Agile Processes.
Agile processes are designed in a way, such that they are well capable to get along with change; they can be controlled and modified without problems and are thus adjustable to current requirements smoothly.
Balanced Results.
The results obtained in a process chain are well-balanced, if each process step takes into account the aspects of the other process steps early and continuously. Thus the requirements of all process steps are represented and extreme solutions are avoided.
Building Block/ Meta Building Block.
Collective term for a set of tightly related meta information, more precisely: part of the domain meta model. As such, they represent content relevant for task execution. Typically, building blocks are process step-specific, and are deployed by software applications to build up documents from pre-defined elements.
Consistant Results / Consistant Data.
Here: Absence of contradictions in the developed results / in the data.
Context.
Area of validity of information and its environment of other information. The context usually contains a large amount of further information, important for the comprehensibility and usability. See also
Data, Information, Integration.
Data, Information, Integration.
First of all, IT systems are storing physical data. When data are presented to the human user, data become information, possibly expanding his/her set of knowledge. When the focus primarily lies on physical bytes or documents in a file system, we are talking about data, when the focus lies on their meaning for the user, we are talking about information. By the terms data integration and data linking, we mean the process of traditionally linking data in an IT system, including the applied solutions. This usually happens by applying quite simple rules, allowing, for instance, to exchange data between systems or aiming at the extension of the available data sets referring to certain persons or topics. However, if data are interpreted quasi-intelligently right within the IT system, they become information also for the IT system. We are talking about informational integration, if this information is additionally interlinked quasi-intelligently and sophisticatedly while utilizing context and meta information (see below). Please not that such information integration can occur inside the IT systems. During quasi-intelligent interpreting data and linking of information, the IT system tries to act correctly in the user's interest. IT always uses more or less simplified models, and at the end of the day, the beneficial value the user gains from the linked information is the measure of all things.
Data Management.
Citation from Wikipedia: The official definition provided by DAMA International, the professional organization for those in the data management profession, is: "Data Resource Management is the development and execution of architectures, policies, practices and procedures that properly manage the full data lifecycle needs of an enterprise."
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_management
Domain.
Here: the professional subjects covered by an enterprise's business processes. Embraces all levels of details and also the activities (processes) as such.
Domain Model.
Integrated model of the domain (see above), i.e. of the processes and subject matters handled in an enterprise. Consists of domain working model (model of the user data, instance level) and the domain meta model. In a sense, the domain model can be regarded as being a collection of control information. See also "model-controlled integration". The domain model is an essential part of the integrated information space.
Domain Meta Model.
The part of the central meta information representing domain-related contents of the business processes. At the same time, this is the part of the domain model located on meta level and thus holding generally applicable information.
Information Space (integrated ~).
We stress the sophisticated representation of information inside the information space, particularly including that of relationships. This is also reflected in our i-inf software. Definition of the concept of an information space (IS): An open information space consists of integrated information representing an enterprise's whole business process preferably without isles. Information in context. The information space can be joined and utilized by any application and allows them to utilize information from any other application, to link own information with other IS information at high expressive strength and at any level of detail. For realizing this, information of known structure and semantics is being exchanged via a common interface. This interface is capable of flexibly conveying also new data types and their semantics. By using an appropriate addressing scheme, it abstracts information content from its physical storage location. One or more meta levels are part of the information space and describe the structure and semantics of relevant object classes.
Please note: our concept of an information space is not compatible with that of a "common information space", as used in the context of groupware solutions (CSCW). While in the CSCW context, the notion of a "space" is characterised by multiple persons using the same data, we emphasize the space of integrated information, provided by software applications and utilized by users and other applications. Besides, a multitude of scientific and non-scientific definitions exist for combinations of the notions information space and further attributes, such as "homogenised information space" or even "integrated information space". Although the latter seems to match our terminology, it seems to be applied primarily to quasi-standardized information models. In the area of service-oriented system landscapes, the thesis of Frederic Majer, 2010, titled "Semantisches Informationsmodell für die Betriebsunterstützung dienstorientierter Systeme" (German language) provides a good overview.
Please note also our
Whitepaper "Information Spaces"!
Information-centred Process Analysis.
Analysis of business processes with the emphasis on the processed information and its documentation in an enriched information model.
Integration (Solution).
Here (if not denoted as "conventional"): IT solution for the creation of an integrated information space.
Interface / Changing Interfaces.
Interface in the sense of software interface, see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_%28computing%29#Software_interfaces. Changing interfaces between IT systems is usually costly and error-prone. Amongst others, they can imply that existing data cannot be exchanged anymore without being converted into a new format. Another possible consequence is the inability of software applications to communicate any further.
Iterative (Top-Down) way of work / cyclic-iterative ~ / iteration step.
The desired solution is not developed in a single, but in multiple runs, the iteration steps. At the beginning, rough and fundamental decisions will be made and solution components will be defined. During each following run, they will get incrementally detailed. This way of working is characterized by several merits, such as (a) allowing early process steps to start early and based on rough input and (b) providing for the assessment of intermediate results from various viewpoints and for the option to make early corrections. Thereby, the "Big Picture" stays visible and the danger of diving into small details to soon diminishes.
Knowledge and Experience Management.
For the concept of knowledge management, please see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_management!. Experience management is specifically concerned with the optimal management of experience knowledge. It is of special importance for enterprises keen on optimizing their processes, as it is the foundation for documenting experiences and to reflect them and make them utilizable as experience knowledge. A self-learning system arises able to bundle and integrate the experiences of many experts.
Model-controlled Integration.
Linking software application and the information processed by them. The enterprise's subject areas of interest are represented in the domain model. This model is utilized to control the behaviour of the software applications and to enable particularly beneficial IT functionality. An important difference to conventional application integration solutions: integration not only happens on meta level, but also on user data (instance) level. Only thereby a complete domain model arises. See also
Integrierted Information Space.
Parallelisation/Parallel working.
This concept is basically about enabling parts of logically sequential processes to be executed in parallel. Logical sequence arises from the dependency of work steps on results of preceding work steps.
See also
Process chain.
Product.
Generally the desired result of an activity or sequence of activities. Here: typically an intellectual (consisting of information) product, such as a planning – nevertheless, the planning can describe the manufacturing of a physical product.
Process chain, Process step.
Here, we are talking about process chains as usual in many enterprises; be it product development or co-operative work on a complex non-technical result – to which we refer as product, too. In both cases, the direct result is of intellectual nature, meaning that is consists of information solely. Process chains consist of individual work steps (process steps, activities), during whose execution usually different software applications are deployed. The results of all process steps correlate tightly, as each process step is based on the results of the preceding one(s).
Process step-spanning Linking (of work results).
In this context, the components of work results are in focus. So, we are talking about user information (instance level) as opposed to meta information. The linking occurs in the IT systems by means of link elements (relations). Conventional approaches in application integration usually do not offer this functionality.
Robust Processes.
Also: stable processes. These are processes, able to deal with the predominant number of foreseeable and unforeseeable disturbing events, without causing inappropriately high losses of productivity and without complete failures.
Scalability.
An IT system is highly scalable, if its deployment range in an enterprise is widely variable without causing any problems. "Deployment range" denotes here the amount of covered process steps, but also the amount of created products. In respect to integration solutions, this also includes the amount of affected software applications. Good scalability means that an integration solution can be used in combination with few, but also with a large number of applications, in other words: the small or the large solution. And, last but not least, good scalability also implies that users can decide freely about the intensity and working areas in which they like to deploy the IT solution. This maintains a good cost-benefit ratio.
Software Application.
Collective term for all kinds and sizes of computer software use in an enterprise.
