computer science

Ptech

Ptech is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ptech rather than just read about it. In short: Ptech Inc. was a Quincy, Massachusetts-based provider of business process modeling software that was renamed to GoAgile in late 2003 as a consequence to the media frenzy following the consented search on December 5, 2002 by federal authorities under the auspices of Operation Green Quest. The search was related to the relationship of the company to businessman Yassin Kadi, a multi-millionaire from Jeddah who trained…

Key takeaways

Ptech belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ptech to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ptech from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ptech Inc. was a Quincy, Massachusetts-based provider of business process modeling software that was renamed to GoAgile in late 2003 as a consequence to the media frenzy following the consented search on December 5, 2002 by federal authorities under the auspices of Operation Green Quest. The search was related to the relationship of the company to businessman Yassin Kadi, a multi-millionaire from Jeddah who trained as an architect in Chicago.

Business domain Describing itself as a "provider of enterprise architecture, business modeling, analysis and integration software solutions," the privately held corporation was founded in 1994, and known for its technology, which was based on a unique implementation of neural net and semantic technologies. Ptech was recognized as one New England Technology's "Fast 50" by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in 2001. The CEO of Ptech, Oussama Ziade, appeared on different television shows in the USA and has been featured on the cover of several magazines. The company was once part of UML Partners, the consortium that was convened to develop standards for UML, the Unified Modeling Language.

Federal investigation Ptech was thrust into the national spotlight following a consented search by U.S. law enforcement officials at Ptech’s headquarters on December 5, 2002, in connection with Operation Green Quest. The consented search was misrepresented by national news media as a raid. This unfavorable national publicity resulted in the eventual closing of the company in late 2003. Former Ptech employees described Ptech as a company which encouraged diversity in the workplace that respected their cultures and traditions; they attributed the media frenzy that engulfed Ptech to the politically charged atmosphere generated by the 9/11 terrorist attack. The Ptech investigation followed sanctions placed on Yassin Kadi, a former Ptech investor, after he was placed on a list of alleged terrorists. On October 12, 2001, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ordered the assets of Yassin Kadi in the United States to be frozen and Federal law prohibited financial transactions involving his property. The European Union also applied sanctions to Qadi. Qadi's listing as a terrorist was later overturned by several European courts, and his name was removed from blacklists by Switzerland (2007), the European Union (2008 and 2010), and the United Kingdom (2008 and 2010). On 13 September 2010, Yassin Kadi "succeeded in having dismissed in their entirety the civil claims brought against him in the United States on behalf of the families of the 9/11 victims." On 5 October 2012, the UN Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaeda granted Qadi's petition to be removed from its blacklist. On 26 November 2014, the United States Department of the Treasury removed Qadi's name from its Specially Designated Nationals list.

Notable clientele Ptech had a security clearance to work on sensitive military projects dating to 1997. The company's roster of clients included several governmental agencies, including the United States Armed Forces, NATO, Congress, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Aviation Administration, Internal Revenue Service, United States Secret Service, and the White House.

Notable personnel Yaqub Mirza, angel investor, board member.

References

External links Federal Indictment of PTech CEO Oussama Ziade

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ptech

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ptech claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ptech before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ptech ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ptech

In research: Ptech appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ptech in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ptech is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Defunct software companies of the United States, Enterprise architecture, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ptech outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ptech in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ptech means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ptech out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ptech in simple terms?

Why does Ptech matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ptech?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ptech.