Business Information Framework (BIF)

As CIO at E&P, since early 2007 the vision to develop a “Unified BIF” has lingered around. With time and compromises, it is getting confused and often misused (as content management) and soon to be abused. A simple internet search with this term fetched abundant content and images. None of them reasonably represented what was visualized at E&P.

This post will articulate the concept of BIF as envisioned.

Framework

Framework is a term that encompasses a wide kind of thoughts, methods and products. It lacks a single specific meaning or a specific context dependent use. A term sure to confuse and complicate understanding!

1. In computer programming, the term framework is an abstraction to describe generic functionality in software. Quite often the term is used to describe the “LOW-LEVEL” standard functionality provided for development. E.g. Web Application Framework; Ajax framework; JavaScript framework etc. --> Standard set of building blocks
2. An enterprise architecture framework (EA framework) defines how to create and use a practice for conducting enterprise analysis, design, planning and implementation. The term architecture and framework are used to connote the ‘building blocks’ and ‘inter-relations’ that address the expected performance.  EA is divided into 4 layers – Technology{ The word technology is often undermined in IT related documents to wrongly designate exclusively Information Technology}, Applications, Data & Business and they become “domains” of the specialization in work or administration autonomy during implementation.  --> Generalization
3. Conceptual framework or logical framework provides basis of analysis in different scales the problem. They provide means to define atomic elements and their congregations to derive higher-order. --> Abstraction & Scale

This post will use the word FRAMEWORK to specific characteristics around ABSTRACTION, GENERALIZATION and SCALE.

Boundaries

Modern business, including E&P is driven by different technologies that create i) Digital content and ii) Marketable product.

Business performs through – i) Organization; ii) Processes & Workflows; iii) Resources; and iv) Technology. Together these create the “results” --> i) digital content and ii) product. The overall inter-related hierarchies are shown in the figure.

Digital content can be classified into data, databases and unstructured content. Further, they can also be classified into the business through – asset, context, process-element and organization-element which – i) created, ii) approved and iii) uses the content.

There is a very elegant multi-dimensional attribute that is attached to every digital content – which makes it assimilate with the business per-se. 

Digital Content

Use of computers is nearly complete in most business processes. Very little content is created outside the computer realm. These occur in many different forms in a business.

ALL OF THEM HAVE – i) CONTEXT; ii) belong to ASSET; iii) and attached with ROLE. Technology and Process steps essentially provide the context and can be made sub-categories within context. 

BIF

It is the organization model of all digital contents into business boundaries – at “necessary” and “sufficient” depth. Overdoing this content organization can become deterrent to successful implementation and usage.

BIF can integrate all digital contents to their relevance in business. The implementation shall be made with suitable “computer architecture framework” that assures – security, accessibility and operability. A variety of tools, technologies, frameworks and methodologies exist to design the implementation models and operate it on modern computers.

It is relatively simple and highly generic. It covers all databases, datasets, knowledge interactions, communications, records, files, processes and people. By incorporating ‘standards’ a lot of unstructured content can be made interpretable. Simple work discipline like using a “title” for all PPT slides will go a long-way into creating indexed presentation files. 

1. This BIF model is ABSTRACT, GENERALIZED and SCALABLE.
2. It can be developed in cyclic phases of increasing depth and maturity
3. Practiced systematically, it can lead to Information Maturity at the business
4. As it is product or technology-framework – agnostic, the model can be sustained for longer periods
5. The approach overcomes the limitations of hierarchic content management and opens avenues of knowledge discovery, structured vocabulary and ontological inference.

BIF Approach Scheme

Agile Development is mandatory for implementing and maturing BIF. It is impossible to give a’priori full functional description or define the detailed architecture for development.

Maturity CONTEXTS à ASSETS ↓	Acquire	Explore	Appraise	Develop	Produce
India-Block1
Australia-CBM
US-Shalegas
India-Offshore1

  

Maturity CONTEXTSà ORG-UNIT/ ROLES↓	Acquire	Explore	Appraise	Develop	Produce
Business Strategy
Acquisition Team
Exploration

1. Start with a faceted classification of the 3(or 5) main elements for BIF at appropriate depth. Note that there shall be hierarchy while going deeper and that needs to be broadly defined and used. Examples from E&P are at level-1: which is often not sufficient (need at level-3 for effectiveness).
2.  Each unit in the multi-dimensional faceted classification scheme is given a UID – Classification-box-id. They become the logical owners of the digital content. Role-players access the content as per the LDAP security access control.
3. Create a workflow system that traces ASSET-maturity and provide it to the personnel holding different roles in the Asset-team. Digital contents they create are automatically indexed and mapped to the place in the faceted classification. All CONTENTs have method to automatically detect and stay at the relevant slot in its classifications together. An email, meeting notes, short-note, technical report, model data, approval-note – all of them stay together in context|asset framework.
4. CONTENTs are provided with metadata elements like – 1) Type classifiers {e.g. Note, Record, Report, etc.}; 2) Nature {e.g. Draft, Approved, Final}; and 3) Few other
5. The classification is matured with hierarchic details, the incorporation of additional levels; more detailed asset hierarchy (Blockà Prospect à Field à Well à Reservoir à Sample à Analysis) is relatively easy.
6. All other standard content management functions can be implemented upon the BIF.

Content: Collaboration

Learning Environment is the direction for creating successful organizations. Content: Collaboration is a mutual complementing need or scenario. The two must come together to form an integrated content and collaborative-learning environment. Content has become a PILE – millions of documents and datasets – SPACE {Volume of Disk}! Collaboration has become uncontrolled explosion: expender – TIME {consumes}. Learning and Knowledge are typically in 1:n {?10000} proportion embedded within this SPACE-TIME maze.

Wishful needs are: 1) Create compelling content, 2) Structure and protect it, 3) Ensure it’s easy to find and accessible, 4) Manage the content life cycle, 5) Leverage collaboration through social media for content production, distribution,  access and discovery (learning or knowledge creation).

BIF provides a model to manage and provides:

1. Organization’s personnel to communicate short, specific, context relevant
2. Integrate content (notes, reports etc.) with communication (emails, comment etc.) cogently and consistently
3. Provide a natural way to integrate all digital content (see figure), manage and administer its life-cycle through clear and objective methods.
4. Provide intuitive and easy to learn and adopt mechanism {conventionally, paper was organized in E&P into Assets and Contexts}
5. Establish a generalized and highly scalable model – that is product and technology agnostic
6. Pave way for new possibilities like automated knowledge discovery and encapsulation.

BIF is a vision for making information tie with Business.