Design it like Darwin - A value-based application of evolutionary algorithms for proper and unambiguous business process redesign

2017 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Afflerbach, Patrick; Hohendorf, Martin; Manderscheid, Jonas

Abstract: Business process management (BPM) is an acknowledged source of corporate perform ... Expand

Abstract: Business process management (BPM) is an acknowledged source of corporate performance. Despite the mature body of knowledge, computational support is considered as a highly relevant research gap for redesigning business processes. Therefore, this paper applies Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) that, on a conceptual level, mimic the BPM lifecycle – the most popular BPM approach – by incrementally improving the status quo and bridging the trade-off between maintaining well-performing design structures and continuously evolving new designs. Beginning with describing process elements and their characteristics in matrices to aggregate process information, the EA then processes this information and combines the elements to new designs. These designs are then assessed by a function from value-based management. This economic paradigm reduces designs to their value contributions and facilitates an objective prioritization. Altogether, our triad of management science, BPM and information systems research results in a promising tool for process redesign and avoids subjective vagueness inherent to current redesign projects. Collapse

Topics: business process design business process redesign decision making spreadsheet ease of use

Methods: design artifact computational algorithm optimization model simulation case study

Good CARMA for the High Plains

2007 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Latchininsky, Alexandre; Schell, Scott; Hastings, John

Abstract: CARMA is a decision-support system for grasshopper infestations that has been su ... Expand

Abstract: CARMA is a decision-support system for grasshopper infestations that has been successfully used since 1996. Rising treatment costs coupled with shrinking rangeland profit margins increasingly demand accurate selection of the most cost-effective responses to grasshopper infestations, and CARMA fills that need. In the process CARMA provides advice regarding grasshopper population management options in an environmentally and economically sound fashion, and is the only pest management software that includes the more environmentally-friendly Reduced Agent-Area Treatments (RAATs) as a treatment option and an open-ended capacity for user-based treatment updates. This paper describes the most recent changes to CARMA with particular attention to the new architecture which demonstrates an approach to integrating an artificially intelligent LISP reasoner with a Java graphical user interface (GUI) in a way which combines the strengths of the two languages (i.e., LISP for artificial intelligence and Java for graphical user interfaces) in order to provide a strong reasoner while at the same time producing an appealing user interface which is platform independent and web capable. Collapse

Topics: LISP Java usability graphical user interface user interface

A declarative approach to composing web services in dynamic environments

2006 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 16

Authors: Madhusudan, Therani; Uttamsingh, N.

Abstract: A recent trend in E-business is the deployment of a variety of web services by p ... Expand

Abstract: A recent trend in E-business is the deployment of a variety of web services by product and service vendors to facilitate B2B and B2C E-commerce. To utilize these web services effectively, customer's have to (a) locate each of these services from service directories and retrieve brief service descriptions, (b) analyze service features and evaluate their applicability to the task at hand dynamically, and finally (c) invoke these services in a certain sequence to complete an overall business or personal need. Alternatively, intermediaries execute the aforementioned steps manually and provide a composite service for access from a single service platform. Both these approaches are highly tedious (either for the customer or intermediary) and non-scalable due to the volatility and size of the web. The dynamic nature of the availability and features of web services, real-time requirements on service composition and the large number of alternative combinations of service choices to fulfill a service need makes major demands on the service composition process. This paper presents a novel declarative approach to facilitate dynamic and scalable web service composition called Integrated Service Planning and Execution (ISP&E) based on AI planning techniques. Implementation of an architecture for dynamic web service composition and execution based on a domain-independent AI planning framework called Hierarchical Task Network (HTN) planning is described in this paper. Simulated experiments highlight the effectiveness of our proposed approach which interleaves service composition and execution, to cope with dynamic service capabilities and service volatility. Collapse

Topics: web service artificial intelligence electronic commerce knowledge representation LISP

Methods: experiment computational algorithm simulation design artifact ontological modelling

Investigating the "Knowledge" in Knowledge Management: A Social Representations Perspective

2006 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Vaast, Emmanuelle; Boland, Jr.; Davidson, Elizabeth; Pawlowski, Suzanne D.; Schultze, Ulrike

Abstract: A panel at ICIS 2005 in Las Vegas, NV questioned how social representations (SR) ... Expand

Abstract: A panel at ICIS 2005 in Las Vegas, NV questioned how social representations (SR) theory could illuminate central questions related to the research and practice of Knowledge Management (KM). The panel included IS researchers who examined different aspects of SR theory and their implications for the understanding of knowledge and knowledge management dynamics. The topics covered in the panel and this report include: the representations of knowledge in the history of KM systems, the role of discursive processes in the emergence of new representations and knowledge, the non-consensual nature of knowledge of various communities, and the potential contributions of a structural approach to SR for situated learning research. This paper elaborates on the presentations of the panel and summarizes the issues raised during its discussion session. Collapse

Topics: knowledge management system knowledge management IT workforce IT security decision making

Methods: qualitative interview historical review

Theories: technological frames of reference knowledge management theory

Heterogeneous Agent Development: A Multi-Agent System for Testing Stock Trading Algorithms

2005 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Russell, Stephen; Yoon, Victoria

Abstract: Intelligent agents have often been used as a method for simulating an active equ ... Expand

Abstract: Intelligent agents have often been used as a method for simulating an active equity market environment. While agents have been used extensively in trading and market simulations, agents have not been used in a system that only evaluates trading algorithms. To accomplish the simulations, agents are developed in a single or proprietary programming language. The use of agents developed in Microsoft’s .Net framework and CLR provides flexibility, scalability, compatibility, and interoperability beyond traditional agent development environments. This paper presents a multi-agent system developed using native JAVA, VB.Net, C# and PHP, all in the .Net environment. The system will demonstrate its abilities by comparing two equity trading algorithms. Collapse

