Case study Knowledge Base: Requirements

In this chapter we will describe requirements for the system that we want to create in ObjectGears - knowledg base.

There should be four types of users working with the knowledge base:

1. Reader - searches articles and displays them.
2. Author - writes articles, updates them, proposes their deletion.
3. Approver - approves new articles, updates or deletion of existing articles.
4. Administrator - Creates new topics and categories, administers the list of authors o approvers in particular topics, maintains the list of security classifications and readers etc.

Article reader will be able to search for articles in the knowledge base either by means of entering key words or by browsing particular topics and categories. Readers will be also able to evaluate particular articles.

Article author will be able to create new articles, update them or delete articles in topics, where he/she is set as author. These modifications by author äre subject of the given topic (knowledge area) owner, if the owner si defined. The author is able to add a comment to the request (explanation of the need for change he/she performs). Author can also immediatelly recall an article from displaying to readers or on the contrary return it for display by clicking off/on checkbox Published. This change is not subject of approval and enables a prompt action in case it is necessary to recall an article immediatelly.

Approver receives a request for change and approves it or rejects. Approver can add a cooment explaining reasons for approval/rejection. In case of approval article is updated to the new version and set up of article property Update date, that is displayed to users, to actual date.

Administrator maintains hierarchy of knowledge areas. Authors and approver are defined for each topic. Each topic can be divided into particular categories. Administrator also maintains the list of security classifications and users that have access to articles of the given classification.

Article will be offered and displayed to users only if following three conditions are met at the same time:

1. Article was approved by Approver (property Update date is filled in).
2. Article is published (property Published is set to Yes).
3. The given user is included within readers of the given article classification or the given classification is marked as Public.

Only change of the name, text and security classification of the article are subject of approval by the approver.