caution has been taken to define an entity and only those entities of
significance were taken into count.
Amma (all warmed up now): So what of similar
subjects but by different authors – how do they get shelved?
I: So remember when we talked of classes, we
talked of the subject, subject being the binding factor. So a library may
create sections in aisles that are dedicated to a given subject but by
different authors. This is somewhat similar to, let’s say, the aisle named
‘Cosmetics’ at our local supermarket – same product, different manufacturers.
As
discussed above, an activity forms the central point of the Entities framework.
Its relationships with other entities such as Tasks, Segments, Measures, SOPs,
Process etc are clearly laid out. So while a given activity may appear across
businesses, its relationships with other entities sets it apart.
Amma: When housefull, how does a library
accommodate a new book, especially, a sought after one?
I: So they may move dated and non-moving books to
a godown and maintain them in good condition, just in case someone asked for them
in future.
Entities
that have undergone change in structure, content and/or relevance are
decommissioned and archived. Such entities are only a click away and can be
invoked at any time during the life cycle of entities.
In
toto, EM is all about identifying an entity of significance, establishing its
relationships and maintaining (modifying/retiring) it throughout a life cycle.
The organization is divided into three distinct groups – Services Businesses,
Services Delivery and Support businesses. The preamble to Enterprise
Architecture is to capture, maintain and consume (as required) the knowledge
cutting across these businesses.
Just when I think the game is over, here’s another
one right into the block hole…
Amma: So where do you feature amidst all of this?
What do you do?
I: My job is to manage the in-tray and the
out-tray. We have a very easy-to-use system that helps keep track of what comes
in and what goes out.
Amma: Did you have to identify all of those 140000
whatever you talked about earlier? (One could sense a hint of amazement in the
tone)
I: No Amma, we worked as a team, studied each of
the businesses, partnered with various people, consulted for content etc. Two
years in the making!
Entity
framework setup entailed collection of screens, knowledge components, marketing
collaterals, messages, drug compositions, consumables, equipment information
and many many more grouped eloquently into Hard assets and soft assets, people
and Finance.
Amma: Who tells the librarian about new books or
books that need to go away?
I: Usually, the librarian is partnered with
authors, publishers and so is on top of things. That’s how they know.
Entities
will be identified through org-wide projects that may require a new set up and/or
changes to the existing ones. Triggers run through to the various stakeholders
that initiate these projects, run through QCheck, inform the EM team and
release to production from time to time.
I: So Amma, that’s what I do.
Amma: Isn’t this similar to Knowledge Management?
I (Agape): WHAT? HOW? WHO? WHEN?
Amma: O well, our neighbor does the same thing. We
had a long chat on this a while ago.
I (still agape)
Amma: Why didn’t you just say it. Wasted my time.
Cha!
I (battered and bruised, feels a sudden rush of
existential crisis) ….
Disclaimer:
Entities Management is only a function of the
larger Enterprise Architecture framework in the organization. Additionally, I
have not gone into the depths of the various transactions that are interspersed
in the process. Several significant and times, draft processes have been
deliberately omitted to keep the discussion short. This is only an attempt to
initiate one into the organisation’s Knowledge Management structure.
