DD23003 eFlow

 DD23003     eFlow

eFlow originally evolved from a product I called eTube which used the graphic styling of the London Underground Map as a way of illustrating the business processes within an organisation. It was a simple substitute for the likes of Microsoft Vision or Tibco Nimbus business processing mapping tools. To business users it was a very familiar interface being based upon the graphical design of the London Underground Map but it also avoided any use of symbology. Being a “transport map” it immediately conveyed the concept of moving from start to finish an aspect often overlooked when examining business processes, Unfortunately, London Transport threatened legal action for using their intellectual property (IP) style and although I thought their case groundless I could not afford or risk any legal action. So I renamed it eFlow. In fact with hindsight it does seem a better brand name since it captures the essence og “flow” akin to workflows.

eTube was focussed on large wall sized maps of business processes showing the whole organisations business processes in a single viewing. It was intended to illustrate in fact how complex and large were an organisations business processes. It also provided an excellent medium to look at rationalisation. Importantly it also allowed everyone to view all the organisations business processes not just those familiar to the themselves.

It soon became obvious that this type of visualisation paradigm could be applied to any type of data or information or knowledge communication. It was a graphical stylistic repository that triggered a user into thinking in terms of looking for a flow. Importantly users automatically upon seeing the “underground map” looked for a “start”, the “routes” possible and the “finish”. Being focussed upon their “route” whilst aware of the complexity of all the other “routes” available supported holistic thinking in terms of the scope of the subject matter. 

 

Let us look at an eFlow example to illustrate these points.

 

 https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Vd-3UVqAu7TyBfO-bva26KTJMFigD9oqYB30u_KhW8s/edit?usp=sharing

DD23002 DMB Publishing - Digitisation of Note Books

 So DMB Publishing has finally gone digital. No not quite true. But it has setup a parallel Digital Knowledge Base reflecting much that still remains paper based. The Digital Knowledge Base requires me to currently manage fourteen separate blogs. Each blog has an entity name (Subject Label) reflecting the subject matter that should be stored within the blog. What is stored digitally within these blogs will have paper based parallel data of differing amounts linked to them by a unique Blog Post Code. These blog posts will have a facsimile copy of the post in Microsoft Word (docx) with the same Blog Post Code (eg DD23002) which will be stored on a number of PC and freestanding storage devices.(eg USB devices).  

Each blog has a name representing what will be the subject of the blog and a two digit blog reference code (CC) so DT for “A Digital Thought”. Each post within a blog is based upon on a sequential number (NNN) running within the year (YY) after the blog code (DT). So this blog has a unique reference code of DT23002 meaning the third (002) blog in the year 2023 (23) within a blog reference code (DT) which is named as “A Digital Thought”. Being a blog the Blogger application is exceptionally good at date stamping each blog post so that aspect does not need any standardisation by me. All my blogs are under a top organisation called DMB Publishing which first published in 1983. The DMB being my initials for David Michael Bannister.

Now I have always maintained a knowledge base normally through log books and diaries along with folders of newspaper and magazine cuttings.

Now I don’t want you to think I have any sort of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in respect of how I use specific books to record this personal Knowledge Base. Although if I cannot locate one of the books I do tend to go into a meltdown. Its more an object based obsessional behaviour where I am emotionally attached to a specific object. Book bindings, paper quality, colours and inevitably the manufacturer are important attributes possibly showing I have slight artistic tendencies viewing these books when completed as my artwork. They do on some occasions include the odd sketch or diagram. As a behaviour it is similar to the small sketch and paint books kept by artists to record local scenes when they are out and about. In fact they are often more treasured by the artists than their final sketches or paintings. So let us look at this personal Knowledge Base. Remember it has been going since my teens and I am now 75 years old although the approach has not always been as complicated or a strict as it is these days.

One of my prime resources is the pocket book (Pukka Pads Pocket Book A7 200 Pages. Black with Pencil) which is literally kept in a coat pocket and kept with me at all times. At home is located a blank lined book (Ruled Ryman A5. Black) which only has diary entries made in it for the days I choose to make an entry which is always in black biro. Finally a red A5 book of no particular manufacturer but must be thin and it is used as a Web Diary. So whenever I go on the internet looking up random things the websites are recorded in here by the date accessed and some relevant notes. Finally separate Holiday Diaries are maintained only covering the holiday period spent away. So by the use of these paper book resources I am able to account for most of my life’s activities and thoughts.

A recent addition to my paper documents was started in March 2021 when I started to make research notes and revision book corrections in what I called “The Big Rough Note Book”. This has become a very interesting document. I had a habit of writing notes on scraps of paper in support of my writings plus also anything that suddenly flashed into my mind. These notes ended up been thrown away. By always recording them in this new document along with a sort of diary note about the day became an interesting document to read retrospectively. It has shown up how random I am in terms of what I chose to do each day. This is not being digitised. 

For some time, like the last 10 years, I have been aware that I need to go digital and not paper based. I will not detail these attempts at going digital other than to say they have not been very successful. Authoring the material into a digital format was always too time consuming and you quickly lost the impulsivity of the moment. I had to find a software solution where the act of writing did not detract completely from the experience of the moment. Anyway this needs to be the subject of a new blog. In fact everything written here so far should have been the first post in a new blog called Knowledge Management. I suppose it does serve to illustrate the odd way I choose to use blogging. My blogging is not really designed to serve your reader objectives. It is purely my random way of recording my consciousness so in the future (or not) I can possibly formulate it in to something more orderly for a reader to digest. Or even into a published book.