Using Galaxia to model Team Consciousness "conversations"

Notes on experiments to use TikiWiki's Workflow feature try out this avatar idea

Intro

Galaxia is: an open source workflow engine (more on http://workflow.tikiwiki.org/)

They also say:

Galaxia is the ideal tool for implementing business processes. It is well-suited for use in corporate environments, where it can be used for tracking requests, product QA, and any other situation where people from many different areas must collaborate. (JW? thinks its sounds like a good idea)

I am hoping that we can use this to store the data required to make the "actions" of these avatars we've been discussing make sense and really represent how a particular interaction is going.

• wot comments? surely, comments are an integral part of co-authorship...the above line demonstrates this...n'est pas? co-authorship in one place=good (co-authorship in 2 places=more likely to divide our attention)...OK, what is out of place is this discussion, here...because it does not relate to Galaxia.

Initial implementation

For version 1.0 I am planning to create a stripped down version of a design process and implement that in Galaxia(n).

By design this will be unlikely to be useful in a Real World situation, but hopefully we will learn from it and, at the same time, be able to evaluate, and help develop, Galaxia.

The Idea...

My plan is to try and model "Ideas" being discussed and worked on by a team of contributors working in "Roles" representing the four "cognitive groups". The team works on a WikiPage? (i.e. one of these) and the system monitors contributions and comments (v1.1) to that page.

Simple flow description

• (think i need a picture for this - there)

There will be a Role assigned to each participant (the four usual suspects plus supervisor). Version 1.0 will not allow users to change roles (but this will needed shortly after, I imagine).

The idea is to move out of the "Discussion" activity each time the wiki page is saved. The "attitude" of the avatars representing the Roles will then be adjusted and the supervisor will decide if the conversation continues, is presentable or to be removed.

Even with this simplest of all models - have an idea, discuss it, then stop - I hope you can see that a fair amount of development (and experimentation) is required, but this should give us some tools to start building a workable system - with luck!

Some things to decide before going too much further

I have set up an embryonic test process here (you'll have to register separately there as it's a new database) using the terminology I have used in this document, but I am aware that it's not quite right - so any comments/contributions greatfully received!

Terms required

Idea

This represents a thread investigating/discussing one specific aspect of a project.
Alternatives would be: Thread, Story, Topic ("a hazelnut in every bite")

Discussion

The process whereby the users (acting within Roles) interact and record this in the form of a wiki page.
Maybe Conversation?

Role

Currently Languaging, Pushing & Doing, New Knowing, Envisioning and Supervising. Hopefully the right word for this as it's what they're called in Galaxia.

Finally

I will work on how the avatars can then be controlled by this data and how to represent that back to the users (i'm thinking of a module box in the right-hand column).

Hopefully we will be able to incorporate the ideas in the MetaCoordinators page.

More soon...