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TopSail Methodology

TopSAIL™ is TopQuadrant's lifecycle methodology for developing semantic solutions.
(SAIL — Semantic Application Integrated Lifecycle). It incorporates Solution Envisioning for Semantic Solutions. TopSAIL complements TopBraid Suite™, TopQuadrant's complete Semantic Web platform for building and maintaining enterprise semantic solutions.

TopSail is divided into seven phases:

Phase 1

Engagement Start-up

  • Review client agreement, scope of services, level of effort, deliverables, and schedule commitments
  • Conduct client engagement start-up meeting, meet key personnel, review mutual expectations, and document any refinements in a finalized project workplan & schedule.
  • Plan engagement; tailor processes, methods, resources, materials, and schedule of deliverables as mutually agreed with client.

Phase 2

Semantic Technology Briefing & Training

  • Conduct TopMIND™ semantic technology briefings & trainings. TopQuadrant and Professor Jim Hendler, pioneer of the Semantic Web design these programs. The curriculum features:
    • case studies and success stories
    • standards and strategic direction
    • products and vendors
    • state-of-the-art knowledge and experience
    • interactive participation, exploration and evaluation.
  • Tailor different programs to meet the needs of executives, managers and ‘change agents’, technologists and implementers.

Phase 3

Solution Envisioning & Conceptual Design

  • Assess current business situation; explore business needs and specify solution capabilities that will deliver results.
  • Create a business case and perform tradeoff analysis.
  • Develop a solution roadmap and high level implementation plan.
  • Define technical strategy and major building blocks of the solution architecture are identified.

Phase 4

Architecture and System Design

  • Develop solution architecture for integrating a semantic infrastructure with other technical components of the overall solution such as web application servers, databases, document management systems, web services, XML-feeds and legacy systems.
  • Establish ontology architecture and modeling guidelines.

Phase 5

Development & Implementation

  • Construct and integrate solution functionality.
  • Build and populate ontology models.
  • Test and validate solution.

Phase 6

Solution Deployment and Maintenance

  • Deploy solution.
  • Cut-over to production.
  • Establish maintenance and support processes for the solution. Tailor and optimize knowledge engineering processes.
  • Make fixes and enhancements as necessary. Fine-tune ontologies and system performance.

Phase 7

Engagement Wrap-up

  • Evaluate the solution as-built and deployed.
  • Prepare final report that summarizes project accomplishments, lessons learned, and recommendations for next steps
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Semantic Solutions Getting Started Framework (PDF)

Solution Envisioning FastTrack Workshop Flyer (PDF)

TopSail Flyer (PDF)