Topics: programming language conversational agent PHP financial information system enterprise architecture

Methods: computational algorithm simulation statistical hypothesis test paired t-test parametric test

It's About Time: Temporal Structuring in Organizations

2002 | Organization Science | Citations: 135

Authors: Orlikowski, Wanda J.; Yates, JoAnne

Abstract: In this paper we propose the notion of temporal structuring as a way of understa ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper we propose the notion of temporal structuring as a way of understanding and studying time as an enacted phenomenon within organizations. We suggest that through their everyday action, actors produce and reproduce a variety of temporal structures which in turn shape the temporal rhythm and form of their ongoing practices. A focus on temporal structuring, combined with a practice perspective, allows us to bridge the subjective-objective dichotomy that underlies much of the existing research on time in organizations. After developing the notion of temporal structuring, we illustrate its use in the context of a prior empirical study. We conclude by outlining some implications of temporal structuring for organizational research on time. Collapse

Topics: artificial intelligence LISP virtual teamwork IT career digital media

Theories: structuration theory

A Formal Study of Distributed Meeting Scheduling

1998 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 3

Authors: Sen, Sandip; Durfee, Edmund H.

Abstract: Automating routine organizational tasks, such as meeting scheduling, requires a ... Expand

Abstract: Automating routine organizational tasks, such as meeting scheduling, requires a careful balance between the individual (respecting his or her privacy and personal preferences) and the organization (making efficient use of time and other resources). We argue that meeting scheduling is an inherently distributed process, and that negotiating over meetings can be viewed as a distributed search process. Keeping the process tractable requires introducing heuristics to guide distributed schedulers' decisions about what information to exchange and whether or not to propose the same tentative time for several meetings. While we have intuitions about how such heuristics could affect scheduling performance and efficiency, verifying these intuitions requires a more formal model of the meeting schedule problem and process. We present our preliminary work toward this goal, as well as experimental results that validate some of the predictions of our formal model. We also investigate scheduling in overconstrained situations, namely, scheduling of high priority meetings at short notice, which requires cancellation and rescheduling of previously scheduled meetings. Our model provides a springboard into deeper investigations of important issues in distributed artificial intelligence as well, and we outline our ongoing work in this direction. Collapse

Topics: LISP artificial intelligence ergonomics resource allocation decision making

Methods: experiment simulation computational algorithm discrete event simulation mathematical model

A reduction method for theorem proving based on the partial-instantiation technique

1998 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Yamamoto, Masahito; Ohuchi, Azuma

Abstract: Logical inference is of central importance in the information and decision scien ... Expand

Abstract: Logical inference is of central importance in the information and decision science. First-order predicate inference (theorem proving) provides more powerful representation of models and of knowledge, but presents a hard computational problem. We extend Jeroslow's theorem-proving procedure in function-free formulas to be applicable to full first-order predicate formulas. Therefore, proposed theorem-proving procedure can be more flexible tool for data handling and inferences. Our proposed procedure is based on the partial-instantiation technique, which reduces a first-order predicate clausal-form formula to an incrementally augmented propositional formula and proves the theorem by checking the satisfiability of the propositional formula. We also show the completeness of the proposed procedure, i.e., it can detect the unsatisfiability of an input formula. Furthermore, we compare it with resolution-style theorem-proving program otter and show the efficiency of the proposed procedure. Collapse

Topics: programming language predicate logic LISP

Methods: experiment computational algorithm design artifact

A Genetic Programming Approach for Distributed Queries

1997 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Cheung, Karen S K; Kamel, Nabil

Abstract: With the emergence of relatively inexpensive and advanced communication technolo ... Expand

Abstract: With the emergence of relatively inexpensive and advanced communication technology, Distributed Database Management Systems (DDBMS) have become an integral part of many computer applications. Efficient query processing is one of the most important issues in distributed database systems. In a distributed environment, it is common that queries extract data from different sites. It is important to limit the amount of data transfer across different sites. Semijoin is a way to reduce the cost of expensive joins between various sites. A key issue in query optimization based on semijoin reduction is to find a good sequence of semijoins that reduce the relations referenced in a given query before the joins are performed. This paper proposes a new approach, based on Genetic Programming (GP), to improve the process of database query in Distributed Database Systems. A longer version of this paper is available. Collapse

Topics: database system LISP distributed database distributed storage

Methods: genetic optimization computational algorithm simulation literature study design artifact

An Intelligent Distributed System for Strategic Decision Making

1997 | Group Decision and Negotiation | Citations: 0

Authors: Pinson, Suzanne; MoraÏtis, Pavlos

Abstract: The decision-making process in strategic planning is often too complex to be han ... Expand

Abstract: The decision-making process in strategic planning is often too complex to be handled by conventional methods. Strategic planning problems (building new plans, new product planning, etc.) belong to the class of problems called ill-structured by H. Simon. They involve a decomposition of the main problem into a set of subproblems, a reasoning process at the subproblem level, and then a coordinated and aggregated process to build a global solution. Because partial solutions are generated without having a complete view of the global objective, this type of decision-making process very often generates incoherent and contradictory hypotheses and actions. Therefore, the main problem is to find a way to achieve coherence and coordination among decisions made locally by different agents, at different levels. Collapse

Topics: decision making artificial intelligence organization structure organizational success decision support system

Theories: organizational theory