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202 Chapter 6

Task support system
Components: Task-Adapted

Database System support

Online help
Glossary, references,
documents, examples Tutorial
Navigational help

Job aids Learning aids

Decision aids “CBT” or E-learning
Coaching (tacit) Simulations
Manuals online Demonstrations

Figure 6.7
Components of an EPSS

understand that people could be put on task far sooner — almost from day one — if we
provided an appropriate suite of integrated supports in the context of performing
real-work tasks.
Performance support systems such as EPSS help distill content into useful chunks.
The famous experiment by Miller (1956) found that our span of immediate memory is
severely limited. In fact, we can only hold seven (plus or minus two) discrete items in
our minds at the same time. Psychologists then did quite a bit of research on how
chunking, or combining items into more general categories, can help to overcome
this human information-processing bottleneck. This is also the reason why mnemonics
work in helping us to remember. For example, in trying to recall a list of things to
do, one mnemonic trick is to visualize each item as being in different room of your
house.
EPSSs capitalize on such useful methods by reducing a document into discrete
knowledge chunks (see fi gure 6.8 ). Each chunk then becomes a knowledge object and
the EPSS can direct you to the specifi c piece of knowledge you need in order to carry
out the task at hand. This is another important distinction in how KM carries out
content management as opposed to systems such as document management systems.