Conference heron::euro_swas_ai

164.0. "EIS GENERAL DIRECTION FOR AI" by HERON::KANE () Sat Jan 13 1990 14:27

           MY PROPOSED DIRECTION FOR EIS WITH RESPECT TO AI 
           ------------------------------------------------

The following is a recap of the presentation I gave concerning what
I consider should be, in general, the main priority directions for AI.

This direction will of course be re-aligned as required to be fully
supportive of Anita's  EIS AI PROGRAM directions where necessary.

I propose (3) areas of importance to focus on:--

1) THE DIFFUSION PROGRAM.

2) UTILIZING PRODUCTIVITY SHELLS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND ALSO
   THE ASSETS LIBRARY.

3) RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH STRATEGIC ACCOUNTS.

As a general recommendation I would ask that each country try to formulate
an "operating plan" with clear deliverables. There needs to be SOME
measures of SUCCESS. If not PL72 revenue, I would suggest simply a 
projection of "projects with an AI component", number of accounts with
AI in their plans, number of software specialists completed "AI sensitizing
". This will greatly increase the potential for Management support at 
country and "Geneva" level.


1) THE DIFFUSION PROGRAM
------------------------

Increment the Software Specialists Toolkit:- Carefully design a program 
with the objective of "sensitizing" software specialists to the potential
of KBS tools and techniques for incrementing their ability to solve
tough problems. Nonobjective - turn them into Knowledge Engineers. 
Objective:- position them to identify the those project situations where
KBS can play a decisive role for digitals competitiveness. Payback:-
more project activity with AI components. Increase our ability to forecast
needs for Knowledge Engineers in the field. A more competitive Digital.

Spread the news about success:- Make sure our success stories get into
European, Corporate publications. Objective:- bring KBS to the attention
of Digital Management. Payback:- Increased support for the technology.

Involve ourselves in other technologies:- make sure we have a presence
within EIS across those technologies which can potentially benefit from
the technology - eg. CASE, DATA BASE, NETWORKS, WORKSTATIONS. Objective: 
Contribute to Digitals competitiveness in these areas and give the
technology more visibility. payback:- more support for the technology.

Identify ISV/OEM opportunities:- bring to the attention of the EIS AI
PROGRAM MANAGER such opportunities so that they may be considered by
the corporation for support. Objective:- Tighter Digital/ISV relationships
and visibility for the technology. Payback:- more support for the 
technology.


UTILIZING PRODUCTIVITY SHELLS & ASSETS LIBRARY
----------------------------------------------
Objectives:- to make us more competitive in selling AI to our customer
base. Better utilization of scarce resource for revenue generation.
Minimizes the need to reinvent the wheel.

Payback:- More Business and therefore more DIGITAL investment in AI.

SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS:-

- USE FORUMS AND FURTHER TRAINING IF NECESSARY TO BE COMPETENT IN 
  USE OF PRODUCTIVITY SHELLS EMERGING FROM DIGITAL. 

- CONTRIBUTE TO ASSETS - ESPECIALLY THOSE "SHELLS" WHICH CAN SOLVE
  PROBLEMS WHICH EXIST ACROSS INDUSTRIES. ACTIVELY TRY AND IDENTIFY
  SUCH PROBLEMS. 

- USE THE FORUMS TO TRAIN ON ASSETS.


RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH STRATEGIC ACCOUNTS
--------------------------------------------
Objective: To support the development of Digital Business in general 
by demonstrating our commitment to state of the art computing techniques
and to helping the customer solve tough problems. To develop AI business
in particular through the identification of project opportunities with
a significant KBS component.

Payback:- more AI Business, more DIGITAL support for AI.

Significant actions:-

- AI FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

- AI TRAINING PROGRAM

- CREATIVE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IDEAS - (eg. Philips/Digital Joint CC)

- FOLLOW UP ACTIONS WITH POST AI FELLOWSHIP customers.

- A PLAN FOR GETTING AI INTO AS MANY ACCOUNT PLANS AS POSSIBLE.

    
                   S/W REUSABILITY
    
         The main issue with the asset library is the one of s/w reusability.
 This issue can be addressed by different means:
          1) asset library
          2) productivity shells
          3) identify problems in a given industry and identify if solutions
             have been already implemented for them. 
    
         This last point is the German approach that Dirk Bade suggested and
    which is based on the success of UFIS. It may be worthwile investigating
    it at the next Ai forum. Why not  have a workshop  session  in which  we 
    invite people from a given world  (IS?)  and  have  them  express  their 
    problems and look at possible solutions with any existing tools.
        Some issues with this approach are:
           - identify the right domain & right people
           - identify sub-tasks which are common to those problems
           - identify solutions already existing
           - if the domain is a rich one, may be we can define some specific 
              marketing actions because we will have predefined answers to a 
              set of pbs
         
         This clearly needs further refinement but it seems to be worthwhile
    to think about it.
    
     Your comments and inputs are most welcome!
    
    Daniel              
    

    
    It would be nice to use Assets, however, support is an issue. Also,
    is there any commitment to bring assets up to current with the
    available languages (LISP and PROlog issue) and DECwindows? Assets
    need DB interfaces just as much as any old SHELL. What about an
    Asset portfolio? Presented at the next forum?
    
    Account teams also put constraints on the tools to be used. They want to
    promote business across the acct, after all.
    
    We are getting customers to commit to a long term relationship, we
    in the countries have to back that up. The general story about AI
    products has a rather dismal history (ie...Foxglove, LISP,... ).