Navigation Center™ Systems
ANDMap® Network Numbering

05/07/1997

by Bryan S. Coffman

The numbering system for symbols on an ANDMap document provides information concerning the symbol and its place within the mapping system, and allows for each symbol to have a unique identification tag.

Because every activity on an ANDMap document supports a potential connection to every other activity on that map (and on other maps as well), a strictly hierarchical numbering system sets too many constraints on interpretation and manipulation of the map. Just because an Event symbol is a precedent to a subsequent Benchmark, it does not follow that the number of the Event should be tied to the number of the Benchmark. An Event may precede any number of other activities, or it may be the subsequent to several activities as well.

Numbering System Overview: Activity Identifiers
Each symbol on the map has its own Activity Identifier that consists of three components:

1. a map identifier,
2. a symbol identifier, and possibly
3. a symbol version identifier.

Each identifier is separated by an underline. A typical, complete Activity Identifier might look like this:

A map identifier is usually a short version of the map's name. An ANDMap document named "ABC Corporation Strategic Plan" might employ "ABCCorp" for its map identifier. Within a network of NavCenters, all of the map identifiers should be unique. Within a single map, all of the activity identifiers should be unique, and each time an activity changes an important characteristic, it should generate a unique revision number.

Sequential Numbering Conventions for ANDMap Symbol Identifiers
ANDMap symbol identifiers have two parts. The first two characters are letters indicating the type of symbol. Landmarks use the letter "LM", Benchmarks the letter "BM" and so on. Following the initial letter is a sequential number. Usually the first of any type of symbol on the map receives the number 0100. Following this scheme, the first Event would have the identifier EV0100. The first Benchmark's identifier would read BM0100.

While constructing a map, symbols are usually numbered sequentially by type, with the number increasing over time (as the map is read from left to right). For example, if a map runs from April through June and contains three Events in sequence and two Benchmarks, the Events might be numbered EV0100, EV0110 and EV0120. The Benchmarks could be numbered BM0100 and BM0150.

Leave some breathing room between consecutive numbers of activities on a map, especially during initial construction. Simply increment the symbol number by tens: EV0100, EV0110, EV0120, as shown in the diagram. If, during a subsequent revision, a new Event is placed between EV0100 and EV0110, it could receive a number such as EV0105 and the numbering system would remain intact. There's no reason to feel enslaved to this convention, but it allows for a quick glance at a list of activities on an Action Plan to reveal which ones precede the others in time.

The following table lists the symbol identifiers for each symbol on an ANDMap document.

Symbol	Name	Numbering Scheme
	Landmark	LM0100
	Benchmark	BM0100
	Cusp	CS0100
	Event	EV0100
	Task	TK0100
	Objective	OB0100

An Example
Suppose a corporation has three ANDMap documents: a corporate map, and two subordinate maps. One of the subordinate maps is a large scale enlargement of a portion of the corporate map representing fiscal year 1997; the other subordinate map tracks the plans of a subsidiary organization.

The corporate ANDMap document is named ABCCorp. The first subordinate map is named ABCFY97. The second subordinate map is named XYZCorp. An Event on the corporate map is named ABCCorp_EV0100. On activity specification sheets, the Event is labeled with its complete identifier: ABCCorp_EV0100. On its home map, the Event is labeled simply as EV0100 (the map name is a given).

Often an activity from one map shows up on a number of maps besides its home map. When this happens, the symbol is labeled with its full activity identifier. If activity EV0100 from the ABCCorp map is shown on the ABCFY97 map, it would be labeled ABCCorp_EV0100 on the ABCFY97 map. Readers now know that the Event belongs to the home map ABCCorp.

Sometimes an activity undergoes extensive rewording or a change in date. If the rewording changes the whole intent of activity, simply discard the old one and replace it with a new one. Give the new symbol a different symbol identifier to keep it separate from the discarded activity, which will still reside in the database as part of the history of the map. If the rewording does not materially change the intent of the activity, or if the activity changes its date, then add a revision identifier. This tells users that the activity in question possesses a history of key changes. Revision identifiers begin with the number "01" and increase by ones: 01, 02, 03, 04, with each revision. If the title of EV0100 reads: "Lotus Notes server software installation complete", and it is subsequently changed to "Lotus Dominos server software installation complete", the Mapkeeper has the option of deleting the old Event and replacing it, or adding a revision identifier. The latter choice would produce the new identifier: EV0100_01. In the knowledge base for the ANDMap system, both EV0100 and EV0100_01 would retain unique identities but clearly reveal their relationship to one another. If EV0100 resided on ABCCorp as its home map, then its complete identifier would look like this: ABCCorp_EV0100_01.

Notes on Events and Tasks in Subordinate or Related Maps

Events and tasks are interchangeable under certain circumstances. Most high level maps represent certain long duration activities as Tasks, with a symbol representing the beginning of the Task and a symbol representing the completion of the Task. But if the start date of the activity is not crucial to an understanding of the map, and if intermediate milestones on the Task line belong more properly on a Project Status Map or Action Plan, then the activity can be represented by a single Event symbol occupying the space and time of the former Task's completion date. The title of the Event should be phrased in the past tense: "Project X completed."

Sometimes an Event on a parent map expands into a Task or series of activities on a subordinate map. It's also possible for a Task on a parent map to fragment on a subordinate map into a cluster of other activities and symbols from Landmarks to Milestones. In an extreme case, the Task becomes its own map (as illustrated in the diagram below). The Task name becomes the name of the new subordinate map.

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