Extending a process-centred SEE by context-specific knowlegde delivery

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Motivation

1.2 Aims and scope of this work

1.3 Structure of the document

1.4 Recommended background

2. Information needs within software projects

2.1 The nature of information needs

2.2 Scenarios with inherent information needs

2.3 Problems with required information

2.4 Changing the common process of information retrieval

2.4.1 The integration of information retrieval into workflows

2.4.2 Information needs defined as workflow

2.5 Requirements for a support concept

3. MILOS as a process-centred SEE

3.1 Purpose of MILOS

3.2 MILOS system components

3.2.1 Process modelling

3.2.2 Project planning

3.2.3 Project enactment

4. A concept for context-specific knowledge delivery within a PSEE

4.1 A representation for information needs

4.1.1 Information needs as objects

4.1.2 Information sources as objects

4.2 Project planning and enactment based on enriched process models

4.3 A non-invasive but active knowledge delivery

4.3.1 Workflow-integrated support

4.3.2 Non-invasive but active support

4.3.3 A context-specific, and structured set of INOs

4.3.4 The execution of an INO

4.3.5 Updating strategies related to INOs

4.3.6 Comprehensive knowledge delivery support

4.4 A learning concept for information need specifications

4.4.1 Posting of information needs as questions

4.4.2 Rating of retrieved information

4.4.3 Building and refining an attribute concept

4.5 Open concept issues

4.6 Concept overview

5. The realization of context-specific knowledge delivery within MILOS

5.1 Persistent modelling of INOs and ISOs

5.1.1 The INO Manager

5.1.2 The ISO Manager

5.2 How to use persistent INOs for project planning and workflow enactment

5.2.1 The information assistant

5.3 Learning concepts within MILOS for INO refinement

5.4 The extended MILOS system architecture

5.5 Comments on the current implementation

5.5.1 Current limitations of the implementation

5.5.2 MILOS specific concept extensions

6. Example scenario for knowledge delivery support

6.1 Support within an example project

7. Related work

7.1 The KnowMore WFMS prototype

7.2 Support of business processes by an OM

7.3 Support for design processes using CBR

8. Summary

8.1 Summary

8.2 Outlook

9. References

Objectives and Topics

This thesis aims to develop and implement a concept for context-specific knowledge delivery within Process-Centred Software Engineering Environments (PSEEs) like MILOS. The core objective is to improve the efficiency and quality of software development by actively and non-invasively providing project participants with the right information at the right time, based on the specific project context.

• Persistent and generic modelling of information needs within software process models.
• Workflow-integrated knowledge delivery support triggered by project context.
• Implementation of an 'Information Assistant' within the MILOS PSEE to automate retrieval and presentation.
• Organizational learning through a feedback loop for refining information need specifications.
• Evaluation of the concept through practical software engineering scenarios.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1. Introduction: Outlines the motivation for knowledge management in software engineering and defines the research scope within the MILOS project.

2. Information needs within software projects: Analyzes the nature and challenges of information retrieval in software development and establishes requirements for a support concept.

3. MILOS as a process-centred SEE: Provides an overview of the MILOS system, its components, and the terminology relevant to the developed concepts.

4. A concept for context-specific knowledge delivery within a PSEE: Details the conceptual framework, including the object-oriented representation of information needs and sources, and the learning methodology.

5. The realization of context-specific knowledge delivery within MILOS: Describes the prototypical implementation of the concepts, focusing on the INO Manager and Information Assistant.

6. Example scenario for knowledge delivery support: Illustrates the practical application of the implemented system through a demo software project.

7. Related work: Compares the proposed approach with existing knowledge management and process support systems like KnowMore and CBR-based tools.

8. Summary: Concludes the thesis by summarizing the contributions and providing an outlook on future improvements and research directions.

Keywords

Software Engineering, PSEE, MILOS, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Delivery, Information Retrieval, Process Modelling, Context-Specific Support, Workflow Integration, Organisational Learning, Information Need Object (INO), Information Source Object (ISO), Workflow, Project Planning, Experience Base.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this work?

The work focuses on integrating context-specific knowledge delivery into Process-Centred Software Engineering Environments (PSEEs) to support agents during development and planning tasks.

What are the central thematic fields?

The central themes are software process modelling, knowledge management, information retrieval, and workflow integration within software projects.

What is the main goal of the research?

The goal is to provide developers and project managers with relevant information automatically based on their current project context, thereby reducing search effort and improving quality.

Which scientific method is utilized?

The research follows an engineering approach: analyzing requirements, designing an object-oriented conceptual framework (INOs and ISOs), implementing a prototype within the MILOS system, and evaluating it through an example scenario.

What is covered in the main section?

The main section covers the conceptualization of information need objects, the system architecture of the MILOS Information Assistant, and the learning mechanisms to refine information support over time.

Which keywords characterize this work?

The core keywords include Software Engineering, PSEE, MILOS, Knowledge Delivery, and Process Modelling.

How does the 'Information Assistant' determine when to provide support?

The assistant analyzes the current work context, such as the agent's role and the specific task status, to determine if relevant information need objects are applicable.

What is the purpose of the 'learning loop' mentioned in the thesis?

The learning loop allows agents to post unresolved information needs as questions, which are then captured as 'partly specified' objects to be refined by process modellers for future use.

How does this concept differ from static document management systems?

Unlike static systems, this concept uses dynamic, context-aware queries that can retrieve up-to-date information from heterogeneous sources based on the specific project state.