[humanmarkup-comment] Fw: Version Control -- Intermediate Records

[Ranjeeth Kumar Thunga <rkthunga@humanmarkup.org>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <Owen_Ambur@fws.gov>
To: "Gannon, Alice" <AGANNON@OFHEO.GOV>
Cc: <john.andre@GSA.GOV>; <frautschi@bigmindmedia.com>;
<susan.turnbull@gsa.gov>; <rkthunga@humanmarkup.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 1:49 PM
Subject: Version Control -- Intermediate Records



Alice, in science, no theory is ever "proven" -- merely demonstrated to be
highly unlikely to have been supported, based upon the best available
evidence, by chance.  Scientist speak of the "goodness of fit" of their
theories to the evidence they find.  Likewise, no document (save perhaps
whatever document you may rely upon for religious or other, *non-worldly*
guidance) will ever be in "final" form in the sense that it cannot be
improved upon.  Thus, the distinction is merely a matter of which *version*
of each record one chooses to reference.  In most instances, what people
will want is the latest version.  However, in many others, what they will
need is the version that was in effect at a particular point in time in the
past.  Of course, too, in many instances the version they will want is the
one which has been "signed" or otherwise approved by a person or group of
people deemed to have a particular kind of "authority".  (Increasingly, in
the cyberage, old authority structures cannot keep pace with the rapid
expansion of knowledge.  <http://users.erols.com/ambur/French&Raven.htm>
Thus, we need new, less bureaucratic means of distinguishing high-quality
information.  Regardless of what those means prove to be, they will be
represented in metadata about each record, preferably in XML metatags.
<http://xml.gov/OMBinfoquality.htm>)  In many cases, but surely not all,
previous versions can be destroyed without loss of significant value once
the "authoritative" version has been "finalized".

Version control is a standard feature of most, if not all of the major COTS
EDMS products.

In the sense that all records are subject to improvement, conceptually
speaking, distinguishing some of them as "drafts" or "working papers" adds
little, if any value -- other than perhaps giving those who harbor such a
false concept some sense of comfort that they can afford to ignore the
reality of the matter.

BTW, I'm reading an excellent book that should be mandatory reading for all
records managers:  The Seven Sins of Memory, by Daniel L. Schacter,
chairman of Harvard's Department of Psychology.  One of his previous books
is entitled Memory Distortions:  How Minds, Brains, and Societies
Reconstruct the Past.  I'll be looking for ways to engage him in relating
his knowledge of human memory (tacit knowledge) more directly (explicitly)
to the requirements for effective management of explicit knowledge
(records).
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618040196/qid%3D1003943877/ref%3Dsr%
5F11%5F0%5F1/107-5976445-3126960
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674566769/qid%3D1003944255/ref%3Dsr%
5F11%5F0%5F1/107-5976445-3126960

I'm copying John Andre of the KM WG in the event they may wish to partner
with FIRM in pursuit of such a presentation by Professor Schacter.  I'm
copying Mark Frautschi in the event he may wish to explore Schacter's work
in relation to the "polarity" of tacit v. explicit knowledge.  I'm copying
Ranjeeth Kumar Thunga with reference to the activities of the Human Markup
Language WG, and Susan Turnbull in the event she may see any basis herein
for consideration at one of her Universal Access Collaboration Workshops.

Owen




                    "Gannon,
                    Alice"               To:     "'Owen_Ambur@fws.gov'"
                    <AGANNON@OFHE        <Owen_Ambur@fws.gov>
                    O.GOV>               cc:
                                         Subject:     RE: P.S. Re: IT
Strategic Plans
                    10/24/01
                    12:30 PM








Agreed! Just not all preceding drafts and work "papers."

Alice

-----Original Message-----
From: Owen_Ambur@fws.gov [mailto:Owen_Ambur@fws.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 11:30 AM
To: agannon@ofheo.gov
Subject: P.S. Re: IT Strategic Plans

P.S. Alice, one of the suggestions I've made that has not yet taken hold
but which I'm confident will eventually be implemented is to have agencies
render their strategic plans (of which IT plans are a component) in XML in
a standardized manner on the Web sites, including use of the appropriate
metatags. If and when that is done, not only will you be able to readily
retrieve any and all of them you seek but you will also be able to
automatically reuse any portions of them you choose to incorporate into
your own plans. Note also that, in the larger scheme, strategic plans are
just another series of records, all of which should be managed in
XML-enabled, Internet-based, DoD-certified ERMSs.

Owen

----- Forwarded by Owen Ambur/ARL/R9/FWS/DOI on 10/24/01 11:27 AM -----
Owen Ambur
To: "Gannon, Alice"
<AGANNON@OFHEO.GOV>
10/24/01 11:23 cc:
AM Subject: Re: IT Strategic
Plans(Document
link: Owen Ambur)


Alice, ours is outdated and I was not particularly proud of it when it was
new. However, such a record as it is, it is available at
http://irm.fws.gov/planning/svision1.html (Please don't "shred" it.)

Owen


"Gannon,
Alice" To: "fcsm@nist. gov (E-mail)"
<AGANNON@OFHE <fcsm@nist.gov>, "agannon@ofheo.
gov (E-mail)"
O.GOV> <agannon@ofheo.gov>, "Anne. J.
Baker@agf. noaa.
gov (E-mail)"
<Anne.J.Baker@agf.noaa.gov>,
10/24/01 "Barth. Charley@HQ. NAVY. MIL
(E-mail)"
11:13 AM <Barth.Charley@HQ.NAVY.MIL>,
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<bette.fugitt@usda.gov>, "Carol.
Cory@occ. treas. gov (E-mail)"
<Carol.Cory@occ.treas.gov>,
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(E-mail)" <cbrock@opic.gov>,
"Fraser, Greg"
<glfraser@home.com>,
johnjv0@ucia.gov,
nancy.miller@nlrb.gov,
Owen_Ambur@fws.gov,
srichardson@comdt.uscg.mil,
Stephen_Levenson@ao.uscourts.gov,
ThomasC@fca.gov, "Todd, Mike"
<michael.todd@osd.mil>
cc:
Subject: IT Strategic Plans



Hello to all,

Thanks for all the help you have given to all of us with past requests such
as this one.

Pls may I have copies of agency IT Strategic Plans. You may be certain the
at I amd my boss will keep them protected and shred them when we are
finished reviewing them.

Thanks so much!

Alice Gannon
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight
202-414-3791
agannon@ofheo.gov

(See attached file: C.DTF)