KM is BS

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Comments:: I have participated in a MIS graduate program, and found out just how far 'academia' is is the the IT area. Building KM systems for industry and government is pathetically easy these days, using tools like Oracles developer 2000 and Lotus Notes. : The real challenge is getting middle management to understand this stuff. I have worked at several private companies, and several government agencies. Developers and management need to come to the realization that they are not 'special'. There is no need to take 5 years going through requirements, analysis, development...etc. To develop a system, it jus takes some thought, common sense, and most importantly, the ability to see that it will not be perfect, no matter how much time is spent in the requirements phase. The sooner something is built, the sooner a company will learn what it is they need, and what they do not. : Most KM 'experts' take the organization and cement its current incarnation with this area. If the company is having knowledge sharing problems, which 99% of companies are, it is usually because they have segregated their departments from each other. When a user brings up the company KM system, the first thing they see is 'their' department, and 'other' departments. They go into 'their' department, and essentially slam the door on the 'others'. Are they encouraged to learn about the other departments, and therefore better understand their role in the company? No. Can they empathise with other departments, so the organization can operate more efficiently? No. To share info, a company needs to focus on cross cutting departments, and making information available that facilitates coordination and communication between departments. I believe the 6 types of info I present here are common to all businesses, and departments within the business, so all employees look at the same information, and are more likely to 'be on the same page' and to 'align their vectors', so that when they are summed, they add to an amount that is unstopable. Normally, since people are often working against each other, the process with a company can be very inefficient. : If your averaqge person puts a little thought into the big picture... 'lets see what is it we do, and what info do i need to do it better, faster, in order to achieve competitive advantage, and serve our customer better...' it is very easy to come up with a list of things that every company needs: : About the Company: : Every employee should have, as the first thing they see when they start their system every day, very well thought out information about their company. This information should come from the top, since most information is distorted when it passes throught the typical chain of command. This information, at the very least, should contain: : Company Mission, Strategy, Vision, organizational charts and process flows. It is important that every employee understand their position in the big picture of the company. : Informational Resources: : This area contains all the info necessary to help the staff find the information is the the other 5 areas. : A company that makes a particular product needs to have as much info as possible available to their staff, so that they all 'know' their own product. This area tells people where to find info, and of course has an excellent search area. : The most important hing that can be done for an employee is teaching them how to find info. First info needs to be available, second the company needs to make sure their employees can find it... : Administration: : This is simple. All 'administrative info' should be available to staff electronically. Human Resource information, job postings, policy, procedures, mission, vision, strategy, forms, etc. : The focus is on personnel support, as opposed to business operations, below. : Business Operations: : This area focusses on the 'value chain' the information that directly contributes to the product for which the organization exists. : News : This area has the 'new stuff', anything that occured recently, from any of the other areas I have listed. it first appears here, then, if appropriate, is archived in the other sections. : Events: : Company and related parties, awards ceremonies, seminars, conferences, etc. This may be hard to distinguish from news, and may be combined with it... : Contacts: : This section contains all internal and external : contacts related to a companys business. I believe that the underlying data should also contain skills information, hohhies, interests, and much more additional information about the companies employees, to assist in human resource planning. There should never be a question about where to find a number or a person to talk to in another department. I heve seen companies that have no idea who to talk to about a certain issue within the same building. This is ludicrous. : Some other crucial points -- : All companies will have issues about sharing information. This simply must be worked out, and should not slow the development of a KM system. : The sharing of information can be very hard to foster, there are often very great cultural barriers to this. This usually the biggest challenge to a KM system, not technology. : Keeping data current. There is only one solution to this. Everyone needs to be capable of adding and editing data. For instance, if I get a new phone number, I should be able to edit the information myself. Where critical refereed or vetted information is concerned, an electronic workflow process can be used for approval. : Everyone should be able to commnent on the system. : Users of system generally have very good input, and the better the understand a system, the better the input will be.

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