Human Centric Computing

Commentary: This post was originally written Dec 2010 and was updated then reposted Dec2013. Chief Executive Officers fear commoditization of their products and services. This is a major indicator of attenuating profit margins and a mature market. Efforts such as "new and improved" are short term efforts to extend a product life cycle. A better solution is to resource disruptive technologies that cause obsolescence of standing products and services, shift the market, and create opportunities for profit. Human centric computing does just that and project manager may find they are involved in implementing these projects of various levels of complexity. Thus, project managers should have a grasp of this technology and even seek solutions in their current projects. 

Human Centric Computing
by 
JT Bogden, PMP

Human centric computing has been around for a long time. Movies for decades have fantasized and romanticized about sentient computers and machines that interfaced with human beings naturally.  More recent movies have taken this to the ultimate end with characters such as Star Trek's Data, Artificial Intelligence A.I.'s character David, or the movie iRobot's character Sonny.   In all cases these machines developed self-awareness or the essence of what is considered to be uniquely human but remained machines.  The movie Bicentennial Man went the opposite direction from a self-aware machine who became human. This is fantasy and there is a practical side to this.

Michael Dertouzos in his book, 'The Unfinished Revolution', discusses early attempts at developing the technologies behind these machines. The current computational technologies are being challenged as the Unfinished Revolution plays out. I am not in full agreement with the common understanding of the Graphical User Interface, GUI, as "a mouse-driven, icon-based interface that replaced the command line interface". This is a technology specific definition that is somewhat limiting and arcane in thinking. A GUI is more akin to a visceral human centric interface in which one form utilizes a mouse and icons. Other forms use touch screens, voice recognition, and holography. Ultimately, the machine interfaces with humans as another human would in the end state.

Human Centric Computing

Humans possess sensory capabilities that are fully information based. Under the auspices of information theory, during the 1960's human sensory has been proven to be consistent with Fourier's Transforms. These are mathematical formulas in which information is represented by signals in terms of time domain frequencies. In lay term, your senses pickup natural events and biologically convert the event to an electrical signals in your nervous system. Those signals have information encoded in them and arrive at the brain where they are processed holographically. The current computational experience touches three of the five senses. The visceral capability provides the greatest information to the user currently because the primary interface is visual and actually part of the brain. The palpable and auditory are the lesser utilized with touch screens, tones, and command recognition. The only reason smell or taste is used is if the machine is fried in a surge which leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. However, all the senses can be utilized since their biological processing is identically the same. The only need is for the correct collection devices or sensors.

Technological Innovations Emerging

If innovations such as these device examples are fully developed and combined with the visceral and palpable capabilities cited earlier truly human centric machines will have merged and the 'face' of the GUI forever will have changed.

Microsoft's new Desktop is literally a desktop that changes the fundamental way humans interact with digital systems by discarding the mouse and keyboard altogether. Bill Gates remarks that the old adage was to place a computer on every desktop. Now Gates remarks that Microsoft is replacing the desktop completely with a computational device. This product increases the utilization of the palpable combined with the visceral in order to sort and organize content then transfer the content between systems with the relative ease of using the finger tips (Microsoft, 2008). For example, a digital camera is set on the surface and the images stored are downloaded then appear as arrayed images on the surface for sorting with your fingertips. Ted Talk's Multi-touch Interface highlights the technology. 

Another visceral and palpable product is the Helio Display. This device eliminates the keyboard and mouse as well. Image appears in three dimensions on a planar field cast into the air using a proprietary technology. Some models permit the use of one’s hands and fingers in order to ‘grab’ holographic objects in mid-air and move them around (IO2, 2007). Another example of this concept is Ted Talk's video Grab a Pixel. 

On the touch screens of various forms virtual keyboards can be brought up if needed. However, speech software allows for not only speech-to-text translation but also control and instructions.  Speech engines that can provide high quality instructions replacing error tones and help text. Their telephony products are capable of interaction with callers. Their software also comes in 25 languages. (Loquendo, 2008).

There are innumerable human centric projects ongoing. In time, these products will increasingly make it to the market in various forms where they will be further refined and combined into other emerging technologies. One such emerging trend and field is a blending of Virtual Reality and the natural.  The Ted Talks video 'Six Sense' illustrates some of the ongoing projects and efforts to change how we interconnect with systems.

Combining sensory and collection technology with neutral agents may increase the ability to evaluate information bring the computer systems closer to self-awareness and true artificial intelligence.  Imagine a machine capable of intaking an experience then sharing that experience in a human manner. 

Commentary:  Project managers seeking to improve objectives where selection and collection of information can be quickly gathered with out typing or wiping a mouse across the screen, should consider use of these type of products whenever possible.  Although costly now, the cost for these technologies will drop as the new economy sets in. 

