Outline:
• Problem Statement
• Approach
• Boundary Object Example
• Previous Research Applications
• FCS Case Study
• Development of Boundary Object Framework
• TMOS Case Study
• Results
• Implications
• Recommendations
• ConclusionsThe Aerospace Corporatio

Fong, Allan

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http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 1 A Boundary Object Model to Analyze Communication Interfaces Presenter: Allan Fong afong05@mit.edu August 15, 2007 Sponsored by http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 2 Outline •  Problem Statement •  Approach •  Boundary Object Example •  Previous Research Applications •  FCS Case Study •  Development of Boundary Object Framework •  TMOS Case Study •  Results •  Implications •  Recommendations •  Conclusions http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 3 Introduction Case 1: Ineffective boundary objectPerson APerson BNeed info. Find info.0 10 20MinutesSearch Seek out expertTotal time consumed by individual person:22 min2 minCase 2: Effective boundary objectPerson ANeed info. Find and understand info.0 10 20MinutesSearchTotal time consumed by individual person:20 minhttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 4 Problem Statement •  Interdependencies of technical and organizational interfaces (Sosa, et al 2003; Gultati and Eppinger 1996) •  Programs and projects suffer from “organizational” disconnects •  Disconnect: Latent differences in understanding among groups that can negatively affect the program should they remain undetected or unresolved (Greer, Black and Adams, 2006) •  Cost of unclear documentations and rework http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 5 Organizational Disconnects Disconnects are costly problems that are difficult to detect Disconnects originate at interfaces Understand interfaces by looking at boundary objects Understand disconnects Boundary Objects: Bridge gaps and enables communication, coordination, and collaboration across boundaries http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 6 Research Approach Case StudyFCSLiterature ReviewPreliminaryBoundary ObjectModelTMOSApplicationStatisticalAnalysisFinalBoundary ObjectModel2007 Spring 2007 Summer 2006-07 Winter 2006 Fall 2005-06 Winter 2006 Spring 2005 Fall http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 7 Boundary Object Example http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 8 Previous Research Applications  Field Organization Boundary object Social science (Star and Griesemer 1989) Museum of zoology Diagrams California map Collecting forms Design engineering (Henderson 1991) Engineering firm Sketches Drawings CAD Service (Ackerman and Halverson 1999) Telephone hotline group Written notes Product development (Carlile 2002) Automobile design and manufacturing firm Drawings Automobile parts Schedule Software development (Gunaratne et al. 2004) R&D facility Storyboard Prototype http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 9 FCS Case Study - Results •  Future Combat System •  Organization representatives interviewed •  Boeing, BAE, Lockheed Martin, CSC, LNXW, IBM, COLSA •  Communication mechanism were primarily Word documents, PPT slides, and Excel graphs •  Local vs global communication objects •  Interorganizational trust is necessary for people to use boundary objects http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 10 Criteria for Effective Boundary Objects (Carlile 2004) PRAGMATIC Transformation SEMANTIC Translation SYNTACTIC Transfer Facilitates a process where individuals can jointly transform their knowledge Provides a means for individuals to specify and learn about their differences and dependencies across a given boundary Shared syntax or language for individuals to represent their knowledge Effective Boundary Objects http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 11 TMOS Case Study •  TSAT Mission Operations System, LA •  Interested in complex system and organizational interactions •  Method •  Survey 1: Social interaction survey •  Survey 2 •  Organizational interfaces •  Understanding information •  Boundary object attributes •  Data collected •  Interviews •  13 survey responses http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 12 Understanding Information in TMOS 020406080100120140A020 A022 ICDSummation of ranks across subjectsPeopleArtifacts0510152025A020 A022 ICD A023 A046 A001 A024Rank sums across subjectsFFRDCGov'tKtrWhere do people go for information regarding documents? Who do people go to first? People rely on other people significantly more than artifacts All p-values < 0.018 http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 13 Reliance on People Gov’t employees are equally likely to turn to Gov’t and FFRDC people while FFRDC employees turn to other FFRDC people first Who turns to whom? 1.51.71.92.12.32.52.72.9Gov't FFRDC ContractorResourcesAverage rank across communitiesGovernmentFFRDChttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 14 Database Usage Usage is similar except for Database usage Are there differences in artifact usages? 0.511.522.53CommentMatrixA022 ICD Org Chart DatabaseEstimated usage meanGovernmentFFRDChttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 15 Organizational Interfaces Comment Matrix tends to be more effective as a boundary object Which artifacts are helpful for coordination and collaboration? Coordination5060708090100110120130CommentMatrixDatabase ICD A022 Org. ChartSum level ranksCollaboration5060708090100110120130CommentMatrixICD A022 Database Org. ChartSum level rankshttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 16 Attributes Results Traceability and inclusivity are critical attributes 1.522.533.544.5Comment MatrixA022 ICDOrganization ChartDatabaseEstimated Marginal MeansMalleability – PermissionTraceabilityInclusivityhttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 17 Boundary Object Attributes •  Traceability: level at which users can document and track alterations to the object •  Inclusivity: level of involvement of different stakeholders during the creation and use of the object •  Synchronization: the extent to which duplicates of the same object are linked Traceability Inclusivity Synchronization Layers Freshness Medium Granularity Importance Malleability http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 18 Recap of Result •  People rely on other people significantly more than artifacts •  Gov’t employees are equally likely to turn to Gov’t and FFRDC people while FFRDC employees turn to other FFRDC people first •  Usage of artifacts amongst communities are similar except for Database usage •  Comment Matrix tends to be more effective as a boundary object •  Traceability and inclusivity are critical attributes http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 19 Implication: Usage of Boundary Objects Over reliance on other people for understanding and clarity of information Case 1: Ineffective boundary objectPerson APerson BNeed info. Find info.0 10 20MinutesSearch Seek out expertTotal time consumed by individual person:22 min2 minCase 2: Effective boundary objectPerson ANeed info. Find and