methodatlas
Session Builder

Plan my session

Plan a concrete work block with agenda, roles, preparation, and a copyable result artifact.

Method session2-4 hWorkshop or asyncCompetency Question Set

Session: Competency Questions

The plan translates the method into a concrete facilitated work block. Your inputs flow directly into the session brief and work artifact.

Derived automatically

Method session with 2-8. The plan uses the existing method logic and the runsheet.

Runsheet
Participation logic
Team round, shared work and alignment

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome logic
Finish artifact

The session works directly toward Competency Question Set. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

  1. 1

    Phase 1: Use-case briefing

    20-30 min

    Consumers describe their use cases concretely. One to two example questions per use case. Clarify what Wikipedia or search can already deliver and where the model must add real value. Hint: If use cases stay vague ('somehow AI on top of it'), park them for now. Without a real question there is no useful competency question.

    FacilitatorCompetency Question Set
  2. 2

    Phase 2: Gather questions

    45-60 min

    Silent phase plus round robin: each person formulates concrete domain questions the model must answer. At least 30 questions. One question per row. Include a concrete trigger example. Hint: If a question starts with 'What is ...?', it is usually a definition question rather than a modeling question. Rephrase it to 'Which ...?', 'How many ...?', or 'Which relationship ...?'.

    FacilitatorRequired Concepts
  3. 3

    Phase 3: Cluster and prioritize

    30-45 min

    Cluster the questions (for example entity lookup, relationship query, aggregate, temporal question). Discuss coverage per cluster. Set priority: must-have, nice-to-have, out-of-scope. Mark out-of-scope explicitly. Hint: Out-of-scope questions are valuable as boundary definition. Removing them instead of marking them means losing the reason for later scope discussions.

    FacilitatorTest Queries
  4. 4

    Phase 4: Derive concepts and test queries

    30-45 min

    For each must-have question, list the concepts, relationships, and properties the model needs. Sketch test queries from the top 3-5 questions as pseudocode (SPARQL, Cypher, GraphQL). Hint: If the same concepts show up in many questions, those are the core classes. If a question needs concepts that appear nowhere else, check whether it is truly must-have.

    OwnerCoverage Matrix
  5. 5

    Publish artifact

    10 min

    Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients.

    OwnerCompetency Question Set
Usable artifact

Session Brief

For invitations, boards, tickets, PR descriptions, or workshop notes.

session-brief.md

Session Brief: Competency Questions

Goal

Artifact: Competency Question Set

Working Question

Which concrete domain questions must the planned model be able to answer so that it is sufficient for the planned use cases and not oversized?

Context

Use-case description of the planned model; known data sources; existing vocabularies or ontologies for reuse; sample questions from similar projects as anchors.

Setup

  • Format: Method session
  • Duration: 2-4 h
  • Mode: Workshop or async
  • Participants: A facilitator with ontology or modeling experience; two to four domain experts; one or two consumers (for example a data scientist or GraphRAG developer); a scribe for the question table.
  • Owner: A facilitator with ontology or modeling experience
  • Participation mode: Team round, shared work and alignment
  • Outcome logic: Finish artifact

Participation Logic

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome Logic

The session works directly toward Competency Question Set. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

Input

Shared document or table with columns question, example answer, required concepts, priority, coverage status; sample questions as anchors; whiteboard for clustering.

Preparation

Prepare the table. Paste 3-5 sample questions as anchors (for example 'Which components depend on service X?'). State the rule: questions must be answerable by the model, not by Wikipedia.

Agenda

  1. Phase 1: Use-case briefing (20-30 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Consumers describe their use cases concretely. One to two example questions per use case. Clarify what Wikipedia or search can already deliver and where the model must add real value. Hint: If use cases stay vague ('somehow AI on top of it'), park them for now. Without a real question there is no useful competency question. Output: Competency Question Set

  2. Phase 2: Gather questions (45-60 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Silent phase plus round robin: each person formulates concrete domain questions the model must answer. At least 30 questions. One question per row. Include a concrete trigger example. Hint: If a question starts with 'What is ...?', it is usually a definition question rather than a modeling question. Rephrase it to 'Which ...?', 'How many ...?', or 'Which relationship ...?'. Output: Required Concepts

  3. Phase 3: Cluster and prioritize (30-45 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Cluster the questions (for example entity lookup, relationship query, aggregate, temporal question). Discuss coverage per cluster. Set priority: must-have, nice-to-have, out-of-scope. Mark out-of-scope explicitly. Hint: Out-of-scope questions are valuable as boundary definition. Removing them instead of marking them means losing the reason for later scope discussions. Output: Test Queries

  4. Phase 4: Derive concepts and test queries (30-45 min) Owner: Owner Action: For each must-have question, list the concepts, relationships, and properties the model needs. Sketch test queries from the top 3-5 questions as pseudocode (SPARQL, Cypher, GraphQL). Hint: If the same concepts show up in many questions, those are the core classes. If a question needs concepts that appear nowhere else, check whether it is truly must-have. Output: Coverage Matrix

  5. Publish artifact (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients. Output: Competency Question Set

Closeout

  • Update result artifact: Competency Question Set
  • Define location, version, and review recipients.
  • Define owner, next step, and review date.
Usable artifact

Work artifact

Pre-filled starting point based on the matching template.

work-artifact.md

Competency Question Set: Competency Questions

Working Question

Which concrete domain questions must the planned model be able to answer so that it is sufficient for the planned use cases and not oversized?

Context

Use-case description of the planned model; known data sources; existing vocabularies or ontologies for reuse; sample questions from similar projects as anchors.

Participants

  • Owner: A facilitator with ontology or modeling experience
  • Participants: A facilitator with ontology or modeling experience; two to four domain experts; one or two consumers (for example a data scientist or GraphRAG developer); a scribe for the question table.

Input

Shared document or table with columns question, example answer, required concepts, priority, coverage status; sample questions as anchors; whiteboard for clustering.

Template

Competency Questions Working Matrix

ElementDescriptionRatingEvidenceOwnerNext step
1
2
3

Output artifacts

  • Competency question set:
  • Required concepts:
  • Test queries:
  • Coverage matrix:

Decision or recommendation

What consequence follows from the matrix?

Completion Check

  • Competency Question Set is complete enough for review:
  • Location:
  • Version / status:
  • Review by:
  • Next step:

Next Step

  • Review result
  • Mark open questions
  • Schedule review or decision
Template base

Competency Questions Working Template

View templateCompact working template for Competency Questions with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
spreadsheet

competency-questions-working-template.md

Compact working template for Competency Questions with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.

Competency Questions Working Matrix

ElementDescriptionRatingEvidenceOwnerNext step
1
2
3

Output artifacts

  • Competency question set:
  • Required concepts:
  • Test queries:
  • Coverage matrix:

Decision or recommendation

What consequence follows from the matrix?

Ready to use when
  • Working question, owner, and target artifact are visible.
  • The result fits Competency Question Set.
  • Date and model version in the header. Let the question set grow in parallel with the model. Mark answered questions with a link to the model element instead of deleting them. Keep out-of-scope questions with a reason.
  • Open questions are noted as follow-ups.
  • The next review or decision point is scheduled.
ProfileRunsheet