1 Why KM? Ivey Business Journal, March 2001 v65 i4 p37 – The customer's system (designed for the music industry) has shutdown. – Escalated, via several calls to Helpdesk, to a software specialist. – Specialist shares the frustration at a weekly chat session with other repair specialists. – An from across the world asks: Is the software being run on a computer that is physically located inside the recording studio? – Probably, if anyone touches the server rack inside the studio, the static electricity generated causes the system to reboot.

1 Why KM? ● One of the greatest challenges for companies is the threat of knowledge walking out the door – Through layoffs, attrition, or retirement ● Existing knowledge could be: – Unused – Used, but not shared – Used, shared, but not reused ● KM pilot at Aventis, a drug company: Saved a scientist 2 weeks to find examples of different protocols for culturing, and an additional 2 weeks to identify the appropriate cell sorting technology.

1 Identify sources KM Implementation Process Define knowledge Define business objectives of KM Identify tools, technology Measure impact Define processes for KM

1 KM Implementation Process Define knowledge Define business objectives of KM Define processes for KM Identify tools, technology Identify sources Measure impact

1 KM Sample Search FAQs Newsgroups Knowledge base Docs Mailing Lists Training Ask the Expert Support Contacts Phone/ Webcasts Chat Collaboration Tools Third Party Content Self help/Proactive Reactive/Interactive Customize

1 Interdependencies ● KM recommends – Every bit of knowledge be documented – Everyone should contribute – Knowledge has to be structured, valid, easily readable – like any good documentation ● Knowledge – Is “rated” - by access frequency, or effectiveness – Is customizable

1 Interdependencies ● KM Roles – Creator, Reviewer, User ● KM Cycle – Acquire, Store, Retrieve, Maintain ● Sources of knowledge – Documents; Mail archives/lists; Newsgroups; CRM tools – Capturing tacit knowledge is the key challenge ● This is a technical writer's core competency

1 Interdependencies ● Templates are critical – Knowledge has to be standardized, irrespective of who contributes ● Information delivery formats are not critical – Search engines and tools will search and convert across formats

1 Participate! ● Contribution depends on: - Level of KM implementation in the organization - Stage in the KM cycle - Acquire, Store, Retrieve, Maintain - Role - Creator, Reviewer, User

1 Acquire Store Retrieve Maintain Participate!

1 Summary ● Technical communication skills are essential to KM success ● Participation is critical ● Roles in KM could vary ● Another interesting hat! Contact :

1 References ● Articles, Case Studies, from – McKinsey: – American Productivity and Quality Center – KM World (Magazine) : – Sun's KM Center ● Sun's KM course, and KM alias discussions ● Benchmarking the knowledgebases, support services, and newsgroup features – Across Sun, Oracle, HP, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft

1 Acknowledgments ● Anupama A – Sun Microsystems ● Raji Santhanam – Encirq ● Shobana Latif – Aalayance

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1 Setting Expectations ● Gartner classification of technology patterns (hype and time) – Over enthusiasm, disillusionment, and then a gradual improvement in the technology that could lead to maturity – KM is in the last phase ● Organizational commitment ● Formalized processes ● Better tools ● Parallel development of related technologies ● When was the term Knowledge Worker coined?

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