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 Today


BORE lecture discussion of projects
 Tomorrow (1112 AVW)

Haiying on Answer Garden and associated systems
 discuss projects
 April 18 (1112 AVW)

Erica on learning from failure, case-based reasoning
 April 25 (1112 AVW)

Weiwei on software agents
April 12, 2020

Dr. Scott Henninger
CMSC 838y
Department of Computer Science
University of Maryland

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 BORE concepts

 creating a repository of best practices using process to deliver information
 The BORE system and methodology
 tailoring process to project needs
 delivering resources and best practices
 Possible projects


 feature design empirical studies application of the tool & methodology
April 12, 2020

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 Software development is a knowledge intensive activity
 knowledge from many different domains
• no longer a programmer and a programming language
 exceeds the capacity of any individual to fully understand a given development effort
 Much of the requisite knowledge is:
 domain-specific

 organization-specific less project-specific than people believe
• don’t have to start from a blank sheet of paper
April 12, 2020

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 Tools supporting sustained learning communities

 software development as a community of practice capturing and using knowledge generated by the community
 Knowledge management

 more like building on existing knowledge
• not just manage what already exists have also used “organizational learning”
• loaded term for MIS
April 12, 2020

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 Building a Organizational Repository of
Experiences (BORE)
 using process to organize and manage knowledge
• delivering best practices

 capturing the context for using different techniques support process diversity through rule-based tailoring
 Process adaptation
 deviation process when current rules/tasks don’t apply
• create new activity, encode rationale in rules

 allow subsequent projects to use tailored processes
• i.e. follow the precedent allow the SDM to grow “organically”
April 12, 2020

External
Advancements
Tool uvw
Project xyz
Domain
Analyst
7 tasks reusable artifacts value-added artifacts design guidelines n o v e l d o m a in
Project abc re pe at ed
d om ai n mature domain
Application
Developer
Tool
Designer
Critic: the inf rastructur e does not support
automatic updating fr om the m ainfr ame
to P C wor kstations
Command: Show all value-added com ponents
Command: Add component x-u1823.y
Command:
Command: Cr eate code
April 12, 2020

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 Model of how knowledge evolves (red)
 incremental formalization
 Model of how it is used (blue)
 increasing levels of support for designers
 Anderson Consulting


 rules: find best practices schools: package and teach the accumulated knowledge tools: embed the knowledge in tools
April 12, 2020

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 Essentially an organizational memory

 case-based architecture capture project experiences
 Case-based repository
 hierarchical representation of project activities
 instantiation of activities are a cases
• problem and solution statement
• document context-specific information
 Individual experiences captured as cases

 i.e. situation-specific knowledge first step in the domain lifecycle
April 12, 2020

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April 12, 2020

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 Artifacts associated with cases

 attach documents to a case
• upload to server
• download via HTTP
Resources Tab
April 12, 2020

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 Used in software engineering classes (‘98-’99)

 document project activities no defined process
 Pilot study at Union Pacific Railroad (‘98)
 limited comments on usefulness
 very little detail
 Results were as expected - nothing


 not much information captured
• not enough detail to “reuse” the experience didn’t understand what needed to be documented viewed as an extra step
• just a documentation medium
April 12, 2020

 Repository needed to be more proactive

 more than a discretionary tool mandated as part of everyday activities
 KM as information retrieval
 build a repository and let people search
 people need to know that knowledge exists
• …and when/where to look for it
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 KM as information delivery


 i.e. a push model agent model: watch people’s behavior
• make inferences about what information they need
• can be effective in limited domains problem: how to infer people’s behavior
April 12, 2020

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 Applying knowledge to the task at hand



Information Delivery
• Did You Know: inappropriate timing applicability conditions for knowledge
• Critics: on-task delivery, too late for planning rule-based paradigm
• rules determine applicability conditions
 BORE has a different model
 define information sources at points in the process

 use process to organize and manage knowledge workflow as information delivery
April 12, 2020

