CONTACTS 
0201 - Dynamic Alternatives                                                                                                                                               O-00000793 0101
020101 - Mr. Garold L. Johnson

SUBJECTS
Johnson, Gary Submits Ideas for a Book
Book (uses manual language)
Book Ask Gary for Comments on Jerry Nord's Suggestion to Write a Book
Book Publish Gary's Ideas on KM and Management Organize What is in Hi

0806 -
0806 -    ..
0807 - Summary/Objective
0808 -
080801 - Follow up ref SDS 45 PQ6M, ref SDS 41 I86H.
080802 -
080803 - Received ref DRT 1 0001 from Gary with a lot of good ideas on writig a
080804 - book on SDS, POIMS and Com Metrics, per request in a letter via email
080805 - on 020714. ref SDS 45 PQ6M
080807 -  ..
080808 - Gary says...
080809 -
080810 -    a.  When we say that "books and documents don't work" this presumes
080811 -        that there are purposes which are not well served by books.
080812 -        ref DRT 1 0001
080813 -
080814 -           It would help to get links to what is referenece in order to
080815 -           have context.  Gary's referent seems to be language in email
080816 -           shown in the letter on 020714. ref SDS 45 A45I
080817 -
080819 -  ..
080820 - Book on POIMS Has Marketing Advantages for SDS and Com Metrics
080821 -
080822 -
080823 -    b.  So, let's distinguish some of the purposes of writing books
080824 -        about SDS.
080825 -
080826 -          1.  Provide credibility.
080827 -              ..
080828 -              The fact that there are books published helps to
080829 -              convince people that the idea is in the mainstream. It
080830 -              lends some inherent credibility.
080831 -              ..
080832 -          2.  Provide a rationale for all of the features of SDS
080833 -              and relate them to the delivered benefits, which is what
080834 -              people actually buy. ref DRT 1 Y56I
080835 -              ..
080836 -          3.  Provide an experience of using the new concepts
080837 -              involved in SDS. ref DRT 1 666L
080839 -               ..
080840 -          4.  The general reason for wanting a book is to acquire a
080841 -              body of knowledge it exists, not to manage knowledge as
080842 -              it evolves. ref DRT 1 U66N
080844 -         ..
080845 -    c.  Whether a book is an effective tool depends on what you are
080846 -        trying to accomplish. ref DRT 1 6E7G
080847 -
080848 -
080850 -  ..
080851 - Management Book Showing Partnership between Leaderhsip and Technology
080852 -
080853 -
080854 -    d.  The nature of the book
080855 -        ..
080856 -        If a book is to be written, I submit that it should be a
080857 -        management book that sets out what constitutes "better
080858 -        management", and uses that to motivate the sorts of solutions
080859 -        that SDS provides. For conventional print media, a book on
080860 -        management should have more sales potential than one on a
080861 -        specific piece of software. ref DRT 1 UN7N
080862 -
080863 -            This aligns with Gary's letter on 011210, ref SDS 37 0214,
080864 -            and raised again on 020114.
080866 -         ..
080867 -        A very good example is "Object-Oriented Software Construction"
080868 -        by Bertrand Meyer. The book is an introduction to the Eiffel
080869 -        programming language, but it is written as an analysis of the
080870 -        problem to be solved, the variety of proposed solutions, and
080871 -        the rationale for developing the solution as it is implemented
080872 -        in Eiffel. The result is immensely persuasive. ref DRT 1 HO8J
080874 -  ..
080875 -            POIMS and NWO both try to explicit the problem to be solved
080876 -            is information overload that arises from fixed capacity of
080877 -            human cognition in relation to increasing speed of
080878 -            information technology, with the result that human span of
080879 -            attention is constantly overwhelmed, which prevents using
080880 -            good management practices consistently....
080881 -
080882 -                 Information overload................. ref OF 1 6221
080883 -                 Using good practices consistently.... ref OF 1 015M
080884 -                 Good managemnt invests time for
080885 -                 analysis, but never enough time...... ref OF 1 3385
080886 -                 Slippery slope to laziness........... ref OF 1 MQ6J
080887 -
080888 -        ..
080889 -        David Parnas wrote a paper entitled "A Rational Design
080890 -        Process: How and Why to Fake It", that states that no system
080891 -        was ever designed top down, but that a documentation trail can
080892 -        be created that is close to what would have been generated if
080893 -        we had created the system top down, and that such a
080894 -        presentation is what is needed to communicate the final result.
