Why Knowledge Management?

Working the Wiki

I wanted to catch up on what has been happening in the world of Wikis, and I stumbled upon Stewart Mader's Grow Your Wiki blog through an article he had written for Website Magazine entitled 5 Effective Wiki Uses. Mr. Mader is a huge proponent of wikis and has an excellent series of short videos as a part of a series called 21 days of wiki adoption.

First, I am a lover of wikis as a tool. I use one that has enhanced efficiency and it has proven very useful for certain collaboration projects. So after having watched the twenty-one, 2 - 5 minute videos, I must say that Website Magazine did Stewart a huge disservice by either requesting, or allowing a condensed version of Mr. Mader's work.

The article names the 5 effective uses as,

1. Project Management
2. Customer/Client Collaboration
3. Documentation
4. Online Community
5. Policy, FAQ, Guidelines, and Best Practices

Standalone, with only a small paragraph to describe each of these in the article, I was left with a number of gaps, questions, and even disagreements with using a wiki for a few of the purposes mentioned. However, having watched the 21 videos, there was enough content and scenarios to where I can now see the way in which Stewart is envisioning the use of a wiki in these areas of business. I still think that in some cases, another tool could be better, but I can definitely see a wiki working.

For someone new to wikis, skip the magazine article and go straight to the blog and the videos that cover subjects such as, Wiki vs. Email, Run a Pilot, Don't Rush It, Better Meetings, Project Management, and Wiki vs Content Management System.

For a consultant, or someone knowledgeable in wikis, the videos provide guidance that will help get a wiki implemented and accepted within an organization or portion of a business. Mader's web site provides some testimonials, guides, and case studies to help.

There's more study to be done to get current on wikis, and Grow Your Wiki is a good launching point.

Taming Knowledgeworker Information Overload Through Eliminating Email

I've been tracking Information Overload (IO) for quite some time...a subject that is at the forefront of much of Basex's research and the subject of several posts here. Along with tracking this issue, I'm most interested in solutions. The best seen so far however comes from Luis Suarez at ELSUA, who has started a new mantra of giving up email.

Of course, the immediate reaction is that there is no way that we could possibly live without email. And in truth, with the state of the workforce at this time, that would be a true statement. However, Luis' How to Collaborate with Customers without Using Email provides an excellent guide to getting control over information overload by controlling certain work email.

The prime argument is that email is a horrible collaboration tool.  Face it, when using email to collaborate, you are left with no good choices. Take a small project where 5 people need to collaborate on a document. In order to avoid dozens of "Reply-All" emails that will fill in-boxes (often with unnecessary emails), side emails are sent, multiple versions of documents/spreadsheets/etc are begun and circulated. Email 'conversations' about the document or project are made between various segments of the group, and/or are then circulated to all members - some who do not have the full context of how the document got to this point. And of course, some of us MUST answer emails as soon as they arrive, while others of us handle them at certain points during the day (or ignore them altogether), causing the collaboration to be out-of-sync at the very least and filling our in-box in the process - all of course, having the same level of priority which we each individually assign for ourselves. As the size of the project - in number of players - increases, so does the traffic and lost effort. And this is only a part of the problem.

I must say that I have not done as well as Luis Suarez has on his 26th week without email, but by using social networking solutions, I have noticed a dramatic decrease in email traffic, and improved project completion, coordination and communication by using the right tools for the right job.

In my attempts to keep tabs on and learn from Knowledge Management, Content Management, Wikis and Social Networking processes and tools, I have endeavored to never mention the company that I work for and any of our internal processes, and I will stick closely to that and not give away any secret sauce, but in this case I just want to say in nondescript terms that we are 'members of this choir'; management down to staff are huge believers that email is NOT a tool for collaboration as Luis has discovered. With a corporate culture where everyone is a watchdog that ensures that social networking tools are used when required, and that email is only used as a vital form of direct, two-way, non-collaborative communication, there is a correct focus that reduces one of the causes for information overload. 

Email is just one of the contributors to information overload, but some would argue that it is a significant part. If that is the case in an organization, Luis in his post names some specific software solutions that they have employed or that he is looking into that seem to be making a difference and which deserve some investigation.

Search Insights

A few years back I attended a Content Management conference in San Francisco hosted by the Gilbane Group. I was quite surprised to find several of the break out sessions devoted to "search."  At the time I had not yet put as much value on search as the rest of the content market had. Of course, I came back a believer.

So I was very interested in Jack Vinson's Knowledge Jolt post on Google Insights.  I was notified of this post through (of course) Google Alerts, watchword: Knowledge Management.

Google Insights is designed to analyze the words that people are using to search via Google. As with all Google products, it has a very basic interface. You select the search term and then filter by geographical location, time period, and category...then press 'search'.

The location is a selection by country or worldwide; the time periods are pretty flexible allowing 2004 - Present, a specific year, last 30, 90 days, last year, and even allowing a specific date range; the category provides some typical industry breakdowns.

