05.01.12
Ontology Trumps Complexity
[Cartoon]
The business management did not realize that their request would result in turmoil and arguments among their software engineers. All of the other business organizations had reported back on their plans to make adjustments. Only the software group had not responded.
It began when the many software engineers sat at a large table and considered the latest request from the business management. The request could result in a ripple effect across multiple software modules, so the senior engineers were all present to assure a consensus on the actions to be taken.
The discussion with the software engineers began by restating the business goals to be gained by satisfying the management request. Each of the engineers had already evaluated the request and came prepared to discuss alternatives.
What came next was a detailed discussion of each alternative. What became obvious were the differences in understanding of the engineers in the basic elements of information and processes that already existed. Each software engineer was specialized in unique areas of the business functions. Although the technologies they used were the same, their vocabularies describing the business were different.
These differences resulted in their misunderstanding of the alternatives presented. Arguments were ignited when one engineer disagreed with another on the purpose and meaning of specific information or processes.
If this scenario sounds familiar, join the family of business organizations that have become so large and complex that single software engineers can’t grasp the magnitude and depth of knowledge required to understand just how things work. Single individuals can no longer understand their business environment without the use of tools. In the same way that we use calculators to compute complex formulas, we need tools to help software engineering to move to that next level of capability.
One of the most powerful tools being applied today by many industries is ontology. With ontology, knowledge can be captured so it can be understood by both humans and computers. Knowledgeable humans develop the ontologies so other humans can learn from the experts. Computers can evaluate the ontologies just like a set of mathematical axioms to verify consistency.
For those business sectors that have adopted ontologies, the focus of the software engineers is not to bring their argumentative views to a meeting. They can use common language on subject matter and test their ideas using axiomatic proof of the ontology. With the help of ontology, the software group can be the first to respond to a business request rather than be the last.
The Enterprise Architects can see what is coming and are already preparing. They know that this will be their time. Corporations will be able to completely focus on their business, and automation will be viewed as an agile enabler. Automation will finally become the self-service contributor that the Corporate Office has always wanted it to be. –Enterprise Architects Masters of the Unseen City
Closing the Business / IT gap.