080895 -        This is what the Meyer book does so well. ref DRT 1 XO9F
080896 -        ..
080897 -        If you were to write a book on SDS, this is the approach
080898 -        I would recommend. It would, of necessity, generate a total set
080899 -        of features of a solution - as implemented in SDS. ref DRT 1
080900 -        CP9M
080901 -
080902 -            On 020714 submitted information to Gary on SDS directory
080903 -            structure, ref SDS 45 FP6H, citing the record on 970116,
080904 -            ref SDS 20 0183, that has a link to the list of SDS
080905 -            features and benefits that is fairly lengthy. ref OF 2 ZM4M
080906 -            Not sure Gary proposes explaining the details of all these
080907 -            features.
080908 -
080910 -         ..
080911 -        Consider a book such as "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell. It
080912 -        uses numerous features such as structured headings, sidebar
080913 -        icons with discussions and references to related material. All
080914 -        of these features are intended to allow the book to be used by
080915 -        people with varying technical skill levels or varying interest
080916 -        in details. It does this reasonably well considering that it is
080917 -        still a book. Judicious use of color, shading, boxes, and
080918 -        similar features for expressing emphasis are also valuable.
080919 -        ref DRT 1 MP4G
080920 -
080921 -
080923 -  ..
080924 - Book on CD Demonstrates Features and Enables Commercial Transaction
080925 -
080926 -
080927 -        Electronic Books
080928 -
080929 -        Anything that can be put on a web site can be put into an
080930 -        electronic book, which allows a small web site to be delivered
080931 -        on a CD or as a downloadable file.
080933 -         ..
080934 -        This would be an approach to dealing with the interactivity and
080935 -        knowledge space ideas used in SDS. Since the book wouldn't
080936 -        include the program, it would be necessary to construct the
080937 -        subject and glossary index files so that the entire result
080938 -        delivered the best possible simulation of using SDS (with a
080939 -        database that can't be edited).
080940 -        ..
080941 -        Consider if the electronic book contained all the SDS
080942 -        records needed during the development of the book. Then the
080943 -        book would be an example of the use of SDS in itself as well as
080944 -        the resulting work product.
080945 -
080947 -  ..
080948 - POIMS, NWO and Other Publications on SDS are Difficult to Understand
080949 -
080950 -
080951 - Gary continues...
080952 -
080953 -        But we already have....
080955 -         ..
080956 -        There are indeed several documents on the web that explain a
080957 -        lot about what SDS is and the philosophical concepts that give
080958 -        rise to some of its features.
080960 -               ..
080961 -              New Ideas Difficult to Understand
080962 -
080964 -         ..
080965 -        I can attest that these documents [SDS foundational documents
080966 -        on the Internet, e.g., POIMS, NWO, TDS, etc.) could be improved
080967 -        in that:
080968 -
080969 -          1.  After my initial reading, I still didn't understand what
080970 -              SDS actually *does*. I have spent some time going through
080971 -              the documents trying to extract requirements for SDS. It
080972 -              is not a trivial exercise, and I am far from certain that
080973 -              I have it all yet. ref DRT 1 R13M
080974 -
080975 -                      [On 030701 Jerry Nord proposes writing an ebook
080976 -                      that makes SDS, POIMS and NWO, etc., easier to
080977 -                      understand. ref SDS 46 KF9K
080979 -                   ..
080980 -                  In some respects, difficulty is to be expected
080981 -                  describing a new way of working using technology for
080982 -                  using good management consistently, and then
080983 -                  extending traditional ideas about management that
080984 -                  evolved in a manual world.
080986 -                   ..
080987 -                  On 000716 Professor Joseph Ransdell warned that
080988 -                  people have tried to explain a coherent, competent
080989 -                  theory of communication (which is the core subject)
080990 -                  since the 17th century and not been successful, so
080991 -                  merely because people don't understand what we have,
080992 -                  doesn't mean it can be done much better, although the
080993 -                  prospect of improvement is always attractive.
080995 -                   ..
080996 -                  Dave Vannier at Intel observed on 970603 that SDS
080997 -                  enables good practices that everybody wants to use,
080998 -                  and hears about in seminars and reads about in books,
080999 -                  but are never able to implement because there is not
081000 -                  enough time. ref SDS 21 4528  Wayne Wetzel made a
081001 -                  similar point on 010725. ref SDS 31 OY5L
081003 -                   ..
081004 -                  But SDS adds some capability that is useful but is
081005 -                  not part of people's everyday lives nor discussed
081006 -                  very much in seminars, in books and managemnet class.
