Words Matter: Managing Vocabulary Resources to Support Productivity WA-RD 896.5 Leni Oman Riley Woodward-Pratt September 2018 Michelle Morgan Andy Everett Christy Granquist Kathy Szolomayer Steve Kollmansberger WSDOT Research Report Office of Research & Library Services WSDOT Practical Solutions Accelerated Innovation Deployment Project Words Matter: Managing Vocabulary Resources to Support Productivity Final Technical Report Prepared for: The FHWA AID Demonstration Program Project: Deploying Practical Solutions using Lean Techniques and Knowledge Management Prepared by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT): Knowledge Services, Development Division Data Management Services, Information Technology Division Research & Library Services, Development Division WSF Libraries, Washington State Ferries September 2018 Deploying Practical Solutions Using Lean Techniques and Knowledge Management (PS AID Project) Project Management Staffing Leni Oman, Knowledge Strategist, WSDOT Steve Hanson, Project Control Manager, WSDOT Riley Woodward-Pratt, Information Specialist, WSDOT Paul Houle, Senior Lean Consultant, Washington State Department of Enterprise Services Frances Harrison, Spy Pond Partners, LLC Denise Bedford, Georgetown University PS AID Project Vocabulary Management Team Dr. Denise Bedford, Georgetown University (Lead Taxonomy Task) Andy Everett, Metadata and Taxonomy Analyst, Information Architect, Data Curator – WSDOT Data Library, Data Management Services, Information Technology Division (Lead Metadata Task) Christy Granquist, Vessel Engineering Librarian, Washington State Ferries (Lead – Vocabulary Governance Task) Steve Hanson, Project Control Manager, WSDOT Knowledge Services (Lead – Thesaurus Task, Co-lead - Glossary Task) Kathy Szolomayer, WSDOT Librarian, Research & Library Services (Co-lead – Glossary Task) Riley Woodward-Pratt, Information Specialist, WSDOT Knowledge Services, (Co-lead – Glossary Task) Michelle Morgan, Assistant Director, Data Management Services, WSDOT Information Technology Division Gordon Kennedy, Information Resources Manager (retired), Data Management Services, WSDOT Information Technology Division Steve Kollmansberger, Information Resources Manager, Data Management Services, WSDOT Information Technology Division Leni Oman, WSDOT Knowledge Strategist, Development Division Acknowledgements The work described in this report was conducted as part of the project titled Deploying Practical Solutions using Lean Techniques and Knowledge Management. As the Project Manager, I am grateful for the support, knowledge and contributions of: the Federal Highway Administration’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment demonstration program for their financial assistance; Dr. Denise Bedford, Georgetown University for her expertise, information, and guidance; Steve Hanson, Andy Everett, Kathy Szolomayer, Christy Granquist, Riley Woodward-Pratt, and Gordon Kennedy for their time, expertise, and thoughtfulness in the development of the classification resources for application within WSDOT; and Gordon Kennedy, Michelle Morgan and Steve Kollmansberger for their encouragement and advisory support. ii 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. WA-RD 896.5 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Words Matter: Managing Vocabulary Resources to Support Productivity September 12, 2018 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Leni Oman, Michelle Morgan, Riley Woodward-Pratt, Andy Everett, Christy Granquist, Kathy Szolomayer and Steve Kollmansberger 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Washington State Department of Transportation 310 Maple Park Ave, SE 11. Contract or Grant No. Olympia, WA 98504-7371 K992 FHWA Program code M37A (Delphi Code 15X0445060 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Washington State Department of Transportation Final Research Report, December 2016 310 Maple Park Ave, SE through July 2018 Olympia, WA 98504-7371 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes Conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Accelerating Innovation Deployment Program through the grant award titled Deploying Practical Solutions using Lean Techniques and Knowledge Management 16. Abstract This document examines Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) practices for developing, applying, and maintaining metadata, taxonomies, glossaries, and thesauri. These ar e collectively called vocabulary management for the purposes of this report. These vocabulary resources support search, navigation, and filtering of data and information. Current practices for managing these resources were analyzed for their ability to support multidisciplinary engagement throughout t he Practical Solutions life cycle. This information was used to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop recommendations. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Knowledge management, Practical Solutions, resource model, No restrictions. This document is available through the capabilities, learning culture, information management, metadata, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA taxonomy, glossary, data management. 22161. 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price None None 41 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized iii Disclaimer The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Washington State Department of Transportation or Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. iv Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Vocabulary Management Glossary ............................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 8 Improving Vocabulary Management .......................................................................................................... 10 Business Case for Change ....................................................................................................................... 10 The Challenge .......................................................................................................................................... 10 The Vision ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 11 Vocabulary Governance .............................................................................................................................. 13 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 14 Metadata ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 16 Taxonomies ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 17 A Specific Type of Taxonomy: The Business Function Classification Scheme ........................................ 18 Enterprise Glossary ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 21 Enterprise Thesaurus .................................................................................................................................. 22 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 22 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Appendix A – Metadata Schema ................................................................................................................. 24 WSDOT Core Basic .................................................................................................................................. 24 WSDOT Core Complete ........................................................................................................................... 24 Open Data/Data Set Metadata Schema .................................................................................................. 25 Geospatial Feature Class Metadata Schema .........................................................................................