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Integrating co-operative work supports from CHAO S perspectiv e Carla Simone Computer Science Dept . Univ . of Milano Italy simone@hermes .unimi .i t e-mail : CHAOS (Commitment Handling Active Office System) [DSVZ88, DOS92] aims a t supporting individuals co-operating within a group . Its underlying model is based o n the assumption that co-operation requires handling communication and 'action' in a uniform way and that breakdowns triggering communication are constitutive of th e model . Protocols, i .e ., sets of rules negotiated during Conversations, give structure t o these latter as they define the mutual expectations among Members in fulfilling th e Commitments defined within Conversations . Then the flexible and dynamic set o f Protocols concerning a group Member defines his/her Role . CHAOS focuses o n coordination, i .e., on the set of mechanisms needed to synchronize and to transfe r knowledge among the users of the provided services, in the aim of encreasing use r capability in dealing with the complexity generated by the autonomous and distribute d evolution of the group . Obviously, CHAOS does not cover every aspect of co-operation , as coord ination is just a part of it . Thus CHAOS needs integration at two levels . Firstly, let's say at the horizontal level, it would be desirable to integrate withi n CHAOS already designed CSCW applications focused on complementary or more specifi c aspects, like GDSS, Workflow MS, PMS, synchronous communication and the like . Here integration is problematic not only at the level of interoperability, i .e ., 't o exchange semantically meaningful information', but especially at the level o f compatibility of the related co-operation models . There are tools whose integratio n just requires, in one direction, the possibility to access CHAOS functionalities and, i n the opposite direction, the contestualization of their functionalities within CHAO S Conversations . On the contrary, there are tools, like project management o r workflow, whose integration is much more problematic because it is very likely tha t they embody protocols handling coordination in a incompatible way (e .g ., since the y upon different models of co-operation) . The solution of this problem is not easy , unless the design of complementary applications either guarantee a clean distinctio n between the coordination protocols from the other specialized functionalities, or the y guarantee the identification of some coupling points . We stress that solving th e compatibility at the coordination level is a first step for getting interoperability , since coordination contributes in a fundamental way to give objects and actions thei r semantics . Secondly, at the 'vertical level', integration requires a supporting platform able t o provide the necessary facilities . Specifically, we think on a underlying architectur e endowed with a (object-oriented) distributed knowledge representation syste m supporting dynamic definition and efficient application of rules, together with flexibl e one/many to many communication patterns to implement general forms o f coordination . Moreover, an integrated multimedia environment is needed both t o enrich system functionalities and to reduce user cognitive efforts in interacting wit h the system . We believe that the requirements identified for integrating CHAOS with other CSC W tools are general enough to be sensible for other CSCW applications . In fact, in ou r view communication, collaboration and coordination together with their technologica l supports are complementary and equally essential facets of co-operation, as an y improvement within each of them does not reduce the need and relevance of the others . [DSVZ88] F . De Cindio, C . Simone, R. Vassallo, A . Zanaboni, CHAOS: a Knowledge-base d System for Conversing within Offices, in W. Lamersdorf (ed .) "Office Knowledge : Representation, Management and Utilization", North Holland, Amsterdam, 1988 . [DOS92] F . De Cindio, C . Simone, G . Omodei Sale', CHAOS Modules lntrgration : the use r interface, CNR Finalized Project Technical Report n . 7/95, 1992 . 25
ACM SIGOIS Bulletin – Association for Computing Machinery
Published: Apr 1, 1993
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