Within a couple of minutes, you can enter a search term, choose your filters and then search to see how active that term has been on Google. To compare 2 terms, separate by a comma and re-run your search. Add a comma and another term - get a comparison of the three terms. Change a filter (different date) - run again. Drill down into a specific county - run again. The results are a very basic line graph, but warning: this can be habit forming. It quickly becomes very interesting to see what is popular, what is fading in popularity, how search terms compare, and how they compare across countries.

According to Tech Observer, Google Insights has been up and running since April, but based upon a simple search, there are a lot of recent (August) mentions of this new service, and a Google Insights on Google Insights shows no interest (searches) until the end of July.

The realization that I came to was how valuable this could be to Content Managers in gaining insight (yeah, sorry) into what search terms are being used within a system, and helping that manager ensure that users can find what they are looking for or that content is created for failed searches.  I don't think this point is missed by anyone who discovers this tool. Tech Observer predicts this tool will be a big hit with bloggers....

Disclaimer 1: "Google Insights for Search aims to provide insights into broad search patterns.     Several approximations are used to compute these results." (from the Google Insights home page)

Disclaimer 2: Tom Godfrey is not an employee of Google.

Knol Watch

I was hoping to not get caught up in Google's Knol and perhaps come back to it in 6 months for a review of their progress, but thanks to Google Alerts, Knol marches on.

Google Alerts sent me to Ron Young's KM Consulting blog, and his announcement on July 31st, that he had posted a Knol (unit of knowledge) on Knowledge Management (KM). The interesting take that Ron has on Knol is that he views the tool as a space for collaboration. His blog posting indicates that Knol has allowed him to develop the article on line, editing and adding as he goes, and he is currently asking for reviews and feedback. In his words:

"My first article is far far from complete, but because it is a Knol, it can be rapidly developed, continually improved, and I can refine and develop it further over time and experience. What I urgently seek now is comments and even reviews. Any sort of feedback is very much welcomed."

In visiting Young's knol Knowledge Management in the 21st Century, I found a well designed unit of knowledge.

As of today, the know was already up to its 17th revision. At over 2500 words, KM in the 21st Century is quite a sizable unit of knowledge. Mixing some history of KM, with a definition, a description of KM tools, and a scope for KM's future, I thought it was educational and helpful. I would say my only negative comment would be in the length of the Knol, which is not a good judge of value...just an impression. I enjoyed the content, so I think I'll reserve judgment until I read more knols, re-read Ron Young's knol, and then, of course, I will post some comments there and give Ron a choice to take it or leave it!

While I was there, I thought I'd see what else was cooking, so a current search of Knol shows 13 knols on Knowledge Management. As expected, there is a lot of room for growth, but some early adopters have taken advantage to forge the way. Somehow I'm expecting more Google Alerts in the short term.

Launching a Unit of Knowledge

I was tipped off by a colleague this week that Google's knowledge management play, Knol, has recently been launched.

Originally announced via blog in mid-December with a formal press release in January, Knol - short for Unit of Knowledge - is a Wikipedia-type site, with a few major differences. 

The Knol home page clearly states that a Knol is "an authoritative article about a specific topic."

Whereas Wikipedia is a somewhat "open" environment, inviting everyone to contribute to dynamic articles, Knol mandates the creation of an article by a single user, which is unalterable. Users can comment upon the content, ask questions, and rate the value of a Knol, but they cannot edit it.

The other major difference is that Wikipedia's contributors are mostly anonymous (unless you look at the history, but even then it displays login names) and Knol requires the expert be credited and take their bows or lumps.

At Knol, I saw plenty of contributions by medical doctor's about all sorts of medical conditions (which seems to be the majority of the content at this time) and a recipe for excellent pancakes.

Hey, the site is very new and Wikipedia has a 7 year head start - if that even matters. Knol is ripe for all types of content and should be interesting to watch over the next few years.

Information Overload Hits the Big Time

About six months ago, I posted here that Information Overload (IO) was going to become a pertinent topic for discussion this year as study of the problem would intensify. A recent Information Overload Conference (great link for the statistically inclined) in New York City hosted by Basex is evidence of the growing concern and discussion/search for solutions.

Observations started at YKM as early as September 2005 with Knowledgeworker interruptions (from email, text, land/cell calls, visits, et al). Basex is at the forefront of the issue with continual observations and regular reports in their weekly TechWatch newsletter.

The Information Overload link above is chock full of facts from the conference, but the research is showing some generalized results:

• It was reported that most interruptions are non urgent/important, but are treated as such (and we allow the interruption). This, and the time it takes to re-focus, represents 28% of the day.
• 25% of our time is spent productively in content creation (including email).
• We spend 20% of our time in meetings.
• 15% of the day is spent in searching for things.
• Thinking and reflecting (productively?) represents 12%.

