THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700



Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 18:02:39 -0700

03 00050 61 03041701




Mr. David J. Snowden
Director
snowded@uk.ibm.com
Cynefin Centre
IBM Global Services
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Subject:   Proposal on SDS and Com Metrics

Dear Dave,

This is a proposal for IBM to consider SDS and Com Metrics as "solutions" that provide products and services which add bottom line value to customers with an ROI of 10:1. This high rate of return reflects the fact that knowledge is a more powerful cognitive resource than people derive from current practice relying on information technology like, email, meetings, Powerpoint, the telephone, etc.
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Your letter on September 20, 2002 requested an explanation of SDS and Com Metrics that does not require clicking links. This letter has links for the purpose of support and so do not require clicking anything unless you wish to check original source or get more information for context.
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SDS and Com Metrics are fully explained in POIMS.
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Here is a short explanation from the record of a presentation to PG&E on September 1, 1994.
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Communication Metrics is a management science that uses the SDS program for an intelligence support role to improve "knowledge" work. The need for this role comes from limited time that increases reliance on talking, which, in turn, reduces analysis. Under current practice, constant meetings, calls and email overwhelm human cognition, causing mistakes, stress and conflict. This makes communication the biggest risk in enterprise. Every meeting, call, and email sows the seeds of error and crisis, as explained in POIMS.
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The Com Metrics support role can be thought of as a journalist for management that uses the SDS program to keep a diary of daily work. Alignment with objectives, requirements and commitments is added to prevent drifting off course. This new role to align daily communication complements the role of accounting that aligns daily finances with budgets. Since communication is a predicate to action, adding alignment saves a lot of time and money; I call this role a Communication Manager. (see NWO for more details)
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This role has been used to support work on Broadwater Dam; by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for several projects; by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and in support of work sponsored by SRI for OHS/DKR.
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USACE published a report on October 7, 1997 showing that Com Metrics saves money at the rate of 10:1.
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The Com Manager uses the SDS program much like an accountant uses a spreadsheet to align finances, and so SDS has been described as a spreadsheet for knowledge, as shown in POIMS and discussed with Intel on September 27, 1995.
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SDS means "Schedule Diary System."
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The design integrates time and information management through a diary and a schedule that includes support for contacts, documents and context. Support for "context," as you might imagine, is complex, because it is both a science and a craft. This is accomplished through a system of organic subject structure that enables the user to organize free form information so that relevant parts can be located quickly when needed. This is commonly called "meta data" in KM circles, however, as near as can be determined, efforts using meta data fall far short of requirements for context management enabled by SDS.
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SDS is implemented with eight steps that improve listening to understand and follow up new information from meetings, calls and documents, per Drucker's article in the Atlantic Monthly reviewed on October 25, 1999, and an HBR article on May 10, 1994.
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These 8 steps provide a new way of working "intelligently" to meet new realities that require greater attention to analysis, cited by Drucker, reviewed on November 20, 1993 and by Henry Kissinger noting the overwhelming tendency to omit analysis, reviewed on June 9, 1994.
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Using SDS for Communication Metrics entails...
  1. "Report" like a journalist, capture the story of calls, meetings and documents (e.g., email) in the flexible structure of SDS records that create Knowledge Space for constructing and preserving organizational memory showing the chronology of cause effect, see POIMS.
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  2. "Organize" - develop and assign organic subject structure for managing context to expand span of attention and discover correlations, implications and nuance used for steps 1, 3 and 4. SDS makes organizing fast and easy to save time finding information quickly and accurately when needed that improves remembering only the gist of the story. see POIMS. See also tending the Garden of Knowledge.
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  3. "Analyze" - write a story to give data and information meaning in relation to time (sequence), needs and values, so that understanding cause and effect is comprehensive and consistent rather than fragmentary and conflicting relative to history, objectives, requirements and commitments, see POIMS.
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  4. "Align" details of daily work with links to history, context, correlations, implications and nuance that disclose gaps in understanding and conflicts that can be corrected to refine accuracy that avoids mistakes and discovers opportunities for saving time and money. see POIMS.
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  5. "Summary" provides perspective with multiple views of meaning that save time by enabling people to understand large quantities of information and decide when to pause for studying more detail, see POIMS.

  6. Action Items drawn from analysis and alignment are managed comprehensively and in context to plan follow up. see POIMS.
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  7. Schedule tasks to implement planning for timely follow up. see POIMS.
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    After doing 7 steps to "be prepared" then provide.....

  8. "Feedback" - respond to email and other communication that refines accuracy of knowledge; and, perform action items discovered through steps 1 - 5. Link response to the SDS Knowledge Space for clear, concise, complete communication that builds shared meaning with triangulation of...

