Boundary Objects as a Framework to Understand the Role of Systems Integrators*

Boundary Objects as a Framework to Understand the Role of Systems Integrators* Allan Fong, Ricardo Valerdi, Jayakanth Srinivasan *Supported by LAI consortium members and The Aerospace Corporation http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-1

Outline Problem Statement Definitions Applications of Boundary Objects Example Boundary Object Attributes Staleness, Synchronization, Traceability Implications for System Integrators Next Steps http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-2

Problem Statement Technical and organizational interfaces Programs and projects suffering from organizational disconnects Cost of unclear documentations and rework Hypothesis Organizational interactions can be improved and disconnects can be reduced by effectively using and representing knowledge in boundary objects http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-3

Definitions Community of practice: Shared understanding of what the community does, of how to do it, and of how it relates to other communities (Brown and Duguid, 1998) Boundary Objects: Objects that are flexible enough to adapt to local needs yet specific enough to maintain a common identity across different interpretations (Star and Griesemer, 1989) Bridge gaps and enables communication, coordination, and collaboration across boundaries Boundaries: gaps or differences in organization structures or entities, political power, relative expertise, knowledge domains, etc. (Greer, Black and Adams, 2006) http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-4

Previous Research Applications Field Social science (Star and Griesemer 1989) Design engineering (Henderson 1991) Service (Ackerman and Halverson 1999) Organization Museum of zoology Engineering firm Telephone hotline group Boundary object Diagrams California map Collecting forms Sketches Drawings CAD Written notes Product development (Carlile 2002) Software development (Gunaratne et al. 2004) Automobile design and manufacturing firm R&D facility Drawings Automobile parts Schedule Storyboard Prototype http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-5

Boundary Object Example http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-6

Boundary Object Attributes Medium Granularity Staleness Factor Malleability Inclusivity Synchronization Importance Layers Context Type Traceability http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-7

Staleness, Synchronization, Traceability Staleness Factor: how stale the information tends to be Average time to update a boundary object Average time between changes in the information Synchronization: Internal vs External consistency A A BA A Traceability: accountability, process transparency http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-8

Implication for Systems Integrators Boundary Objects are a useful construct to understand the role and value of System Integrators! http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-9

Next Steps Attribute and characteristic overlaps Apparent correlations Trade off between effectiveness and cost/time/resources/effort How to best design boundary objects to reduce disconnects? http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-10

Questions? http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-11

Backup Slides http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-12

Communities of practice Shared understanding of what the community does, of how to do it, and of how it relates to other communities (Brown and Duguid, 1998) Boundary objects Problems http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-13

Boundary object literature Objects that are flexible enough to adapt to local needs yet specific enough to maintain a common identity across different interpretations (Star and Griesemer, 1989) Bridge gaps and enables collaboration across boundaries Boundaries are gaps or differences in organization structures or entities, political power, relative expertise, knowledge domains, etc. (Greer, Black and Adams, 2006) Boundary objects provide leverage Increase the collective expertise Increase clarity of communication Reduce the sense-making time required for a change http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-14

Boundary Object Bridge Model http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-15

Boundary Object Attributes Medium: virtual vs physical Granularity: level of information detail and context Staleness Factor: how stale the information tends to be Average time to update a boundary object Average time between changes in the information Malleability: how easy is it for someone to change, add information, mark up Control vs Type malleability http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-16

Boundary Object Attributes Inclusivity: level of participation Usage Synchronization: External vs internal consistency S1 S2 S3 S4 Importance: Criticality, how would you use the information http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-17

Boundary Object Attributes Layers: What you need to understand the information (Swarts, 2004) Context Type: Open vs closed (Swarts, 2004) Traceability: accountability, process transparency http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-18

Further implications Applicable to most any collaborative environment Aerospace Corporation TSAT/TMOS case study Team Interaction DSM Validation of Boundary Object Attributes More quantitative approach to studying Boundary objects http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-19

Acknowledgements LAI consortium members Aerospace Corporation http://lean.mit.edu 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Allan Fong March 7,2007-20