References:

Dertouzos, M.L. (2001). The unfinished revolution: human-centered computers and what they can do for us.  (1st ed.), HarperBusiness 

Englander, I. (2003). The Architecture of Computer Hardware and Systems Software: An information Technology Approach. (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

IO2 Staff Writer, 2007. HelioDisplay, Retrieved 25FEB09 from http://www.io2technology.com/

Microsoft Staff Writer, 2008. Microsoft Surface, 2008, Retrieved 25FEB09 from
 http://www.microsoft.com/surface/product.html#section=The%20Product

Loquendo Staff Writers, 2008. Loquendo Corporate Site, Retrieved 25FEB09 from
 http://www.loquendo.com/en/index.htm

ITIL Affects Measurable Organizational Value

Commentary:  This posting has had over 3500 reads and is in the top all time posts.  

ITIL Affects Measurable Organizational Value

by

JT Bogden, PMP

ITIL, Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is an emerging standard that congeals and stabilizes best practices for information technology implementations within an organization. The standard focuses on service delivery levels and operational guidance. Wrapped up in these two focus areas are activities that were already in practice in many organizations and are now focused under the ITIL standard. The standard now offers a baseline from which to establish an organizations service level and system performance. But what does that mean in terms of Measurable Organizational Value, MOV?

The first thing we must understand is MOV is aligned with the organizations strategy and it's ability to extract benefit from it's efforts. MOV is not about how well the company or it's staff do their jobs. Instead, MOV relates to the achievement of strategic objectives the organization seeks.  The strategic objectives could involve many aspects of the organization to include sustainability and profitability as well as corporate governance objectives.

The measurement of organizational value closely follows Effect Based Outcomes, EBO, methodology. In EBO objectives are established. Each each objective may have two or three associated effects. Each effect may have one or two Measurements of Effectiveness, MOE's. For example, the following objective, effects, and MOE's may be typical of a company launching a social media campaign.

  O.1 Promote a social media campaign

         E.1.1 An increase/decrease in customer awareness of services

              MOE.1.1 The number of customer queries about the services

         E.2.1 An increase/decrease in customer participation of service design

              MOE.2.1 The number of service enhancement suggestions

An additional element, indicators, are used to establish decision points and refocus resources. For example, once customer suggestions reach 100 per week a decision is made that the customer participation program is mature. Funding for this program is rolled back to sustainment levels and the money is refocused into other efforts. The MOE is then monitored continuously for a decision point when a decrease to 50 customer suggestions per week is hit. Then resources are allocated to increase awareness to the program. This is typical MOV initiative to sustain  the desired effects and objective achievement.

Throughout the organization, various factors affect the availability of resources used to achieve MOV. ITIL provides a framework for managing those resources. Essentially, ITIL impacts MOV in many ways. While MOV is focused on organizational objectives, how well the organization stays focused and executes its tasks contributes to improved or strengthened MOV. For example, Activities that:

• Reduce costs. 
• Improve IT services through the use of proven best practice processes.
• Improve customer satisfaction through a more professional approach to service delivery.
• Support standards and guidance.
• Improve productivity.
• Improve use of skills and experience.
• Improve delivery of third party services through the specification of ITIL or ISO 20000 as the standard for service delivery in services procurements.

ITIL has an impact on available resources that are applied to improve MOV initiatives.  Additionally, ITIL is linked to MOV through its service levels which are tied to strategic objectives of the organization. 

• Service Strategy. The service strategy aligns IT with the business objectives which are measured in terms of MOV.
  
• Service Design. This structures the IT architectures in support of operations creating policies that impact MOV. Attention must be given to ensure that the policies are not counter productive but instead support the organizational objectives. Streamlined policies en-culture optimized processes and resource utilization increasing resource availability for MOV initiatives.
  
• Service Transition. This is focused on change management. The purpose of change management is to stay focused on the organizational objectives and avoid costly detours which can impact MOV if not in alignment.
  
• Service Operation. This covers delivery and control processes ensuring stability. All to often during the operations and maintenance phase environmental variations can lead the operations away from the objectives. This keeps the focus on MOV.
  
• Continual Service Improvement. This is concerned with 'tweaking' the IT service management. It wraps up best practices and processes like lean, Six Sigma, TQM, etc... in a incremental continuous improvement process. These are course corrections that emphasize MOV and increase reources available for MOV initiatives.

Overall, Measurable Organizational Value, MOV, is closely coupled to ITIL in terms of strategy-to-task service levels.  Systems of systems thinking ties all aspects of the organization into its productive achievement of MOV and its initiatives.

