Cognitive Aspects of Practical Ontology Design

1
Cognitive Aspects of Practical Ontology Design
Tutorial CAOD 2007

• Tatiana Gavrilova / Dmitry Kudryavtsev
• Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University,
  tgavrilova_at_gmail.com
• Business Engineering Group, Russia,
  dmitry.ku_at_gmail.com

2
CAOD 2007 Part 2. What and How (as is)
Ontologies in organizational design
Cognitive aspects of practical ontology design

• Kudryavtsev Dmitry
• dmitry.ku_at_gmail.com

Business Engineering Group SPb
3
Outline

• 1. Applying ontologies to organizational design
• 2. Organizational ontologies design
• 3. Example 1 Business Organization Ontology
• 4. Example 2 Public administration ontology
• Summary
• Acknowledgements
• References

4
Ontology-based organizational modeling

• Ontology as a conceptual basis of organizational
  model.
• Organizational modeling
• Public administration modeling
• Public administration ontology
• Business organization modeling
• Business organization ontology
• Other organizations modeling
• Other organizations ontologies (Future)

5
Organizational modeling approach Viewpoint 1
Knowledge Process
Distribution
Use
Creation and Acquisition
Formalization

6
Organizational modeling approach Viewpoint 2
Knowledge Process
Distribution
Use
Creation and Acquisition
Formalization
Text X
Text Y

Ontology-based organizational model
Tables X
Tables Y
Graphics X
Graphics Y
Pseudo-Graphics
Internal Representation
7
Organizational modeling approach Viewpoint 3
Knowledge Process
Distribution
Creation and Acquisition
???????- ?????
Formalization
Use
Ontology Views X
????? ??????????????? ?????? ???????????
Ontology Views Y
Ontology-based organizational model
8
Organizational modeling software support
Knowledge Process
Distribution
Creation and Acquisition
???????- ?????
Formalization
Use
Ontology Views X
????? ??????????????? ?????? ???????????
Ontology Views Y
Ontology-based organizational model
9
WHY organizational modeling ?

• Purpose of ontology-based organizational model
• consistency of organizational administrative
  documents
• support organizational analysis
• support controlling of business rules in the
  field of organizational design
• easy organizational redesign
• reasonable decisions
• holistic understanding of organization and
  interrelations
• organizational knowledge base

Agile organization
Risks reduction
Efficiency growth
10
Outline

• 1. Applying ontologies to organizational design
• 2. Designing organizational ontologies
• 3. Example 1 Business Organization Ontology
• 4. Example 2 Public administration ontology
• Summary
• Acknowledgements
• References

11
2 approaches for 2 levels of organizational
ontology
Application organizational ontology
Upper-level ontology
Different requirements Different methods of
design Different software support
Level of abstraction
Low-level ontology /-ies
12
Knowledge Structuring software support
Upper-level ontology

• Requirements specification
• Search for re-use opportunities
• Glossary development
• Laddering
• Defining non-hierarchical relations and
  attributes
• Refinement

Low-level ontology/-ies

• Mind mapping software

• ORG-Master / GOV-Master
• Mind mapping software

• Mind mapping software

• ORG-Master / GOV-Master
• Mind mapping software

• Concept mapping
• software

• ORG-Master / GOV-Master
• Excel

• Mind mapping software
• Concept mapping software

• ORG-Master / GOV-Master

13
Outline

• 1. Applying ontologies to organizational design
• 2. Organizational ontologies design
• 3. Example 1 Business Organization Ontology
  (BOO)
• 4. Example 2 Public administration ontology
  (PAO)
• Summary
• Acknowledgements
• References