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 Define the activities for a software project


 standard definition not a workflow, more a listing of activities
• projects should use configuration management, for example normally delivered as a document
• or series of documents
 High-level activities


 must address the least common denominator complexity is an issue
• …when viewed as a monolithic document little support for how the activity should be carried out
April 12, 2020

 CMM key practices


“The project follows a written organizational policy for planning and implementing a risk management program.”
“A risk assessment is performed early in the project life cycle using a defined process.”
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 NASA Goddard


Develop a system, software and operations concept.
•
It is recommended that the Team develop system, software and operation concepts if they do not already exist.
Code New Modules
• Team members shall code new modules from the low-level design, using the coding standards or conventions specified in the Software
Management Plan (see paragraph 6.1). This activity also includes implementing tailoring and configuration of COTS/GOTS components.
April 12, 2020

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 Not seen as a knowledge delivery and capture mechanism

 no good way to organize knowledge generated by individual development efforts
BORE cases aim to do this
 Often seen as a definition effort
 review of the process is normally part of the process


I.e. process refinement is part of the process
…but few mechanisms to do this
 Not a resource for developers

 only managers need to be concerned with them no support for developers, testers, etc.
April 12, 2020

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 More than a conformance tool
 also deliver information when it is needed
 Capture and disseminate best practices
 use process to show how others have performed the activities
 building an organization-specific knowledge base
 Flexible to meet different levels of detail
 both managers and development personnel
April 12, 2020

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 Process tailoring

 define applicability rules for activities
“if there are significant technical risks”
• “document the risks, perform prototyping activities”
 Flexible software process

SDM as a repository of best practices



 more detailed knowledge than SDMs
• capture more than the least common denominator supporting process diversity
• tailor SDM to specific project needs document project-specific issues use assigned tasks to disseminate knowledge
April 12, 2020

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 Process captured as decision points

 project requirements captured as question/answer pairs assign activities based on answers
April 12, 2020

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 Allows flexible process definition

 can go beyond one size fits all different type of projects can incorporate more detail
• without affecting other types of projects
 Allows more complex process definition
 project manager doesn’t need to know everything
 just what is necessary for their project
 Iterative disclosure of detail

 any case can have process decisions decisions define increasingly detailed project tasks
April 12, 2020

 Tailor the SDM to specific project needs
– deviation process when current rules/tasks don’t apply
» i.e. a “breakdown” requiring new actions
» new domain activity to describe the task
» rules for tailoring (encode rationale for the deviation)

 allow subsequent projects to use tailored processes
• i.e. set a precedent
• match problem to specific context allow the SDM to grow “organically”
•
...as new problems are encountered, technology evolves, etc.
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 Beyond the expert system paradigm

 rules as a resource for human action collaborative creation of rules
April 12, 2020

Domain Cases
BORE
Repository
Domain
Rules cases
SPG Review
External sources of process modification
Tailoring Factors
Customized P roject
Activities
Project Review
Modified Activities

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 Create a domain

 set of activities rules for when activities are assigned to projects
 Create activities
 hierarchical set of activities
 treated as a project in the Case Manager
 Create rules

 preconditions actions
April 12, 2020

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 Domain activities


 case-based paradigm
• “principles” contain general rules or knowledge
• cases specialize the principles domain activities play the role of principles projects belong to a domain
• domain defines all activities for that domain
 Rule-based engine
 preconditions: question/answer pairs
 actions: assign tasks, question stack
April 12, 2020

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 Same as editing a project
 in “Domains” resource
 Initial questions

Options tab
April 12, 2020

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 Rules Manager


 choose domain edit existing rule or create a new one separate windows for editing preconditions, actions
April 12, 2020

