The Socrates method

1. The Socrates method

2. The goal • The goal is to construct an ER-diagram based upon an interview or analysis of a given text. • The ER-diagram should be in a specific semantic form. • It should also be possible to construct other formal artefacts from the Socrates statements.

3. The idea • The language is used to describe reality • The grammar allows us to describe certain aspects of reality • By using every grammatical possibility available it is possible to achieve an exhaustive description of reality • There are about 10 such possibilities corresponding to one question for each possibility

4. Sentences • We use sentences for descriptions. • Here we have certain “roles”, which can be filled with statements. • Each role corresponds to one question. • Every sentence is supposed to deal with some kind of activity

5. Which activity is it about? • The purpose is to identify the verb in the sentence. • The question could be reformulated such as: • What is it all about? • What’s happening? • This is the predicate of the sentence and is described by a verb. • In a text you pick every verb and use it as starting point for analysis.

6. Who performs the activity? • This is the subject in the sentence. • Very often a “pointer” (he, she, it) is used. • This pointer might refer to another sentence, which thus indicates some relation between them

7. What {activity} {who}? • Items within {} should be replaced by the actual words, used in reality or in the text • It is the direct object and could be either a substantive (maybe with some attributes) or another sentence. • In the latter case we have a relation between a set of activities.

8. To whom {activity} {who} {what}? • This is the indirect object • It indicates the person/process etc on who’s behalf the {activity} is carried out • A “for” in the sentence might indicate the presence, but not necessary

9. When {activity} {who}? • Indicates the time when the {activity} is performed • Could be indicated “before” or “after” some other {activity}

10. Where <activity> <who>? • Indicates the place, taken in general meaning, for the {activity}

11. How <activity> <who>? • Describes how the {activity} is performed. • It can be very long statements, even bullet lists.

12. What's the intention with the activity? • A simpler way to express this is to say: What will happened after {activity}?

13. Which are the conditions for performing the activity? • A simpler way to express this is to say: What has happened before {activity}?

14. An example • from the course description

15. The text • Today we face a new phenomenon: The old organisation structures are being replaced with new ones, based upon globalising and specialising. The traditional business are being replaced with e-business, with a focus on the whole business process. This will lead to outsourcing and network organisations. The base for it all is the business systems being able to work together and the possibilties for recieving and processing information from many sources. The basic difficulty is to provide semantically rich descriotions of the business processes. The purpose of the course is to provide guidelines for selection of suitable methods and techniques for development and enhancing of such descriptions.

16. Template • Which activity: • Who: • What: • For whom: • When: • Where: • How: • After: • Before:

17. Sentence 1 • Today we face a new phenomenon: • Which activity: Face • Who: We • What: A new phenomenon • For whom: - • When: Today • Where:- • How: - • After: • Before:

18. Sentence 2 • The old organisation structures are being replaced with new ones, based upon globalising and specialising. • Which activity: Are being replaced with • Who: The old organisation structures • What: new ones, based upon globalisation and specialising • For whom: • When: • Where: • How: • After: • Before:

19. Sentence 3 • The traditional business are being replaced with e-business, with a focus on the whole business process • Which activity: are being replaced • Who: The traditional business • What: with e-business • For whom: • When: • Where: • How: with a focus on the whole business process • After: 4 • Before:

20. Sentence 4 • This will lead to outsourcing and network organisations. • Which activity: lead to • Who: 3 (Replacement of traditional business) • What: outsourcing and network organisations • For whom: • When: • Where: • How: • After: • Before:

21. Sentence 5 • The base for it all is the business systems being able to work together and the possibilties for recieving and processing information from many sources. • Which activity: being able to work • Who: The business systems • What: The base • For whom: it all • When: • Where: • How: together • After: • Before:

22. Sentence 6 • The base for it all is the business systems being able to work together and the possibilties for recieving and processing information from many sources. • Which activity: Recieving and processing • Who: Possibilities • What: information • For whom: • When: • Where: from many sources • How: • After: • Before:

23. Sentence 7 • The basic difficulty is to provide semantically rich descriptions of the business processes. • Which activity: is to provide • Who: the basic difficulty • What: semantically rich descriptions of the business processes. • For whom: • When: • Where: • How: • After: • Before:

24. Sentence 8 • The purpose of the course is to provide guidelines for selection of suitable methods and techniques for development and enhancing of such descriptions. • Which activity: is to provide • Who: the purpose of the course • What: guidelines for selection of suitable methods and techniques for development and enhancing of such descriptions. • For whom: • When: • Where: • How: • After: • Before:

25. Diagrams

26. Subject Predicate Object The idea • For every question there should be a certain place in the diagram. • The subjects basically denotes entities and the verbs denote relations between entities A has a meaning in relation to B Entity A Entity B

27. face today We Phenomenon New Sentence 1 • Today we face a new phenomenon face We Phenomenon today New

28. Verb replacement • A verb could be replaced with same other more general and abstract but saying about the same thing CFNT We Phenomenon New CFNT means “confront”

29. New re- placed has organisation structure New Sentence 2 • The old organisation structures are being replaced with new ones, based upon globalising and specialising. has organisation structure Old

30. based upon Caused by Globalising based upon Caused by Specialising Sentence 2 (cntd) • ...based upon globalising and specialising has organisation structure New

31. 4 Business process focus on whole Sentence 3 • The traditional business are being replaced with e-business, with a focus on the whole business process is replaced with Business e-business traditional

32. Sentence 4 • This will lead to outsourcing and network organisations leads to 3 Outsourcing Network organisations

33. Requires for business systems it all work with Sentence 5 • The base for it all is the business systems being able to work together for is business systems Base it all work with

34. Sentence 7 • The basic difficulty is to provide semantically rich descriptions of the business processes. Business processes has Descriptions semantically rich is to provide Basic difficulty