14
Upper-level Business organization ontology
design example
15
Requirements specification / BOO - Upper-level
Upper-level ontology
Application purpose Strategic design Organizationa
l re-design Business process improvement Administr
ative regulations Holistic improvement of
management system Role of ontology Provide
systematic (holistic) analysis Communication Expla
nation and Understanding Meta-model (schema) for
organizational model and views Key
requirements Cognitive ergonomics Meaningful and
persuasive (Explicitness of organizing
principles) Knowledge model integrity Ready for
extensions Reflect current and future
prospective scope Correspond to viewpoints /
methods Correspond to purpose and
scope Organizational fitness (history, habits,
maturity of organization)
16
Synthesis of ad-hoc conceptual top-level model -
Process
Organization
Environment
Control
Business Concept
Organization
Input
Output
Functioning
Mechanism
Performance management
Information resources
Control
Material resources
Input
Functioning
Output
Production
Financial resources
Output
Mechanism
play role
Human resources
Infrastructure
Organizational Structure
17
Synthesis of ad-hoc conceptual top-level model -
Result
Business Concept
Environment
Performance management
Information resources
Functioning
Material resources
Production
Financial resources
Infrastructure
Organizational Structure
Human resources
18
Business organization ontology - Upper-level
(Overview)
19
Business organization ontology - Upper-level
(Detailed)
20
Problem Oriented top-level model
Management viewpoint
Corporate Governance
Strategy development
Organizational Design
Managing Improvement and Change
Improvement and Change
Business Organization Operations
Internal Resources
21
Problem Oriented Ontology View
Corporate governance
Expectations
Codes
Vision
Strategic development
Policies
Strategic measures
Strategic and business goals
Business Organization Ontology
Organizational design
Functional goals
Operating measures
Business Rules
Organizational Structure
Functions and Processes
Managing improvement and change
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Initiatives
Improvement Initiatives
Improvement objectives
Improvement and Change
Improvement and Change Projects
Operations
Processes
Internal resources
22
Defining non-hierarhical relations / BOO
Upper-level
23
Low-level Business organization ontology design
example
24
Requirements specification / BOO - Low-level

• Application purpose
• Organizational re-design
• Analysis of functions completeness
• Administrative regulations
• Creation and support of documents regulating
  responsibilities
• Business process improvement
• Designing the process of management of
  organizational internal projects
• Implementation of the process of management of
  organizational internal projects
• Check for functions completeness in the field of
  management of organizational growth projects
• Role of ontology
• Search for elements
• Easy-to-use administrative documents
• Comparison with good practice
• Method-oriented reports from organizational
  model (ontology views)
• Key requirements
• Easily understood
• Standardization (general, standard templates)
• Transparent conceptual choices
• Correspond to purpose and scope

Low-level ontology/-ies
25
Top-down specification / BOO Low-level
Classificator Functions
List
Unstructured List
Tree
26
Template-based generalization - Check for
functions completeness / BOO Low-level
PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) 2004
27
Check for functions completeness / BOO Low-level
2-dimension template
28
Define non-hierarhical relations / BOO
Low-level
Relations Functions Organizational Roles
Relations as a matrix
Relations as a diagram
Relations in lists
Full
Related
29
Part 2. Outline

• 2.1.Applying ontologies to organizational design
• 2.2 Organizational ontologies design
• 2.3 Example 1 Business Organization Ontology
• 2.4 Example 2 Public administration ontology
• Summary
• Acknowledgements
• References

This ontology is part of the research project
Federal, regional and local authorities
modeling funded by Ministry for Economic
Development and Trade of the Russian Federation
within the Federal Budget Program Electronic
Russia. Project performers Business
Engineering Group Saint-Petersburg State
University the Higher School of Economics
30
Requirements specification / PAO Upper-level

• Application purpose
• Optimization of authorities Structure and
  Functioning
• Division of jurisdiction between levels of
  control (federal, regional, municipal)
• Structural division of the performers of
  functions related to the adoption of regulatory
  legal acts, the control and supervision, the
  management of state property and the provision of
  public services
• Creation and support of responsibilities
  regulating documents
• Administrative regulation of authorities
  procedures
• Performance management implementation in
  authorities
• Increase transparency of authorities
• Create knowledge base
• Role of ontology
• Provide systematic (holistic) analysis
• Communication
• Explanation and Understanding
• Meta-model (schema) for organizational model and
  views
• Method-oriented reports (views) from
  organizational model
• Key requirements
• Cognitive ergonomics
• Meaningful and persuasive (Explicitness of
  organizing principles)
• Knowledge model integrity

Upper-level ontology
31
Public administration ontology - Upper-level
(Overview)
32
Public administration ontology - Upper-level
(Detailed)
33
Summary of part 2.

