Planning for knowledge management in a technical organization

Abstract

Most technical organizations generate knowledge on a regular basis. However, much of that knowledge is the "personal" knowledge of the members of the organization, and may never be captured for re-use by the organization. Re-use of this existing knowledge is the goal of knowledge management. Managing knowledge may be as simple as providing access to existing documents, or it may be as complex as fostering a cultural environment of knowledge sharing. Some organizations may have barriers to knowledge management efforts, which may be technological, operational, or cultural. The identified barriers to knowledge transfer will determine a knowledge project's focus. Ultimately, a knowledge management effort should be undertaken to solve an expressed business problem, and should result in increased use of existing knowledge, as well as generating new knowledge.