understand info.0 10 20MinutesSearchTotal time consumed by individual person:20 minhttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 20 Implications •  Having the right boundary objects with the right attributes are important •  Prioritizing specific attributes and boundary objects can foster more collaboration •  Other organizational mechanisms are needed to maintain collaborative interfaces http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 21 Recommendations •  Do: Increase understandability by providing different levels of granularity in the artifacts (understandability) •  Do: Determine the frequency of freshness for boundary objects and prioritize resources accordingly (freshness)  •  Do: Generate a sense of ownership amongst the users on the creation of critical boundary objects (inclusivity) •  Don’t: Separate form from function (granularity and layers) •  Concept maps as roadmaps for long documents InfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfohttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 22 Conclusion •  Interdependencies of organizational structure and technical structure  •  Relying on people rather than artifacts for information can increase the overall cost of the program  •  Not all communication mechanism, or artifacts, are used the same way and have the same effectiveness •  Boundary objects are effective mechanisms that assist in knowledge and value creation through collaborative process •  High traceability and inclusivity are two factors common in effective boundary objects •  If used correctly these boundary objects can serve, with other organizational mechanisms, as the glue that binds and connects different communities together http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 23 Acknowledgements •  The Aerospace Corporation •  Bonnie Troupe •  Richard Adams •  Julie Cohen •  LAI, MIT •  Dr. Ricardo Valerdi •  Professor Nightingale •  JK Srinivasan http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 24 Thank you   Questions? Contact: Allan Fong afong05@mit.edu http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 25 Backup Slides http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 26 E-mail example •  Difficult to trace e-mails  •  Lose of freshness •  Large volume of e-mails •  Readers are forced to become information filters  •  Standardized forms and methods boundary objects have been seen to be more effective in the case study than ideal type boundary objects •  Suggestion of standardized subject line could help users be better filters of information •  Subject: |LvL 6|Detail 2|Time 2|April 20| http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 27 Concept Maps •  Display information in concept maps •  Useful for brainstorming, ontology, collaboration •  Many different types of concept maps •  Milton Pyramid •  Various software programs to build concept maps •  Viso •  www.smartdraw.com •  Incorporate concept maps to documents •  Helps writers and readers understand information better http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/flag/cat/conmap/conmapf1.gif	http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/faracon.html#c1	Any change in the magnetic environment of a coil of wire will cause a voltage (emf) to be "induced" in the coil. No matter how the change is produced, the voltage will be generated. The change could be produced by changing the magnetic field strength, moving a magnet toward or away from the coil, moving the coil into or out of the magnetic field, rotating the coil relative to the magnet, etc. Faraday's law is a fundamental relationship which comes from Maxwell's equations. It serves as a succinct summary of the ways a voltage (or emf) may be generated by a changing magnetic environment. The induced emf in a coil is equal to the negative of the rate of change of magnetic flux times the number of turns in the coil. It involves the interaction of charge with magnetic field. 	http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 28 Recommendations for modifying artifacts •  Database synchronization •  Organization chart for expertise •  Addition of useful layers to documents and other objects •  Form of the object following its function •  Information is rarely related linearly •  Concept map InfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfoInfohttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 29 Implication for Systems Integrators Boundary Objects  are a useful construct  to understand the role and value of System Integrators 	http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 30 Attributes Results 1.522.533.54Comment MatrixA022 ICDOrganization ChartDatabaseEstimated Marginal MeansGranularityAccessibilityMalleability – PermissionMalleability – Type22.533.544.5CommentMatrixA022 ICD OrganizationChartDatabaseEstimated Marginal MeansSynchronizationImportanceUnderstandability1.522.533.544.5Comment MatrixA022 ICDOrganization ChartDatabaseEstimated Marginal MeansTraceabilityFreshnessInclusivityhttp://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 31 Boundary Object Attributes •  Medium: virtual vs physical •  Granularity: level of information detail and context •  Staleness Factor: how stale the information tends to be  •  Malleability: how easy is it for someone to change, add information, mark up •  Control vs Type malleability Average time to update a boundary object Average time between changes in the information http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 32 Definitions •  Community of Practice: Shared understanding of what the community does, of how to do it, and of how it relates to other communities (Brown and Duguid, 1998) •  Boundary Objects: Artifacts that are flexible enough to adapt to local needs yet specific enough to maintain a common identity across different interpretations (Star and Griesemer, 1989) •  Bridge gaps and enables communication, coordination, and collaboration across boundaries •  Boundaries: gaps or differences in organization structures or entities, political power, relative expertise, knowledge domains, etc. (Greer, Black and Adams, 2006) •  Disconnect: Latent differences in understanding among groups that can negatively affect the program should they remain undetected or unresolved (Greer, Black and Adams, 2006) http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 33 Medium, Granularity, Malleability, Inclusivity •  Medium: virtual vs physical •  Granularity: level of information detail and context •  Malleability: how easy is it for someone to change, add information, mark up •  Control vs Type malleability •  Inclusivity: level of participation S1S2S3S4http://lean.mit.edu ©  MIT   August 15, 2007 - 34 Layers, Traceability, Importance •  Layers: What additional resources you need to understand the information (Swarts, 2004) •  Traceability: ability to track usage and changes, process transparency •  Importance: Criticality, how would you use the information 

A Boundary Object Model to Analyze Communication Interfaces

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A Boundary Object Model to Analyze Communication Interfaces

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