Inventory
When there is a lot of data, start or add to an inventory of the items under consideration.
when we’re trying to be comprehensive in considering something—Comprehensive Sensemakers—there is often too much information to hold in our mind.
The human mind can keep track of only a few things at a time.
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An inventory is kind of a list, but it could have other dimensions of information. It’s the kind of list you might want to put into a table, like a spreadsheet. Note that there are some issues with storing non-numerical data in a spreadsheet intended for numerical data. Sometimes data is automatically reformatted, so you may want to consider using simple tables.
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As an example, in 1963, Buckminster Fuller published an inventory called “Universal Requirements of a Dwelling Advantage” in his book No More Secondhand God. In it, he listed everything that needed to be addressed in building shelters and it ran nineteen pages. The inventory represented his years of experience in the building industry as well as years spent considering the problem, so these kinds of inventories are something that can be developed over time.
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Inventories are nice in that they can be shared and added to by others, especially as part of an Open Artifacts project.
Therefore:
To help answer a ‘what’ question, create inventories to help you keep track of large amounts of information under consideration.
Consider creating a visual representation of your inventory—Portrait; if an inventory is part of an Open Artifacts project, make it available to other team member