What are PLs and EHBs?

The Bottom Line: Provide editable and cost-saving process documentation tools for process developers and participants to help them quickly and effectively learn, adapt, test, teach, and work together. These tools may be added to new or existing systems. See Quick Summary.

Process Libraries (PLs) and Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) are Internet-based tools that support the paperless documentation and management of complex distributed processes (e.g., Research Management ) over multiple organizations (e.g., NASA Research Organizations). These tools also address Communication, Subprocess Life-Cycle Views, and the "Telephone Game" Syndrome.



Process Libraries maintain organization's views of the subprocesses. Our basic approach is to wrap organization's subprocesses in a common envelope to facilitate learning, plus intra- and inter-organization communication. These tools may be focused on during stages. Documents in Process Libraries have three levels of access. For each subprocess, an "Integration View" is the "integration" or "combination" of other subprocess views. Subprocesses and Their Descriptions capture processes.



Subprocesses are represented as "plays" where "actors" communicate thru the Internet. Each organization puts on its own "productions". For each role, Electronic Handbooks (EHBs) (also called Guidelines) guide "actors" thru their parts. Managers are "directors" using Worksheets as learning/management tools. Documentors serve as "playwrights". [Shakespearean]

Organizations are represented as "families" having "multiple personalities". Subprocess "plays" and its "components" provide "communication vehicles" between members of the same family, different families, and families from different subprocesses. Documentors also serve as "family therapists". [Freudian]



The approach uses a modernization of the Socratic Method or Dialogue to gain consensus between Teachers, Managers, Implementors, and Participants.

Some applications are:

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program,
• Department of Justice's Bulletproof Vests Partnership (BVP) Program,*
• Health and Human Service's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and
• Other Applications.
  
  

Process Libraries support Important Human Factor Issues, Basic People Principles, Subprocess/Play Developments, and Process Library Operations.



Subprocesses and their EHBs are:

• demonstrated using Demonstration Tools,
• organized using Process Libraries,
• differentiated using Organization Views,
• developed using View Tools,
  • summarized using Descriptions,
  • execution described using Plays,
  • data described using Documents,
  • users described using Guidelines,
  • adapted/learned using Worksheets,
  • display other sources using References,
  • acknowledge people's contributions using Credits,
  • tools to focus on during stages.
• integrated using Integration Tools,
• executed using Electronic Handbooks (EHBs),
• improved using Improvement Tools, and
• integrated using Requirements Capture Tools (RCTs).

[Shakespearean, Freudian]



We believe that to truly understand one's universe, one must see it thru multiple "eyes" and also have tools to "communicate" these views.

* 1999 Gold Award Winner of the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils (FGIPC) Intergovernmental Open Systems Solutions (IOSS) Awards program.