Learn Systems Thinking with Object-Process Modeling in PKM

Welcome back to Visual PKM.

I am Zsolt.

Today we continue our exploration of diagrams by exploring the Object-Process Methodology.

But, why should you care?

In our complex world systems thinking is crucial.

Whether we're wrestling with global challenges or navigating our personal workflows, understanding

the interconnectedness of systems is essential.

But what does systems thinking entail?

What tools-for-thought are you using to facilitate this process?

OPD and OPL are ISO standard modeling tools designed for systems thinking.

After last week's video, some of you have commented how you struggle with the practical

application of Concept Modeling.

I'll respond to by modeling PKM Personalities, popularized by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Nick Milo,

and Tiago Forte, using OPM.

Thus my hope is to hit three birds with one stone.

To teach the basic of OPD and OPL, to show how different tools are useful at different

stages of our thinking, and to demonstrate how OPM can help understand complex systems.

We'll start with a few questions.

Now, if we were chatting over a coffee, I'd wait for your reply and we'd have a discussion,

but given our circumstances, I am just going to pause shortly after each question giving

you time to come up with your own answer.

But before we dive in, I just want to mention that you should definitely check out the video

description.

I've included some helpful resources there, should you wish to explore OPM further.

and now the questions...

What are the things that exist in the universe?

What do we call them?

The answer is OBJECTS are the THINGS that exist or might exist.

We can think of them as things that might exist, or in fact exist.

For example a book is an object.

In OPD objects are nouns, they start with a capital letter and are represented with

a square.

What are the things that happen in the universe?

The answer is the PROCESSES are what happen or might happen.

For example reading is a process.

In OPD processes are verbs in present participle form, that is, ending with "ing".

They start with a capital letter and are represented with an ellipse.

But processes cannot happen in vacuum; they happen to something.

Therefore the follow-up question is What are the things to which processes happen?

The answer is that processes happen to objects.

The things that happen happen to the things that exist.

You represent this relationship with a line in OPD.

There are a few different type of connections, the one I am using here is the instrument

relation.

You read it as "Reading requires a book".

This sentence is the OPL representation of the OPD.

Let's take a moment for a very important side-note, the strength of OPM lies in its ability to

facilitate dual-channel processing.

By grounding our understanding in both visual and textual formalisms simultaneously, OPM

enables us to engage our verbal and visual faculties at the same time giving you twice

the brainpower, using all the cores of your CPU.

What do processes do to objects?

The answer is that processes transform objects.

What does it mean for a process to transform an object?

Transforming of an object by a process means one of three possible things.

The process can create an object, the process can destroy or consume an object,

and a process can affect an object.

For example "Reading yields one or more Fleeting Notes or Ideas".

I use the term "fleeting note" in reference to How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens.

The arrow I am using here is a procedural link that represents Input, Output and Results,

in this case, output.

The little plus sign next to the arrow is a "participation constraint" and denotes "at

least one".

In turn our "Note Making process consumes at least one Fleeting Note and yields at least

one Note"

But what does it mean for a process to affect an object?

A process affects an object by changing its state.

So here we introduce, in addition to objects and processes, a third term, which is state.

Objects must, therefore, be stateful.

In other words, they must have states.

Thus we are talking about not just objects, but stateful objects, and processes that transform

them.

For example a "Book can be unread or read."

and "Reading changes the Book from unread to read".

Now let's shift gears and ask another key question that we will need to use later on.

What are the two complementary aspects from which any system can be viewed?

Two important, two key aspects.

The two key aspects are structure and behavior.

Structure is the static aspect; it answers the question what is the system made of, what

are the parts, and how are they related?

The second aspect, the complementary aspect is the behavior.

It's the dynamic aspect, that answers the question How does a system change over time?

What happens to the system and the objects in it?

So for example a "Knowledge Base consist of at least one Catalogue, many Notes, many Connections,

and additional parts.", and a "Connection refers to two Notes."

The solid black arrowhead is a Structural Link and denotes aggregation, or participation

when read in the other direction, the horizontal line between the arrow head and the Knowledge

Base denotes that the aggregation is not comprehensive.

If the line were not there, we would assume the Knowledge Base only has these 3 components.

Additionally, "refers to" on the arrow between Connection and Note is called a tag and is

used to specify the nature of the relationship.

Another example is the generalization structural relationship.

"Video, Blog and Book are Content", and "Consuming generalizes Reading and Watching.".

