The Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) has inaugurated a new Global Excellence Awards program for Adaptive Case Management case studies to to recognize and focus upon knowledge worker scenarios.  Early-bird submissions Feb 18, commitment due March 9.  What is it all about?

No matter how I put it, talking about use cases for case management feels redundant to me.  We are looking for use cases — that is, a write up of a particular pattern of use that has been successful in a particular situation — on how knowledge work has been supported with technology.

Knowledge work examples can come from almost any field: medical, legal, police, industry, science research, teaching, consulting, management, services, etc.  Every field has examples of knowledge work, because management is knowledge work.  Executives particularly do almost pure knowledge work. How are you designing systems to support these kinds people?

If you have been working to support these kinds of people and this kind of work, the Global Excellence Awards is a great way to highlight the good work you have been doing, and to spread the ideas around how your particular approach works.

Do you have a Highly Imaginative Use Case?

We want to highlight the large variability that exists in approach.  This is not about rubber stamping one particular vision for how it should be done.  We know that knowledge work exists in almost infinite variability.  We want to see new and creative scenarios, along with careful analysis of how well it worked and in what ways this success might be useful elsewhere.

All of the winners will be published in a book, and the collection will be a resource for those who are trying to find ways to make their organization more effective.  Show us something unusual! Maybe that scenario will illustrate the approach that chosen by our readers with a particularly difficult situation.

Does it have to be called Adaptive Case Management?

No. We know that this is an emerging market.  There are many different names for similar things, and the exact boundaries are clearly defined.  We expect many of the people involved will never have heard this term before.

We do, however, know a little bit about the desired use case scenarios.  An acceptable use case will tend to discuss something from this list of subjects:

(1) Innovation

• How a case manager is able to plan timelines for the case, including the identification of stages and milestones
• How the goals of the case manager are recorded and displayed to others, and how roles and teams can be defined within the context of the case
• Support for mobile devices and other “iWorker” environments and usage models
• How a case manager can retain lists of experts that can be drawn into their cases on a needs must basis
• Integration of outside tools and social media (“mash ups”) to facilitate communications and assist with data visualization
• The cohesiveness of the system as single application/environment, whether virtually or physically, imposing a single point of access

(2) Adaptability

• Availability of reusable templates for initiating new cases, including the use of completed cases as templates
• Ability to create standard correspondence (letters, emails, etc.,) at any point in the case, capturing context of interaction and responses
• Explicit support for goal-seeking and goal-driven processes, and whether goals can be modified in-flight
• How knowledge captured during the performance of case work supports the identification and creation of new processes or case rules (not requiring IT/developer involvement or redeployment)
• How knowledge is captured and held by the system, including the dynamic and static exchanges between participants
• The degree of guidance provided by the system, based on the current context of the case, including the ability to initiate collaboration with other knowledge workers

(3) Impact

• Extent and quantifiable impact of productivity improvements (including financial and non-financial such as reduced re-work and improved customer and/or employee satisfaction
• The extent of explicit training and change management required for knowledge workers, versus the ability to eliminate training through in-flight guidance
• Better records and data management practices connected to improved case management e.g, ability to identify cases, organize content distinctly from other cases, allow cross-references and linkages between cases)
• Demonstrated productivity improvement based on greater visibility, such as prioritizing activity across multiple cases, balancing workload, monitoring quality, timeliness and speed
• Examples of problem resolution through easier management of roles, authority (access privileges), and improved communication

So, what are you waiting for?  Get that use case written up and submitted.  Awards come out in May, and the book will be available in June, highlighting the excellent work you are doing.  It is the right time to publicize approaches to supporting knowledge work.