45th HAWAII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEM SCIENCES Designing, Deploying, and Evaluating Tools and Techniques to Support Team Collaboration. Learn more on http://www.aristotele-ip.eu/

1. University of Innsbruck
School of Management
Information Systems
CoPrA: A Process Analysis Technique to
Investigate Collaboration in Groups
45th HAWAII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEM SCIENCES
Designing, Deploying, and Evaluating Tools and Techniques
to Support Team Collaboration
Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Isabella Seeber, Ronald Maier, Barbara Weber
Visit the following URL to download resources:
http://www.uibk.ac.at/iwi/staff/iseeber/copra.html

2. University of Innsbruck
Motivation and Purpose
• There is a need to investigate group processes:
“further fundamental research on how groups […] accept, adopt, and adapt repeatable
collaboration processes. How do groups embrace a given repeatable collaboration
process over time? How do they change it over time to better suit their needs?” (de
Vreede et al. 2008)
• include the analysis of actions performed during the collaboration
process
2
Start of
Collaboration
End of
Collaboration
collaboration process
coll.
object
com com com
comcom
com
com
comcom
ThinkLet(s)
evaluation
criteria
• questionnaire
data
• assessment of
coll. object

3. University of Innsbruck
Motivation and Purpose (con‘t)
Can we observe:
• if and when phases or pattern of collaboration change over
time?
• if participants adopt the provided experimental treatment, e.g.,
process structure provided by thinkLets?
• if and when participation of group members changes over time?
• how deeply and comprehensively participants negotiate?
• sequences of actions that can be interpreted as candidates for
causal dependencies?
3

4. University of Innsbruck
The CoPrA Approach
4
Data Collection Data Preparation Data Analysis
EXAMPLE:
Research Design: Laboratory Experiments – Task: write
a report on proposals for technical and organizational
measures to support Knowledge Management in an
organization.
Research Question: How does process structure impact
distributed teams during collaborative writing?
Gather Data - Communication Log:
Harley: 2:40 – document management system
Quinn: 2:40 - they could use a Wiki
Billy: 2:41 – Probably they can use MS Sharepoint, with
altering and all the stuff
….

5. University of Innsbruck
Coding
Harley: 2:40 – document management system
Quinn: 2:40 - they could use a Wiki
Billy: 2:41 – Probably they can use MS Sharepoint, with
altering and all the stuff
Export of Process Information
<…>
<ProcessInstance id="I002">
<AuditTrailEntry>
<WorkflowModelElement>N propose</WorkflowModelElement>
<EventType>start</EventType>
<Timestamp> 2011-05-12T02:41:00 </Timestamp>
<Originator> Billy</Originator>
</AuditTrailEntry>
The CoPrA Approach
5
Data Collection Data Preparation Data Analysis
use in
Negotiation Model
• propose
• support
• argue-against
• argue-for
• reject
• accept
• … assign action: propose

6. University of Innsbruck
The CoPrA Approach
6
Data Collection Data Preparation Data Analysis
Time
propose
support
argue-for
argue-
against
.…
02:42 - 02:47 2 2 0 0
02:48 - 02:53 6 1 0 1
02:54 - 02:59 3 1 0 0
… .. .. .. ..
03:48 - 03:53 0 0 0 0
Timestamp WorkflowModelElementOriginator
12.05.201102:39 SA-perform harley
12.05.201102:40 N propose harley
12.05.201102:40 N propose quinn
12.05.201102:41 N propose billy
12.05.201102:41 N propose harley
12.05.201102:41 N argue-for harley
Time Quinn Harley Billy
02:46 - 02:41 1 4 1
02:42 - 02:47 4 3 2
02:48 - 02:53 2 4 2
… .. .. ..
03:00 - 03:05 4 2 1

7. University of Innsbruck
Case Example (con‘t) – Experiment with thinkLets
7
Can we observe if participants adopt the provided experimental
treatment, e.g., process structure provided by thinkLets?
DirectedBrainstorm FastFocus/BoomWagon/ReviewReflect

8. University of Innsbruck
Case Example (con‘t) – Experiment with thinkLets
8
Can we observe if and when phases or pattern of collaboration
change over time?
GENERATE
REDUCE

9. University of Innsbruck
Conclusion and Outlook
CoPrA allows
• analyzing collaboration processes based on activity and
performer information
• interpreting observations within their context due to
communication logs
• insights into similarities and differences of communication
workflows
• Augment analysis with additional data sources, e.g.,
development of written digital artifact
• Augment analysis with additional activities, e.g., start search on
Google, resulting in activity streams to be investigated
9

10. University of Innsbruck
Contact
Isabella Seeber
Isabella.Seeber@uibk.ac.at
University of Innsbruck
School of Management
Information Systems I
Universitätsstraße 15
6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Thank you for your attention!
Visit the following URL to download resources:
http://www.uibk.ac.at/iwi/staff/iseeber/copra.html

11. University of Innsbruck
Case Example (con‘t) – Experiment with thinkLets
11
Comments made per action
Accept Propose
Argue-against Reject
Argue-for Support
challenge Withdraw
Counter
Negotiationactions
Can we observe how deeply and comprehensively participants
negotiate?

12. University of Innsbruck
Case Example – Experiment with thinkLets
12
Comments made per user
Can we observe (if and when) participation of group members (changes
over time)?

13. University of Innsbruck
Case Example – Experiment with thinkLets
13
Sequences of Actions
Can we observe sequences of actions that can be interpreted as
candidates for causal dependencies?