Every company in the world has information, data and knowledge. Managing all this knowledge, or Knowledge Management, without getting a headache can be overwhelming. That’s why there are systems in place that will collect this data, store it in a database, and manage that data like a well-oiled car. Here is a brief guide for implementing KM in your organization.

1. Know What It Is

Knowing what a knowledge management system (KMS), and how it functions, will make it easier for you to implement later down the line. Even though it plays a small role in Knowledge Management (via the utilization of KM within the organization), it is an important one. Their main purpose is to store and retrieve reams of important data (and the collaboration of data therein). As you can hazard a guess, there are various categories of KM systems. Some of them include:

• KM 2.0
• Semantic networks
• AI tools
• OLAP
• Decision Support Systems

2. Which Solution?

Once you have your program’s objectives and goals established, it’s time to priorities the needs you require from your KMS technology. As there are plenty of KM solutions, each type of technology comes with its own benefits, cons and costs. For example, BMC Helix Remedy offers predictive service management, UX optimization across many devices, and even offers cognitive automation capabilities. This solution may or may not be necessary, depending on your needs. Evaluate whether or not your organization can truly benefit from software.

3. Change

This step is all about preparing the organization for the transition. This means consoling employees who may downright reject the shifting change. Therefore, it is crucial to identify “pain points” in your staff – and develop strategies for helping them get used to the change. Allow people to warm up to the new KM system, as well as showing them how to use it properly.

4. Assessment

Now it’s time to review the core KM components: TCPPS. This stands for technology, culture, people, processes and structure. This time will be used to review any existing gaps between what is happening now and what we want to be happening (gaps). Assessing the current state is vital for ensuring the efficiency of your implementation.

5. Launch/Implement

To make sure your KSM operates functionally, the implementation process requires a series of phases. Dividing the overall objectives into smaller goals will make the roll-out phase more efficient.

• Phase 1 should involve gathering several data sources – and the retrieval of those sources. This will improve already existing knowledge.
• Phase 2 will require the improvement of finding useful knowledge via mining software.
• Phase 3 should be used to optimize the categorization speeds—and the accuracy—of that knowledge.
• Phase 4 process is to roll out from KW (knowledge warehouses) in order to improve the functionality and security of the KM.
• Phase 5 involves inviting users to contribute their knowledge. This will expand the database’s information.
• Phase 6 will be about building blueprints for knowledge maps (via software).
• Phase 7 revolves around executing the Knowledge Directory to find selected individuals who possess a certain skill/knowledge currently required.

Conclusion

Without implanting your KMS company-wide, you won’t know whether or not areas are working as planned. Do not hesitate to implement your new system. There will always be ways to measure the effectiveness of these programs – just as there will always be ways to fill the gaps when issues arise. As always, be vigilant in measuring the performance with any change and compare it against the results of your last measurement test.