081008 -                   ..
081009 -                  On 020425 Morris indicated the Typical Day Scenario
081010 -                  is a good read, ref SDS 29 FG5O, and represents a
081011 -                  "utopia" with everything in the right place at the
081012 -                  right time. ref SDS 29 EP7F
081013 -
081015 -               ..
081016 -          2.  The narrative could be more tightly focused if it were
081017 -              based on a theme.  I have recommended the notion that the
081018 -              elements of "good management" based on problems
081019 -              experienced trying to manage in the first place and
081020 -              proposed solutions is one workable organization.
081021 -              ref DRT 1 E24K
081022 -
081023 -                  Good management used consistently is a primary theme
081024 -                  of the POIMS, based on review on 921205 showing this
081025 -                  is the weakness in daily work. ref SDS 4 4080 and
081026 -                  ref SDS 4 5553
081028 -               ..
081029 -          3.  The documents often seem to discuss problems without
081030 -              direct solutions or ideas that aren't tied directly to
081031 -              problems. ref DRT 1 D25F
081033 -                   ..
081034 -                  We try to be specific in POIMS explaining the concept
081035 -                  of integrating time and information by using a
081036 -                  schedule and diary to implement the plan, perform,
081037 -                  report management cycle. ref OF 1 1102
081039 -                   ..
081040 -                  Would help for Gary to give examples of the problem
081041 -                  he describes, so attention can be given to adding
081042 -                  clarification.
081043 -
081044 -
081046 -  ..
081047 - Rewrite Book Based on Existing Publications
081048 -
081049 -
081050 - Gary suggets...
081051 -
081052 -        In short, I am talking about a rewrite of the documents
081053 -        with an explicit goal to create a knowledge space that both
081054 -        evolves what a good solution looks like and presents the
081055 -        results of using such a system. ref DRT 1 K15S
081056 -
081057 -            SDS records like this one illustrate what the solution
081058 -            described in POIMS and NWO look like.
081059 -
081060 -               [On 030701 Jerry Nord proposes writing an ebook that
081061 -               makes SDS, POIMS and NWO, etc., easier to understand.
081062 -               ref SDS 46 KF9K
081064 -             ..
081065 -            Some people have found this comprehensible, reported on
081066 -            010907. ref SDS 32 KX3L
081067 -
081069 -         ..
081070 -        None of this should be tied to direct mechanisms used in SDS as
081071 -        that is too low a level of detail. For example, discussing the
081072 -        operations that you might want to perform on an action item
081073 -        provide a rationale for the entire management of action items:,
081074 -        ref DRT 1 G65M
081076 -               ..
081077 -           •  Create a pending item with a time to become
081078 -              visible.
081080 -               ..
081081 -           •  Activate an item to put it on today's schedule.
081083 -               ..
081084 -           •  Generate follow up items.
081086 -               ..
081087 -           •  Issue documents with action items to others.
081089 -               ..
081090 -           •  Mark issued action items as requiring action by others
081091 -              with follow up intervals.
081093 -               ..
081094 -           •  Tie action items and documents to relevant references to
081095 -              align with objectives.
081097 -         ..
081098 -        The result is that problems are demonstrated, currently
081099 -        proposed solutions are introduced and shown to be defective,
081100 -        and a better solution is developed based on the mechanics of
081101 -        knowledge and on the day-to-day use of the system. If done
081102 -        well, the result is that the reader is left with the conviction
081103 -        that the proposed solution is clearly the best possible, or
081104 -        maybe even the only one possible. ref DRT 1 D77L
081105 -
081107 -  ..
081108 - Gary Plans to Expand on Ideas for a Book
081109 - Several Books Proposed Restructing Existing and/or New on CD or HTML
081110 -
081111 - Gary plans follow up...
081112 -
081113 -        I will have more to say about a possible structure as I
081114 -        make more progress on extracting requirements from the
081115 -        documents. ref DRT 1 J78I
081117 -         ..
081118 -        In the meantime, I submit that the options are by no means
081119 -        mutually exclusive. Restructuring the existing documents to
081120 -        deal more directly with the motivations, features, and benefits
081121 -        of SDS would be necessary before writing a book on SDS. The
081122 -        effort to do this with an HTML structure that simulated what
081123 -        the user would see in an SDS system would improve the web
081124 -        presentation, and this could be packaged for electronic
081125 -        delivery and / or as a CD. ref DRT 1 E48L
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081128 -
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081138 -