Having a shared activity representation support the reuse of artifacts, expertise and procedures. People routinely look back to the last time they performed an activity as the basis for doing it again. Knowing what people are working on when they create or access an artifact provides context that makes it easier to find and use the item when people perform similar activities in the future. And best practices can be embedded in Activity Patterns that guide people as they perform an activity and simplify access to the resources they need.
AN EXAMPLE OF ACTIVITY REUSE
The work a company does to reply to a Request for Proposals (RFP) is customized for each case yet follows a general pattern and similar sequence of steps. It is thus a good example of the kind of work for which activity patterns would be useful, and in which documents and files are frequently reused.
Below is an image from a user interface exploration showing how an activity representation could support the work a team does to reply to an RFP.
The left column surfaces the main activity structure as an informal checklist to guide and track the work. The thread in the center records and shares the communication, collaboration, business processes and content used in the activity. Also in the center, resources and contextual learning objects provide best practices. The participants and their roles are depicted on the right to provide contextual awareness and quick access to others involved in the activity.
The user can search for similar activities done in the past...
...and locate an RFP response prepared for another airport.
The user notices a colleague they know eho had worked on the earlier RFP, and adds him as an advisor to the current activity.
The user similarly grabs a document and the thread of conversation around it...
...and a sub-activity, with related steps and artifacts.
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