This posting has had over 700 reads and is in the top all time posts.  

Healthcare Information Virtual Environment System (HIVES)

Comment:  This post was an outcropping of a project we worked in my Master's Program. The problem set was complex and required the project team to scope, identify, then management risks, objectives, and the projects necessary to implement the overarching project. 

Healthcare Information Virtual Environment System (HIVES)

by

JT Bogden, PMP

Healthcare information systems have a vast array of various equipment, clinics, labs, governmental agencies, manufacturers, doctor offices, and innumerable other organizations providing, collecting, and processing information. Classic issues of stove piping or 'Silos' have emerged causing inefficiencies in the industry such as multiple lab test and/or diagnostics being prescribed. The advent of a nationalized health records system increases the complexity of these networks as well. In order to gain management and control over these information systems, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) hosts the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel, (HITSP). This is one of several cooperative efforts, between industry and government to create standards. However, all too often the standards result in a highly complex architecture and system design to the chagrin of efficienies. This is because early standards and architectures often focus on resolving major issues with little forethought into the broader architecture. Many argue that little information is known or that the project is far too complex. Years later, this results in an effort to simplify and streamline the system again.

Allowing a Frankenstein architecture to emerge would be a travesty when our initial objectives are to streamline the healthcare processes removing redundancies and latencies in the current system. The planners should design the system for streamlined performance early. Large scale projects like these are not new and history tells us many good things. The evolution of complex systems such as the computer, the car, and the internet have emerged out of a democratization of design. Literally, tens of thousands of people have contributed to these systems and those models are one approach to resolving the large scale complex information systems involved in healthcare. What we have seen emerge out of the democratization of design is a standardization of interfaces in a virtualized environment. For example, the headlamps are nearly identical for every car with standard connectors and mounts even though the headlight assemblies are artfully different on each car. The computer has standard hardware and software interfaces even though the cards and software perform different functions. The virtual computer is independent of vendor product specifications. Instead, the vendor performs to a virtual computer standard in order for their products and services to function properly.

Let us take a moment to explain that virtualization is the creation of a concept, thing, or object as an intangible structure for the purpose of study, order, and/or management. The practice is used in across a breadth of disciplines to include particle physics and information science. Within the information realm, there are several different virtualization domains to include software, hardware, training, and management virtualization. My interest is not in the use of any specific virtualized technology but instead in exploring healthcare virtualization management as a practice.

I propose a need for a Healthcare Information Virtual Environment System (HIVES), Figure 1, which is essential to reducing complexity and establishing a standard for all those participating in the healthcare industry. The virtual environment is not a technological system. Instead it is a management system or space in which medical information is exchanged by participating objects within the virtual environment. Real things like clinics, offices, data centers, and equipment sit on the virtualized backplane or space.  HIVES would have a set of standards for participating equipment, clinics, hospitals, insurance agencies, data centers, etc... connecting to the environment in order to exchange information. Many may remark that these standards exist. I am able to locate dozens of vendor products and services supporting hardware, software and even service virtualization which are not a standard virtualized management of the overarching healthcare environment that is what the nationalized healthcare system is attempting to manage. I have reviewed HITSP and noted there is no clear delineation of a virtualized managed environment.

Figure 1: HIVES

In such an environment, I envision data being placed into the environment would have addressing and security headers attached. In this way, data is limited to those listening and who have authorization to gather, store, and review specific information. For example, a doctor prescribes a diagnostic test. An announcement is made in the environment of the doctors request addressed to testing centers. Scheduling software at a testing facility participating in the environment picks up the request then schedules the appointment. It announces the appointment in the virtualized environment in which the doctor's office software is listening to receive the appointment data. Once the patient arrives the machines perform the diagnostics placing the patient's data back in the environment. A analyst picks up the record reviews it and posts the assessment in the environment. In the meantime, a data center participating in the environment that holds the patient's record is listening and collects all new information posted in the environment regarding the patient then serves those records to authenticated requests. The patient returns to the doctors office which request the patient's record from the data center through the environment.

The advantages to having such an environment whether called HIVES or something else are astronomical. The patient's records are available to all participating in the environment, security levels and access can be administered in the environment efficiently to ensure HIPPA and other security compliance standards, bio-surveillance data is more readily available with higher accuracy in the data centers, the environment can be an industry driven standard and managed through a consortium, and the government could be an equal participant in the environment.  

Moreover, to be a participant, the manufacturer, clinic, lab, hospital, doctor office, data center or any others have to meet the clearly defined standards and become a consortium participant at some level. Thus, complexity of the architecture and systems interfacing can be tremendously reduced achieving the stated objectives of healthcare reform and streamlining.