1/ I'm speechless. I've discovered a complete knowledge and project mgmt methodology first developed decades ago w/ stunning parallels to Bldg a Second Brain framework developed completely independently
2/ It's called Structured Writing, summarized in this 1993 excerpt by Robert E. Horn, from journal Performance and Instruction web.stanford.edu/~rhorn/a/topic…
3/ Horn is a well-known political scientist/professor who developed methods for info mapping, visual languages, writing technical documentation. Structured Writing dates to 1965 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E.…
4/ Structured Writing (SW) has exact same 3 stages as Bldg a Second Brain (BASB): content analysis (in BASB, progressive summarization); project lifecycle mgmt (PARA); and sequencing/delivery of projects (Just-in-Time PM, which he also calls JIT learning!)
5/ Also has same overall purpose: make learning easier and quicker for ppl in complex, info-rich environment. He arrives at similar conclusion: enabling productivity and effectiveness of real projects, w/ knowledge acquired on demand as needed
6/ Horn developed "info blocks" (smallest practical unit of meaning), which crucially were designed to facilitate writers/analysts to rapidly "absorb" knowledge from a subject matter expert, in order to write technical documentation
7/ To do so, he discovered an underlying, universal taxonomy of 7 "info types" that research indicated can sort 80% of any subject matter into categories in a first pass. Importantly, whole purpose of this is to facilitate further refinement in later stages
8/ Stage 1 (content analysis) focused on labeling these info blocks, while stage 2 (project lifecycle mgmt) used "recursive procedures" (just like prog summarization) to "chunk" info & identify gaps in knowledge, since the subject matter expert wouldn't be available forever
9/ Stage 3 (sequencing/delivery of project) used precision, modularity, and technical vocab of previous stages to put content into "sequencing templates" (just like BASB evernote templates) that can be communicated from one person to another not involved in earlier stages
10/ There are 40 types of info blocks, which replace paragraph as essential unit of meaning. Each block contains 1-9 sentences and/or visuals on a single idea, labeled clearly, which are then assembled into an "info map" (which itself contains up to 9 blocks)
11/ Crucially, all this was developed for very practical technical writing (not academia), so 4 principles of Chunking, Relevance, Consistency, & Labeling are all READER-focused. In BASB we talk about designing notes for your "future self" (which is also good for sharing)
12/ Multiple benefits: analyst/writer can systematically question expert according to info types; documentation manager can specify guidelines/rules that only apply to certain info blocks; assists in sequencing bec each block has one point
13/ Here's the 7 info types:
1. Procedure
2. Process
3. Concept
4. Structure
5. Classification
6. Principle
7. Fact
1. Procedure
2. Process
3. Concept
4. Structure
5. Classification
6. Principle
7. Fact
14/ Info Map allows user/reader/learner to receive the big picture of the document all at once, and allowed distinction between blocks needed for LEARNING and those needed only for REFERENCE, with different designs for each
15/ SW had method of putting a title at the top of EVERY page (just like every digital note has its own title), w/ info block labels down the margin, making each page essentially a grid (w/ coordinates for ideas, like a map, G3 x H1)
16/ A minor point at the time that has since become major: info blocks make it MUCH easier to use new tech like machine learning, semantic analysis, network tools, automated summaries, etc., which require more precise specifications than humans usually use
17/ I think it actually goes way beyond this, enabling remote teams of distributed knowledge workers to potentially work asynchronously & adaptively on complex projects, much like is done with code. This could be key to opening digital nomadism to everyone
18/ To top it all off, Horn foresees critical importance of "rhetoric," traditionally associated w/ persuasive communication, literary art, legal reasoning, and public speaking, to everyone. I've been thinking that "group knowledge mgmt" actually requires a return to these basics
19/ Here's a summary of the key innovations in Structured Writing, from the article 
20/ Lastly, here's my progressively summarized notes evernote.com/l/AMxpuq2bLChJ… Makes me very happy to see independent confirmation of our basic direction
