Knowledge Management

Every organization has a wealth of knowledge -- wisdom, know-how, lessons learned, and techniques -- distributed among its individual members. One of the many factors contributing to the differences in individual performance is how much of this knowledge does an individual possess. How can organizations tap into this individual wisdom and know-how, and spread it across the organization? What are Communities of Practice and how can they help me do this? We always learn valuable lessons about what works and what doesn't work during every project, but we never seem to capture them. What is a Lessons Learned process and how can I set one up? How can others benefit from experience without paying its high cost? How can organizations retain some measure of an individual's wisdom when that person leaves the organization? How can this elusive function of the human brain be captured, stored, and instilled in others? And how can organizations gain a measurable competitive advantage by better management of this storehouse of knowledge? These are some of the issues in knowledge management.

• Knowledge Management templates and columns:
• Our Lessons Learned Survey template is a survey that can be sent to team members during or after a project to solicit their feedback on how the project was conducted.
• Our Project Closeout Meeting Agenda provides a suggested agenda for a project close out/lessons learned meeting.
• Our PM Support Website Requirements Checklist prioritizes requirements for an internal site to supporting an organization's project managers and teams.
• Want to avoid making the same mistakes and fighting the same problems project after project? "What About the Close Out?" by Paula Martin discusses how to accomplish thorough project close-out activities to identify and act on important lessons for next time.
• Knowledge Management papers:
• Knowing in Community: 10 Critical Success Factors in Building Communities of Practice.
• Knowing is a Human Act: How Information Technology Inspired, But Cannot Deliver, Knowledge Management.
• Learning Across Teams: The Role of Communities of Practice in Team Organizations
• Knowledge management initiatives. In your company, university, or government agency, how does past experience get harnessed for future good? Does your organization learn from its own successes and failures and those of others? Read Cinda Voegtli's column Managing Knowledge for some ideas on project management initiatives in your organization.
• Knowledge Management Web Sites. We've located a number of sites on the web with relevant information, resources, and discussions on knowledge management.
• The Collaborative Strategies web site offers methodologies to support both developers and users of collaborative technology.
• Knowledge Connections. The web site of David Skyrme Associates, providing you with resources on knowledge management, virtual teams, and virtual corporations. The content has been recently expanded and contains a number of white papers and downloadable tools such as the Know-All 10, a quick KM assessment for rating your organization's knowledge management capability. Good list of web links, books, and other resources.
• Knowledge Mgmt Research Center, CIO.com CIO Magazine's knowledge management resource site, including papers from CIO Magazine and other sources, web links, and other resources.
• Knowledge Management Books. Browse the Knowledge Management section of our book list, then click through to Amazon.com to buy them on-line!