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    1. common story
    2. alignment
    3. actions taken and planned
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These 8 steps sound complex when written out, but people ordinarily do all of them albeit mostly in their head. The SDS program provides an environment where a greater share of common mental tasks can be externalized for crafting and refining accuracy through a simple plan, perform, report "intelligence" process that is facilitated by the flexible structure of SDS.
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My letter to you on September 18, 2002 addressed your question on June 10, 2002 asking how many people have purchased SDS. At that time you were not familiar with Com Metrics support services.
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Subsequently, IBM's work marketing solutions that consist of products and services came to light on July 30, 2002 and so may justify consideration along the following lines...
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  1. I delayed following up your request on Septyember 20, 2002 for information about SDS, because in September I began supporting a new person, Gary Johnson, using SDS at Boeing. This yielded experience on the level of effort for training and support to develop skill using SDS and providing Com Metrics services.
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  2. Gary has recently reported that SDS is making an impact at Boeing. Gary's SDS record a few days ago on 030413 says in part...

    "Part of the power in the SDS design is connecting elements that are related based on where you are in knowledge space and what you are doing there. The flexible structure of SDS, explained in Rod's record on 890523, ref SDS 1 P13O, makes creating connections fast and easy, and this in turn reveals more connections that are helpful, but are otherwise overlooked in the absence of having a fast and easy way to make connections. In other words, understanding cause and effect from linking one thing we know to another is a self-reinforcing dynamic that continually refines understanding to avoid mistakes and discover opportunities."
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  3. Gary's experience transitioning from conventional work practice to doing Knowledge Management with SDS suggests a possible nexus with IBM's efforts to market "solutions" that entail products and services.
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  4. Organizations like DOD, IBM, Boeing, Intel, Microsoft, Proctor and Gamble, Lockheed, Safeco, what ever is left of Enron, et al, want better earnings. This requires better management which is a "solutions" opportunity. SDS and Communication Metrics offer a powerful story that can complement IBM's current products and services, i.e., "solutions."
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In an earlier letter I pointed out that IBM has previously considered SDS, and on November 14, 1994 made plans for marketing along the lines in point 4.
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Later IBM decided to purchase Lotus Notes. Experience on that initiative over the past 9 years or so has shown that IBM's ideas in November of 1994 for using SDS to provide KM support are not easily implemented with other tools, shown by the record on November 30, 2000 reporting slow progress with Raven.
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As a result, consideration might be given to make a follow up review that picks up where the prior team left off in order to go forward with a new SDS effort at IBM. Marketing expertise and customer channels offer an ideal opportunity for IBM to provide a powerful new solution of Com Metrics support and training services to complement the SDS program.
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On July 29, 2002 SRI endorsed SDS as a unique KM solution, saying in part that...

"Based on experience interacting with SDS records prepared for Doug Engelbart's OHS/DKR team that was meeting at SRI, shown in your record on October 17, 2000, I believe SDS technology and related work practices aim to accomplish a large part of what is commonly called Knowledge Management." ..
...and saying further that...

"We are currently looking for an appropriate research project to experimentally deploy SDS. I believe research is appropriate for SDS at this time. While interacting with the record demonstrates self-evident benefits, those not directly involved retain appropriate skepticism about the viability of adding anything new to daily communications." ..
SRI's recognition that SDS offers a new way of working fits the model of providing a "solution" that requires both tools (SDS) and services (Com Metrics) along with training an support. Putting marketing savvy and muscle behind any initiative increases the chance that new ideas will sprout up faster and stronger. For example, if Gary Johnson were performing Com Metrics at Boeing under the support of IBM, this would provide considerable weight and visibility to ensure that near term cultural sieches and personalities do not cause an arbitrary end before benefits begin to acquire a self-sustaining dynamic.
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By copy, I am notifying Ross Armstrong who supported the prior effort with IBM. Bill DeHart sponsored SDS at PG&E and supported the meeting with IBM on 941114. Gary Johnson can be contacted directly about his experience using SDS at Boeing, as can Morris Jones at Intel, who has contributed since 1983. As well Pat Lincoln at SRI can be contacted for details on SRI's experience with SDS.
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Finally, on several occasions you have asked for feedback on your excellent paper Complex Acts of Knowing... Careful analysis is in the record on June 8, 2002.
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In sum, you follow the literature pretty well by showing how lack of a coherent theory of knowledge presents an innovation loop that stifles progress within the KM community. Your idea of "knowledge" as a "flow" and "thing" is supported by experience using SDS; and, further, your support for "stories" as a building block of knowledge leads in a fruitful direction.
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Thanks very much for consideration.

Sincerely,



Rod Welch
rodwelch@pacbell.net



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