On Implicit PM Knowledge Management
The Taxonomy of the PMFORUM*
In handling documents for posting on the PMFORUM we constantly asked the question. How do we classify the PM knowledge stored in the PMFORUM Directories? There are no easy answers to the management of creating, maintaining, organizing, classifying, representing, storing, querying, retrieving, analyzing and presentation of PM Knowledge.
The classification structures for PM knowledge can take many forms, both graphic and text. While academics have useful thoughts on the future of Artificial Intelligence and the imminent use of Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the long term promise of the Semantic Web the problem of PM knowledge management is current, real and we must look to the best available solutions.
A Web search using the string 'Knowledge Management' provides a basic list of web sites dedicated to the study and advancement of web Knowledge Management That is, some general thoughts on the management of knowledge without reference to the specific domain of Project Management Knowledge Management.
The formal name for knowledge management classification structure is called taxonomy.The PMFORUM has no overall taxonomy other than that of web page metadata tags. Accordingly, each Directory of the PMFORUM has particular taxonomy. For example,
The Profession Directory. This Directory uses a classification structure of the topics surrounding the process of project management professionalism. That is, accreditation, certification, learning and standards.
The Area of Project Management Application Directory (APMA). This Directory uses the taxonomy devised by Max Wideman in his seminal paper on the subject. Here Max Wideman has devised a classification of areas of project management application. This APMA classification is used to store PM information that is considered particular to an area of project management practice.
The PM Practices Directory (GAPMP) This Directory is a of listing those project management practices which have been “generally accepted” as practices useful to the management of projects. This listing follows that of the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) areas of knowlege and some PMFORUM extensions into other well known practices of project management systems engineering, logistics support, software acquisition and manufacturing.
Site Map. A graphic representation of the PMFORUM Directories. This "map" provides a structure for the location of information on the PMFORUM. It is general in nature and aligns with the main Directories of the PMFORUM.
Web Page Metadata. Meta date has been located on each page of the PMFORUM. These meta data tags provide a description of the content and keywords for each page. While the individual tags are invisible to the web page user they are necessary to successful to the full text and successful indexing of the page by web robots of Internet Search Engines.
Expert Resources Directory. This is a classification of project management vendors services. It is an arbitrary classification schema that over time has worked reasonably well. Vendors are classified by type of services supplied: consulting, careers, software applications, information technology, training and general support services.
Site Search Engine. The text of each web page is indexed and retrieval is particular to the use of the indexing of text and use of keywords for retrieval. A fuzzy search or machine - human search dialogue is forecast by the Scientific American article by Berners-Lee, the Inventor of the Internet but it not possible at this time.
Case Studys/Project Briefs. A regular monthly feature of the Project Management World Today magazine is a description of project management cases and individual project briefs. These descriptions and accompanying documents are product oriented and therefore amenable to classification as industry/agencies output. The PMFORUM uses the American Industry Classification System to identify web pages and documents which deal with project management outputs described in case studys and project briefs.
Feature Papers Directory. This Directory is an index of the papers which have been featured in monthly issues of the PM World Today.
The Semantic PM Web
It would be nice of there was a generally accepted taxonomy for project management knowledge on the Internet. Unfortunately this is not the case. For example it would be very useful to have a basic set of metadata fields and a Document Template Description that would apply only to the field of project management. Further, it would be useful if the emergent Extensible Markup Language (XML) was to be adopted to provide us with a tool both for preparation and retrieval of Internet PM knowledge.
To this end David Curling the Editor of the PM World Today presented "PM Knowledge and the Web - Connecting the World of Project Management " to the ESC University, Lille France in August 2003. In this presentation he outlined the limitations of the present web and search engines. He states that "there is no single xml schema or technological information document tagging that will provide a sufficient solution to the recovery of web information. Data mining is overrated and while there are some simple steps that we can take to improve PM Knowledge web retrieval there is no one solution. Rather it will take a number of approaches which together will effect future improvement in information retrieve of knowledge ferreted away in remote web application servers".
An article on the University of Texas web states that "The essence of information organization is not a computer science issue. It's a cognitive issue. Understanding how people think and reason, and organizing information in a user-centric way so that it provides real value to a human--these are the pillars of the classic library and information science approach."
The PM tools list given in the University of Quebec at Montreal research project "The Project Manager's Toolbox" have become an integral part of the PMFORUM's current research into the adoption of improved individual web page identifiers for more effective recovery of PM knowledge on the web.
The PMFORUM has adopted a web semantics approach of using XML and descriptive web document meta tagging (information description of information) of future PM World Today web pages. Background reading in the theory and future of Web Semantics is the May 17 2001 Scientific American article by Berners-Lee.where he states " A new form of Web content that is meaninful to computers will unleash a revolution of possibilities.".
There are a number of issues with respect to improving the human -computer exchange. Currently the lack of web page meta tagging results in a unmanageable volume of information listings. Anything that can improve both the futue of a more intelligent exchange between human information queries,the improvement in search engines and the future development of PM personal information agents is a move in the right direction.
The PMFORUM is keen to move towards at position where a better machine - human exchange is possible. Accordingly, while a small step in this direction, each web page of significant PM documents will be formatted as an XHTM file, a move from standard HTML to an interim XML page of XHTML and the use of meta tagging recommended by the Resource Description Framework and the Dublic Core. In essence to add some XML hints to current HTML pages that knowledgeable search engines can take advantage of in providing more efficient information retrieval..