Note that you could turn both of these sentences around, thus I could have said "Content generalizes

Video, Blog and Books."

and "Reading and Watching are Consuming".

Generalization means that the specialized elements inherit properties of the generalized

element.

Thus we can also say that "Content can be unknown or known" and "Consuming changes Content

from unknown to known".

Finally, there is an aspect that is only relevant to man-made systems.

What is it?

Well, it's the function or utilitarian, subjective aspect that answers the question: Why is the

system built, and for whom?

This question holds significance solely within the realm of man-made systems, as opposed

to natural occurrences.

I can imagine, that by now your head is spinning.

We've covered a lot.

Let's take a break and talk about learning languages.

Similar to spoken languages, there are different modeling languages as well.

Just as you use different languages to communicate with different people, you will use different

modeling languages to represent different concepts.

For example, BPMN for modeling business processes, UML for software design, Argdown for argument

modeling, IBIS for dialog mapping, or DMN for decision modeling.

Just as there are many spoken languages, there are many modeling languages.

However, the good news is that you don't need to learn them all to navigate through life.

Nonetheless, you should at least learn one or two.

Now, if you have ever tried to learn a language, you will know it is hard work.

But once you've learned it, it opens doors to new cultures and perspectives.

Mastering a modeling language offers a gateway to new insights and understanding.

However, learning a modeling language is not as hard as learning a foreign language, but

it still takes effort.

Now, I don't want to bore you to death with my Object-Process Model of PKM.

I am going to share a link to it so you can explore and edit it in Excalidraw.

I just want to highlight a few things before wrapping this video up.

First, I want to clarify that I am also just learning OPM.

I have watched all the videos I could find and spent a good 5-6 hours studying Dov Dori's

book.

But please take my model with a grain of salt.

I am not a native OPD or OPL speaker, so my grammar, vocabulary, and accent are likely

very rudimentary.

Because of this, I even created a dictionary for myself, just as you would when learning

a foreign language.

I will share a link to it in the video description as well.

I hope you find it useful.

Second, you will notice that I have four big circles on the map.

This is OPD's solution for zooming in and out to different levels of abstraction.

If the model becomes too complex, you can zoom in or out to view it at different levels

of detail.

On this map, Architecting, Curating, Gardening, and Authoring are the higher-level processes.

This is how the model looks when I hide the details within these circles.

To make this view even cleaner, I slightly reorganized elements, an hid some of the structural

decompositions by removing the breakdown of a PKM Framework and the specialization of

Content.

Third, this is not a flowchart.

While there are processes in systems, real systems seldom operate in a sequential manner;

usually, there are concurrent, sometimes competing, and maybe probabilistic activities.

However, to get a sense of order, the general rule is to read these models from top down.

Finally, to address the comment about the practicality of all this, let's discuss the

Architect, Librarian, Gardener, and Writer within all of us.

Based on my rudimentary OPM model, it is clear to me that it is not a question of either-or,

but rather these personalities playing in concert.

Our journey in personal knowledge management starts with curating content, much like a

librarian organizing books.

But soon, you'll realize the need to architect a system for storing notes and managing your

backlog of content you've yet to explore.

This is where the architect in you takes charge.

As your library grows, you'll find yourself gardening, organizing, sorting, and connecting

ideas.

When it's time to create, the writer in you steps forward.

However, these roles don't exist in isolation; they're interconnected.

The diagramming and modeling techniques we've discussed in recent videos are particularly

helpful when your inner architect is at work.

In closing, I hope you found this introduction to Object-Process Modeling helpful.

If you did, please hit that like button, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Don't forget to check out the description below to find my dictionary and my OPD model

of PKM.

In case you were wondering, I used the Excalidraw Plugin in Obsidian.md to create the illustrations

for this video, as well as to run the slideshow.

While there are many dedicated diagramming and modeling tools out there, the unique combination

of freeform illustration and linked notes offered by the Excalidraw and Obsidian combo

makes this my tool of choice for Visual PKM.

I'll include links in the description to my plugin, as well as to my video about the slideshow

script that I am using.

Additionally, there is a free OPM modeling tool called OPCAT available.

The tool is a bit dated, as it requires Java Runtime Environment, and you will need to

Google for OPCAT download, since the download link on the official website is broken.

However, it is useful for learning the grammar.

I'll include the link to the official website in the description.

Until next time, thanks for watching, this is Zsolt signing off.