Stakeholders can find it difficult to make sense of data in shared systems, because they do not have access to the context or focus of those who entered it. For this reason, collaborative information management should be based on more than just mutually accessible data. Information about the motivations and methods for collection, the meaning attributed to that data by various actors involved can be extremely valuable. Furthermore, there needs to be support to handle these relationships as they change over time.
Guiding Questions
How do your systems and processes support the identification of intended concepts, standards, and interpretations of data that enable communication without forcing everyone to understand things in exactly the same way?
Are there mechanisms for users to defend interpretations of data or persuade others to the importance of a claim?
How do your systems and processes encourage awareness of who has the necessary data, and who would benefit from sharing data?