The use of transitional XHTML has advantages of well formed web pages, cross browser compatibility and it will be easier to determine the true meaning of the web page. The Dublin Core elements, the QAM PM tools and the Max Wideman Compendium of Project Management Terms ontologies will be used for particular PMFORUM project management web pages. For example, project management document web pages will use the Project Managers Tool Box of the UQUAM to identify the Project Manager Tool element for particular Feature Papers PMFORUM document web page of the PM World Today.
The Dublin Core elements will be used for particular PMFORUM project management web pages. "Project Web Semantics" is a first cut initiative to improve PM Knowledge on the web.
A web page is composed of four parts 1. structure 2.meta tags 3. content and 4 presentation. The objective of our Project Management Web Semantics Initiative is to move new PM World Today web pages and significant PM Knowledge documents from HTML to XHTML + Cascading Style Sheet. This will allow for smaller html and XML compatible pages where content and presenation are separate. That is, a separate style sheet for page presentation. Also, the document pages, that is, the papers, briefs and articles will have the more efficient meta tagging of Resource Description Framework(RDF) and Dublin Core(DC) to provide the sort of document information and query retrieval that you are used to seeing in a Library stack card.
An example of this approach is the presentation of the Russell Archibald State of the Art of Project Managment : 2003 documents posted to the [ PM Library ] That is, the State of the Art of project Management Part 1 [state3pt1.html] document has been formatted as XHTML + Cascading Style Sheets and each web page of the document programmed with the Dublic Core Meta Elements [ DCME ].
For example, the state3pt1.html document meta tags are:
<meta name="DC.title" content="State of the Art of Project
Management: 2003 -Part 1 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS" />
< meta name="DC.creator" content="Russell D. Archibald"
/>
< meta name="DC.subject" content="project management, project
schedule, project cost,project risk analysis,project human relations management
,team, project communications,project quality,contract, project procurement,integration,systems
engineering,logistics,earned value,life cycle,program,PRINCE2,configuration
management,Work Breakdown Structure, WBS, OBS, Responsibility Matrix, critical
path management, project requirements,project life cycle plan, project management
office" />
< meta name="DC.description" content="The practice of project
management has evolved over half a century and permeates all industries,institutions
and governments throughout the world This paper conveys a picture of the state
of the art in this management discipline near the end of 2003 and provides
some predictions of the direction of its continued evolution over the next
five years Part 1 covers how does PM differ from managing functional organizations,
projects, programs, and project portfolio, their classification and management
needs and organizational capabilities and maturity in PM" />
< meta name="DC.publisher" content="PM World Today January-February
2004 ISSN 1492-5354 " />
< meta name="DC.contributor" content="Max Wideman, David
Curing,Allan Harpham" />
< meta name="DC.date" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" content="2004-01-01"
/>
< meta name="DC.type" scheme="DCTERMS.DCMIType" content="Text"
/>
< meta name="DC.format" content="text/html 39259 bytes"
/>
< meta name="DC.identifier" scheme="DCTERMS.URI" content="http://www.pmforum.org/library/papers04/state3pt1.htm"
/>
< meta name="DC.source" content="Managing High Technology
Programs and Projects 3rd Edition Russell D. Archibald " />
< meta name="DC.language" content="english" />
< meta name="DC.coverage" content=" a review of the global
state of project mangement circa 2003" />
< meta name="DC.rights" content="Copyright Russell Archibald
2004" />
For consistency in PM documentation it is vital that a controlled vocabulary
act as a standard for PM resourse descriptors. To this end we have settled
on the Wideman Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms the most significant
and complete glossary of project management terms in existence. That is, to
act as our PM ontology for future use in tagging significant PMFORUM PM Knowledge
documents.
This PMFORUM intitiative is a small step towards the "Semantic PM Web." While particlar PM meta tagging will improve the retrieval of PM Web Knowledge the three issues of expressing meaning,. knowledge representation and a Semantic Web Agent have not been solved. While all of these are being worked on it is not in the immediate future for them to come together to improve the retrievel of PM Web Knowledge. However, we must work with what we have and the PMFORUM is taking a pragmatic approach to improved web semantics while at the same time keeping a listening brief on the more theoretical thesis for improved Internet PM Knowledge management.
October 2004
David Curling
Executive Editor
PM World Today
Editor's Note:To comment on this Brief on PM Knowledge Management use the Letters to the Editor Form.
References
1. The Semantic Web - Scientific American May 17, 2001 Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler and Ora Lassila .A new form of Web content that is meaningful to computers will unleash a revolution of new possibilities
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&articleID=00048144-10D2-1C70-84A9809EC588EF21
2. Metalog http://www.w3.org/RDF/Metalog
3. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) http://www.w3.org
4.An introduction to ontologies http://www.SemanticWeb.org
5.Explorer's Guide to the Semantic Web
http://www.webreference.com/internet/semantic/index.html
David
Curling is Editor of the Project Management World Today and Webmaster of the
PMFORUM. He has been a professional soldier, systems engineer, logistics engineer,
procurement executive, senior public servant and project manager.
He is Executive Director of LODAY Systems Ltd.* and provides project management consulting to both government and industry. David has particular expertise in the management of major international projects. He is a Professional Engineer, Certificated Project Manager and Fellow of both the Project Management Institute and the International Project Management Association.
*In January 2005 PMFORUM/LODAY Systems Ltd. was purchased by iWorld Projects & Systems, Inc. and scheduled for redesign.