Knowledge Management Facility

The knowledge management facility (KMF) represents the logic tier of the knowledge repository. It enables the creator to access the knowledge database. Furthermore, it is the only facility which directly accesses the knowledge database, due to management and security reasons. An included access management caters for the security of the database entries. Its interfaces enable other tools, like the analysis tool, to request the pattern descriptions and the related metainformation. The facility provides further functionalities. It enables the search for behavioural patterns and keywords. It is actively supporting comparisons of creativity maps through automatical categorisation of transition types.

Knowledge is never static, but subject to constant growing and changing. The growing of the knowledge is not only related to a rising number of system users. The normal users will create more and more knowledge, mainly when working on new projects. Updates are very important regarding the freshness of the knowledge. The activities around the management of the knowledge can be best described as a cycle. This is similar to the lifecycle of knowledge as described in Chapter 2. Nonetheless, the circle provides a better illustration of the process in regard to the creation of new knowledge through the learning process during the analysis of the creative process.

Cre atio n Retrieval R e fi n e m e n t

Figure 5.5: Cycle of Knowledge Management

The Figure 5.5 represents the cycle of knowledge management. It starts with the Creation arrow. The cycle can end with the Retrieval arrow, but it is also possible that new knowledge is based on existing knowledge. This describes the possibility of creating an entirely new behavioural pattern or a new one, based on existing patterns. The Refinement arrow represents possible knowledge refinement within the KMF.

The KMF guarantees that newly added information fits into the structure of the knowl- edge repository and in particular the knowledge database. This prevents the need of complex processes to normalise the knowledge such as in other knowledge repositories. A standardised structure is very important for the analysis tools. These tools require one format which allows them to represent the knowledge about the behavioural patterns and the results of the parsing process to the creator. Some knowledge also enables the analysis tool to trigger an action when a certain pattern is identified.

The KMF also provides functions for the exchange of behavioural patterns. This makes it also to a communication device. The facility improves the communication of behavioural pattern between the users of the knowledge repository. It was already mentioned that behavioural patterns will only move up to the common and domain-specific categories, if the same pattern has been identified in several of the personal pattern lists. The final decision about the upgrade of a personal behavioural pattern to one of the two categories is made through a vote. Those votes are also initiated by the KMF.

Knowledge Retrieval

The main task of the KMF is the retrieval of information from the database. It will select the required entries of the database and return the knowledge in a, for the user appropriate, structure. The complexity of the database enquiries will be hidden. The ability to search for keywords was already mentioned. This is an important feature for the users. It enables an overview about behavioural patterns of certain field of application.

The knowledge access and search facilities are usually accessed through analysis tools. These tools can use the KMF through defined interfaces. The KMF provides access to the management facilities. Users will not be able to access the personal knowledge of others.

Knowledge Creation

A knowledge repository supports a constant growing of knowledge. The system must be able to cope with the changing requirements over time. The approaches for the analysis of the creative process will change or be replaced by new ones. Hence, it is necessary to provide clean interfaces, allowing the users of the system to add new content.

The in this chapter presented knowledge repository is designed to facilitate and encourage the growth of the stored knowledge. It structures the knowledge and makes sure that all required information is present, before writing the knowledge set into the database.

Knowledge Refinement

The knowledge entries of the database can contain errors or require a refinement. There- fore, it is not only important to be able to add new knowledge, but to change already existing knowledge. The KMF enables the manipulation of the knowledge inside the knowledge database. The knowledge entries can be accessed through a well defined inter- face, like for the knowledge retrieval. This allows a comfortable process for changing a knowledge entry.

However, there are some limitations. It is impossible for one user alone to change or even remove a knowledge entry of the common or domain-specific category. Otherwise, one person could temper with the analysis process of all creators, using this knowledge entry. As a result, only personal knowledge can be changed.

Changing the knowledge entries of the two other categories is not a useful feature. This would be even the case, if such an operation would require the approval of a group. Some of the creators might want to keep using the current version of the knowledge entry. This would end in a conflict of interests. Even a large majority should not be able to change the entry for those people. Otherwise, it is possible that some people might not realise that the knowledge entry has been changed. This would lead to problems and false results of the analysis.