• Harmony works as an ideal / vision and a
  guideline for the analysis in practice.
• If you use ontology for communications,
  explanations, trainings and education then it
  must be easy to grasp, understand and remember.
• Suggested cognitive approach is scalable and
  adaptable for different levels of complex
  ontology.

34
References

• Kudryavtsev D., Grigoriev L., Kislova V.,
  Zablotsky A. Using org-master for knowledge
  based organizational change, International
  Journal Information Theories Applications,
  2006, Volume13, Number 2.
• Kudryavtsev D. From context to knowledge
  consecutive mapping ontologies and contexts, 6th
  International Conference on Knowledge Management,
  6-8 September, 2006, Graz, Austria.
• Grigoriev L. Federal, regional and local
  authorities modeling, Ministry for Economic
  Development and Trade of the Russian Federation
  research project, 2006 (in Russian).
• Gomez-Perez A. Ontologies Theory, methods and
  tools. Tutorial. The Fourth Summer School on
  Ontological Engineering and the Semantic Web,
  2006 (SSSW'06). http//torresq.dia.fi.upm.es/sssw0
  6/frames.jsp
• Aldo Gangemi Ontology Evaluation and Validation
  Tutorial. The Fourth Summer School on Ontological
  Engineering and the Semantic Web, 2006 (SSSW'06).
  http//torresq.dia.fi.upm.es/sssw06/frames.jsp
• Rainey Hal G. Understanding and Managing Public
  Organizations, Jossey-Bass, 2003
• Schreiber G., Akkermans H., Anjewierden A., R. de
  Hoog, Shadbolt N., W. van de Velde, Wielinga B.
  Knowledge Engineering and Management The
  CommonKADS Methodology -, The MIT Press,
  Cambridge, MA, 2000.

35
References

• Uschold M., King M., Moralee S. and Zorgios Y.
  The Enterprise Ontology AIAI, The University of
  Edinburgh, 1997.
• Fox, M. S., Barbuceanu, M. Gruninger, M. Lin,
  J. An Organization Ontology for Enterprise
  Modelling. Simulating Organizations
  Computational Models of Institutions and Groups,
  Menlo Park CA AAAI/MIT Press, pp. 131-152. 1997.
• Hepp M., Roman D. An Ontology Framework for
  Semantic Business Process Management, Proceedings
  of Wirtschaftsinformatik 2007, February 28 -
  March 2, 2007, Karlsruhe
• Report on the State of the Art in Enterprise
  Modeling, University of Namur, 2002. (Project
  Unified Enterprise Modelling Language,
  Deliverable D1.1).
• Sowa J.F., Zachman J.A. Extending and Formalizing
  the Framework for Information System
  Architecture. IBM System Journal, vol. 31, no. 3,
  1992.
• Project Management Body of Knowledge, American
  National Standard ANSI/PMI 99-001-2004
• FEA Consolidated Reference Model Document, FY07
  Budget Formulation, 2005.

36
Acknowledgements

• Business Engineering Group SPb
• Grigoriev L.
• Kislova V.
• Yakubovskaya T.
• Gorelik S.
• Okorokova T.
• North-West State Politechnical University
• Spiridonov V.
• Ministry for Economic Development and Trade of
  the Russian Federation
• Makarevich M.
• State University the Higher School of Economics
• Zhulin A.

37
Questions? Comments?
Design your ontologies on the visionary level!

• Tatiana Gavrilova / Dmitry Kudryavtsev
• Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University,
  tgavrilova_at_gmail.com
• Business Engineering Group, Russia,
  dmitry.ku_at_gmail.com