Organizational memory research often refers to hypermedia technology as a means of implementing organizational memory. Still, users do not need hypermedia systems per se, but they do need information systems which support their work and are reasonably easy to use. Thus, instead of introducing new hypermedia tools or environments, there should be a means of enhancing existing information systems, most of which are not hypermedia systems, with the desired hypermedia features.

This is called the hypermedia functionality approach (HMF), which means that a set of hypermedia features are incorporated into a software system [1]. Hypermedia functionality is seen as a value-added support functionality for software systems, allowing the information to be investigated in a non-linear, semi-structured way. Core hypermedia functionality consists of the creation, modification and deletion capabilities of various kinds of hyperlinks and nodes, and orientation and navigation capabilities achieved via the hyperlinks. Hypermedia functionality can be incorporated into any knowledge-intensive software system so as to provide its users with an associative way of organizing, analyzing and accessing information. We are concerned here mostly with collaborative hypermedia functionality, meaning simply HMF in collaborative software systems, i.e. systems that emphasize the groupware or team aspects of knowledge work. Even so, team support always takes place through supporting individual team members, just as organizational learning always takes place through individuals.

We are interested especially in the problem of software design information and the creation of an organizational memory founded on it. Collaborative HMF support of this kind has been implemented in MetaEdit+, which is a multi-user, multi-method meta-CASE environment [2]. Meta-CASE technology in general enables the definition of CASE tool support for one's own methods and methodologies for the purpose of planning, analysis and design, and also the adaptation of existing methods and their CASE tool support. On account of the environment's metamodelling capabilities, the tools described can equally well be utilized for any modelling activities, e.g. information architecture planning, structured analysis, object-oriented design, organizational modelling, or business process modelling. At the same time the concept of collaborative hypermedia functionality is general enough to be applicable to other groupware tools in a similar manner. MetaEdit+ consists basically of a set of tools for constructing design artifacts, e.g. Diagram, Table and Matrix Editors, a toolset for justifying and inspecting the design decisions made, known as Debate Browser, and a hypermedia functionality underlying the construction and argumentation tools, known as Linking Ability.

Diagram Editor in MetaEdit+ simply enables the drawing of diagrams using a specified method, which can be determined by the user. The conversation on development issues is captured in Debate Browser with a fixed design rationale method [3]. Collaborative HMF behind of these tools is received through Linking Ability subsystem [4]. Diagram editor (as well as other editors) enables to link any design objects to each other through hyperlinks, e.g. to trace back to requirements. All hyperlinks can have attributes associated with them to provide more information. These associative hyperlinks integrate also annotations and argumentation for constructions (i.e. design diagrams), by means of which any design rationale node can be reached from the design objects in a diagram. It also allows a user to ensure that all outgoing/incoming links from/to a diagram have been checked. Readers are able to make link attribute queries, e.g. to obtain 'all design rationale links created after 2/28/1997', 'all links to which the keyword "important" is attached' or 'all links created by HOK'. The interaction history list supports backward navigation by moving to a node that has already been visited. Two kinds of marks are also provided as guides for readers. A bookmark is a marker for keeping one's place in the collection of documents, and can be attached to a specific design object in a document (if it might be of interest later), while a landmark directs the reader to an important region in the document (e.g. starting point for a reviewer).

The tools described here can be utilized not only for capturing design rationales, annotations and dependences lying behind the analysis and design diagrams, but also for debates and rationales lying behind information system development methodologies or methods [5], or any other issues. When tools such as Diagram Editor and Debate Browser are improved using hypermedia functionality, they become especially interesting from the organizational memory viewpoint, as it is the collaborative hypermedia functionality which enables the different kinds of dependences to be represented explicitly and used fluently in the information system.

To summarize, collaborative hypermedia functionality implies a natural means of supporting the development and fluent use of an organizational memory. For more about collaborative hypermedia functionality in information system development and organizational memory, see [6, 7].

[1] Oinas-Kukkonen H. (1997) Embedding Hypermedia into Information Systems, Proceedings of the Thirtieth Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS '97), Maui, Hawaii, January 1997, IEEE Computer Society Press.

[2] Kelly S., Lyytinen K. & Rossi M. (1996) MetaEdit+: A Fully Configurable Multiuser and Multitool CASE Environment, Proceedings of the 8th Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE '96), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1996, pp. 1-21.

[3] Oinas-Kukkonen H. (1996) Debate Browser An Argumentation Tool for MetaEdit+ Environment, Proceedings of the Seventh European Workshop on Next Generation of CASE Tools (NGCT '96), Heraklion, Crete, Greece, May 1996.

[4] Oinas-Kukkonen H. (1997) Towards Greater Flexibility in Software Design Systems through Hypermedia Functionality, Journal of Information and Software Technology (forthcoming in May/June 1997).

[5] Oinas-Kukkonen H. (1996) Method Rationale in Method Engineering and Use. In Brinkkemper S. et al. (eds.): Method Engineering - Principles of method construction and tool support, Chapman&Hall, New York, USA, 1996, pp. 87-93.

[6] Tervonen I. & Oinas-Kukkonen H. (1996) Reorganizing the Inspection Process: problems encountered and resolved, Software Process - Improvement and Practice, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 97-110.

[7] Tervonen I., Kerola P. & Oinas-Kukkonen H. (1997) An Organizational Memory for Quality-based Software Design and Inspection: a collaborative multiview approach with hyperlinking capabilities, Proceedings of the Thirtieth Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS '97), Vol. II,. Maui, Hawaii, January 1997, IEEE Computer Society Press, pp. 290-299.