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Topic: commitment as a system
topics >
computer science >
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systems
Topic:
bug tracking system
Topic:
commitment
Topic:
communication errors between people
Topic:
discussion groups, mail conversations, and teleconferencing
Topic:
language and life as a game
Topic:
natural language as a system
Topic:
organizations as systems
Topic:
reality is a machine
Topic:
roles
Topic:
responses to electronic mail
Topic:
task communication
Summary
Commitment is like a system. If you commitment to an action, it will happen. Likewise, you depend on others to keep their commitment. Your commitments can be organized as roles, the preset patterns of commitments. Email may be used for proposals, accepted commitments, and transfer of commitment.Organizations may be seen as commitment systems. You join the organization and accept its standards and commitments to others.
Bug and issue tracking systems are examples. A new problem arises. It is assigned to someone, fixed, and sent to QA for review. Management prioritizes open bugs and adjust work loads to meet schedules.
A worry is that commitments can become absolute. If commitments are first, then actions do not adjust to reality. Machines can implement commitments, but they can not renegotiate commitments when conditions change. Machines do not make or keep commitments, nor accept responsibility. (cbb 7/06)
Subtopic: tracking commitments
Quote: the core of an organization is networks of recurrent conversations for meeting requests and contingencies [»winoT_1986] Quote: the capacity to make and communicate commitments is a universal aspect of human social activity; how this is done varies [»winoT1_1987] Quote: organizations are networks of commitments [»winoT_1986]
Subtopic: conversations for action
Quote: GP library routine includes the name of the person responsible for making corrections and a time stamp [»randS_1957] Quote: a trouble report is accepted on behalf of an organization but an individual is responsible; the acceptor's name is tracked [»cashPM1_1980] Quote: Multics development by new system release once or twice a week; one person responsible [»corbFJ_1979] Quote: DesignJournal captures the design rationale and commitments to resolve problems [»begeML10_1988] Quote: MONSTR illustrated the different states of software and the organizational division of responsibility [»mcgoMJ7_1983] Quote: every time you take on anything, it requires action within a finite interval of time; like spinning plates in a circus act [»holtAW_1997] Quote: Igo is a system for managing responsibilities, keeping a person coordinated with himself [»holtAW_1997] Quote: an Igo UNIT is a center; a virtual place for fulfilling one of your activity commitments [»holtAW_1997]
Subtopic: problems with commitment
Quote: analyze communication via commitments made in conversations instead of information transfers and decisions [»florCF_1980] Quote: a system should reveal the structure of commitments in a conversation [»florCF_1980] Quote: commitments arise in human interaction; they are not written down Quote: if action is primary, than computers should participate in speech acts that create commitments [»winoT_1986] Quote: a conversation for action is a succession of states starting with a directive and ending with performance or rejection [»winoT_1986] Quote: the basic conversational building-blocks include request/promise, offer/accept, and report/acknowledge Quote: perform a speech act using the coordinator by selecting the illocutionary force, the propositional content, and temporal relationships [»winoT_1986] Quote: coordination by conversations about the action, conversations triggered by break downs, and conversations during the action [»winoT_1986] Quote: a person can specify a recurrent pattern of speech acts to be performed by the coordinator [»winoT_1986] Quote: the coordinator only deals with the systematic aspect of language (i.e., commitments) that is crucial for coordination [»winoT_1986]
Quote: computers are incapable of making commitments and hence cannot enter into language
[»winoT_1986]
Group: systems (17 topics, 530 quotes) Topic: bug tracking system (34 items)
Topic: commitment (31 items)
Topic: communication errors between people (4 items)
Topic: discussion groups, mail conversations, and teleconferencing (29 items)
Topic: language and life as a game (30 items)
Topic: natural language as a system (43 items)
Topic: organizations as systems (29 items)
Topic: reality is a machine (48 items)
Topic: roles (21 items)
Topic: responses to electronic mail (11 items)
Topic: task communication
(49 items)