Expect more research into IO. I have received some comments, and there are postings, that the $650 billion dollars in waste that Basex has estimated that interruptions cost the US economy is probably on the conservative side.

While Basex continues to dig into interruptions and email mis-use,  research has and should continue to be done on some of these other areas of our day, including the productivity of meetings, search, and reflection.

Wiki Update

A wiki is a powerful tool.

I started to research and dig into wikis in business in May 2005, and occasionally circle back to capture some of my thoughts on this technology.

A blog posting and an article are my inspiration for today's thoughts. Christee Gabour Atwood, who blogs on Succession Planning Basics - an important HR discipline - supplied some thoughts on using a wiki for HR purposes in her KM Tip of the Week.

IndustryWeek published an article this past Friday, Seven Strategies for Implementing a Successful Corporate Wiki, that has suggested that by 2009, 50% of organizations will use a wiki as an important collaboration tool. The IW article goes on to suggest 7 important strategies for using a wiki.

And circling back to Wikipedia......back in 2005, when I first researched the somewhat open doors of Wikipedia, there were 500,000 articles in English. As I write this today, there are 2,192,000+ English articles - over four times the number of articles in less than 3 years.

Wikis help serve two fundamental needs. The first is the desire of each of us to help our fellow man by sharing our knowledge (made very easy by a wiki), and second, we all crave knowledge to help us in business, in our personal lives, or just to satisfy our curiosities.

The IW article identifies some of the requirements and strategies for the creation of a successful wiki, but an important piece that is often missing (having observed some successes and some failures in wiki implementations in the past) is need...there has to be a reason....some pain-point that is best served by a wiki. A whim does not a successful wiki make.  In the absence of this strong need, very little advice about using wikis will help in creating a lasting, living, growing body of knowledge.

Learn from Living

It is interesting that during the course of any given day, there are probably at least 6 - 12 things that a person experiences that can be chalked up to Knowledge Management, or that can be incorporated into one's knowledgebase. 

Unfortunately I do not have a lot of time for surfing the web and looking for the latest news...I let Google Alerts point me in the right direction.

Well I became aware of a blog posting by David Snowden of Cognitive Edge, where he catalogs just such an experience in his day...but in his case, he was not only able to identify KM in use, but was able to isolate the various facets of the knowledge in his post Knowledge In Action. From his one experience, he was able to show knowledge in action in 4 different ways and then weave a story  that shows each's applicability.

Information Overload in the Knowledge Universe

Last week, Basex, conducted a 15 minute Webinar on the subject of Information Overload (I.O.), the video of which is still available for viewing.

Work interruptions and general overload has been a growing problem, which Basex has been following closely for quite some time (I first commented on Basex's Interruptions research back in September 2005) and while they have always garnered some press on the subject, they are starting to get more traction with the media outlets.

The vast sources of knowledge, available on the net, within the business, inside your team and now made more accessible, ensures that we're always buried in one or more of our gadgets designed to keep us in touch with our necessary resources. Then, combine that with the fact that 'knowledge' or at least content is being produced in greater volume than every before, and that managers and knowledgeworkers are not trained in how to handle the onslaught, and you have a big problem. How big?

The costs of information overload, which includes such things as email and cell phone interruptions, poor quality of search in the enterprise, and just pure volume of information are staggering at an estimated 2.1 hours per day  per knowledgeworker and dollarized to be $650 billion in 2007 in the U.S.. The unmeasured cost? Stifled innovation and restrained productivity. 

So for 15 minutes (1 minute to register and 14 minutes for the video of the Webinar), it's time well invested to better understand the problem identified, become aware of some known solutions, and to get connected to Basex who will be studying the I.O. trend and potential solutions more closely over the next year(s).

YouTube for Knowledge Management?

The headline initially startled me too. YouTube for KM? - No way.

And I'm not seriously suggesting YouTube for KM....but...

Seth McGrath's  ITWorld.com article, "Leveraging web technologies to capture and manage knowledge assets," is very insightful.

No, he does not actually suggest that you use YouTube for knowledge capture and distribution, but he does suggest using the technology (video) to capture knowledge dumps that can be prepared and stored for distribution. Face it, a video capture of someone's thoughts and actions delivered with their passion or emotion of the situation is far better (and a lot quicker) than trying to capture the same knowledge in writing.

More specifically, he had several great ideas (though the article is a great setup and delivery - much better than this footnote):

1. Use video to capture knowledge and a YouTube-type repository for storage and distribution.
2. Use Social Network applications on the local intranet.
3. Use Blogs for day-to-day capture of activities and what is being worked on.
4. Use a Wiki for collaborative projects.
5. Use a  del.icio.us-style tagging system for classification.

....and more.

McGrath's suggesting the utilization of today's most popular technologies for knowledge management purposes is strong and useful advice.