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 Difficult to edit existing rules
 can’t find all rules having a given precondition
 can find all rules with an action
 No good way to get context
Button design
 want to be able to see rule for Web pages chains
Web page navigation from
cho osin gan
erefr ont com me rce
sto e-Comm erce
Storefront
How many categories of items will be presented to users?
0-3
>3
How many items will be available for purchase?
1-20
21-75
> 76
How many steps are needed in the purchase procedure?
1-2
3-10
>10
Top and bottom navigation buttons
Fram e-based Web page navigation
Will category or procedure list fit in a top frame (800 pixels max)?
Yes
No
Will there be links to Web sites outside the custom er's?
Yes
No
Top Frame lists
Left-hand side
Fram e lists
Navigating to sites

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 BORE prototype

 http://cse-ferg41.unl.edu/bore.html
• ==> Bore v. 3.2
log in as ‘guest’
 Just a prototype...
 documentation is lacking



 currently only works on Communicator
• most works on IE, but some problems no application security current rule engine, interface need work document management needs Web-based upload
April 12, 2020

 BORE feature designs




 applying case-based planners apply to pattern languages
Domain-Specific Design Environments deviation rationale experience factory and EMS
 Case Studies

 apply BORE to a software process
• create a BORE domain, assess shortcomings
GSFC (??), CMM compliance
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 Empirical Studies

 diary study of software development organization contextual inquiries
April 12, 2020

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 General idea

 view process/workflow as a planning activity retrieve past plans based on similarity measures
 Collaboration with Nau et al.
 some interest to apply their planner to BORE
• and vice-versa
 meeting on Thursday to explore further
 Integration of rule and case-based system
 some work on this already (SiN)
April 12, 2020

 General idea


 document known solutions to recurrent problems also document the context put patterns together in a pattern language
 General idea is similar to BORE
 similar documentation format
 Usability patterns

 currently a hot topic in HCI integrates technical and aesthetic domains
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 Develop design for applying patterns

 how BORE would need to change some concrete examples
April 12, 2020

 Aka Domain-Oriented Design Environment (DODE)


 environment for creating product families third step in the domain lifecycle similar to O-O frameworks
 General process



 developer steps through questions
• some percentage of system automatically created develop rest of the system
• creating the requirements in rule Q/A pairs when finished have another path through the rule system metaphor: extensible wizard
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 Develop a DODE example
 using JavaBeans or a similar component technology
April 12, 2020

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 Design the process of deviating from the standard
 use as “opportunity for learning”
 have people document the rationale for the deviation
 create new activities
 Capture rationale in activities, rules

 may want to have a text format that is then turned into rules by BORE curators
April 12, 2020

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 Integrating metrics into BORE


 choosing metrics tools to collect metrics metric reporting
 Look into integrating with EMS


EMS - packaging experiences and finding similar ones some features complementary with BORE
 Integrating BORE and EF ideas


 comparative literature study suggest some integration activities maybe use CeBASE project to organize
April 12, 2020

 Goddard ISC Software methodology



 current focus on ISO 9000 compliance pilot study using BORE
• use in small project not on critical path problem: can this be started within a week?
map CMM to Goddard ISC
 Assess CMM compatibility
 choose one of the CMM-SW models

 detailed analysis of how BORE addresses the KPAs, etc.
how it would need to be extended
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 Review Process

 elaboration on how reviews are conducted, etc.
guidelines for how and when knowledge should evolve
April 12, 2020

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 Diary study of software development organization


 have people write down certain activities
• focus on a key question for ex: all knowledge management activities analyze for trends etc.
 Contextual inquiries




 essentially an interviewing technique people abstract in interviews follow people around for a half day (or more)
• record activities (video or audio) transcribe activities and analyze
• “people say they do x, but they do a lot to get there” again, focus on a specific activity - knowledge management
April 12, 2020

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 Choose a topic
 choices discussed today
 Literature review

 breadth-first search of literature choose a subset to concentrate on
 Requirements
 document through use cases, scenarios, flow of events
 use mock-ups
 Design


UML activity and class diagrams need some understanding of BORE system
April 12, 2020

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 Choose a topic
 choices discussed today
 Literature review

 learn about method, collect materials choose study topic to concentrate on
 Design and perform study
 study software developers
 populate BORE domain
 Analysis

 report results discuss findings
April 12, 2020