Organizations the world over are currently facing the monumental task of having to adapt to the changing business and economic environments, the need to be able to grow business while doing the same with fewer resources and developing the ability to deliver products and services to clients within shrinking budgets. Faster computers and innovative technologies can be leveraged to do this very efficiently – however, the barrier still remains - the ability to find and retain resources, with the right experience and expertise, at the right time and at an appropriate cost.
All this requires a company to engage with vendors and utilize resources in the most efficient manner possible.
TIS is a leading software solutions provider who can satisfy this specific need. With proven capabilities in delivering high quality, efficient and on-time solutions, our team includes individuals with experience in a wide spectrum of technologies and expertise in all phases of solution development from need and requirement analysis to design, development, quality control and post deployment support.
Our range of services include
* Application development services
* Maintenance and re-engineering
* Offshore product development
* Quality analysis and control
* Product support
We provide high quality, on time software solutions using a range of technologies. Our competencies include Web 2.0 and custom product development as well as business vertical specific solutions including CRM, RFID, Streaming Media, AP/AR, Online Auctions and B2C portals. We specifically cover the whole gamut of Microsoft technologies including all dotNet Technologies, VB, ASP and Visual FoxPro besides open source technologies like Java and C++ on Linux.
Vt3 Software
VT3 Software Custom Software development , Enterprise Application development and providing Knowledge management and document management solution
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Custom Software Development, Offshore Software Outsourcing Company
Custom Software Development - It's a winning offer!
Striving hard in the crowd of online competitors? Want to mark your presence? It's easy now! The innovative technology, custom software development, welcomes you to realize your dreams.
VT3software, a custom software development company India, specializes in meeting all your business requirements. Our project management strategy encompasses a number of steps ranging from product idea to customizing software solutions as per the preference of the customer.
Custom software development entails an in-depth knowledge of the requirements of the client. Innovative decisions blended with focus on business needs of the customer lead to successful software customization services.
VT3software boasts of its experienced IT professionals who coordinate and cooperate well with the clients keeping intact the aim of putting their professional expertise of offshore custom software development to optimum use. Our experience across industry domains is a source of strength, helping us effectively leverage our experience to add value to your existing processes and business needs.
VT3software's Custom Software Development unit primarily focuses on following core areas:
* Custom Application Development
* Testing and Maintenance
* Migration and Porting
In today's time crunch, companies are always in a state of dilemma to beat the challenge of meeting deadlines of countless projects they handle. Offshore custom software development has emerged as a solution to all those complexities. VT3software is an expert in offshore custom software development and renders best-quality solutions to its huge client base all around the globe. Our long list of patrons proves that we have earned reputation for ourselves in this domain.
Why choose VT3software for outsourcing/ offshore Software Development?
* ISO 9001 standards for product quality.
* Strong domain knowledge and years of experience.
* Offices in all over world, perfect fit for outsourcing.
* Strong Software development experience across various technologies.
* IT Team of more than 135 experienced programmers.
* Our Offshore Software Development Center helps us offer competitive prices.
Striving hard in the crowd of online competitors? Want to mark your presence? It's easy now! The innovative technology, custom software development, welcomes you to realize your dreams.
VT3software, a custom software development company India, specializes in meeting all your business requirements. Our project management strategy encompasses a number of steps ranging from product idea to customizing software solutions as per the preference of the customer.
Custom software development entails an in-depth knowledge of the requirements of the client. Innovative decisions blended with focus on business needs of the customer lead to successful software customization services.
VT3software boasts of its experienced IT professionals who coordinate and cooperate well with the clients keeping intact the aim of putting their professional expertise of offshore custom software development to optimum use. Our experience across industry domains is a source of strength, helping us effectively leverage our experience to add value to your existing processes and business needs.
VT3software's Custom Software Development unit primarily focuses on following core areas:
* Custom Application Development
* Testing and Maintenance
* Migration and Porting
In today's time crunch, companies are always in a state of dilemma to beat the challenge of meeting deadlines of countless projects they handle. Offshore custom software development has emerged as a solution to all those complexities. VT3software is an expert in offshore custom software development and renders best-quality solutions to its huge client base all around the globe. Our long list of patrons proves that we have earned reputation for ourselves in this domain.
Why choose VT3software for outsourcing/ offshore Software Development?
* ISO 9001 standards for product quality.
* Strong domain knowledge and years of experience.
* Offices in all over world, perfect fit for outsourcing.
* Strong Software development experience across various technologies.
* IT Team of more than 135 experienced programmers.
* Our Offshore Software Development Center helps us offer competitive prices.
Why Knowledge Management?
Why Knowledge Management?
Before we start to explore and understand the details of what knowledge management is, and how to implement knowledge management projects and initiatives, we need to first ask ourselves why we want to consider knowledge management in the first place?
What are the real benefits that can be gained from effective knowledge management for the individual, the team, the entire organization, the community, the nation, or even the entire planet Earth?
Knowledge management is far reaching. Maybe you are considering developing your own personal knowledge management competencies, to become a more effective player in the global knowledge economy, or becoming a more competitive knowledge leader and knowledge driven organization.
Maybe you wish to develop and apply knowledge management strategies to government, military operations, global poverty eradication, international disaster management and even, now, knowledge management for global climate change.
The list is endless. Knowledge management is applied today across the world, in all industry sectors, public and private organizations and humanitarian institutions and international charities.
Most importantly, effective knowledge management is now recognised to be 'the key driver of new knowledge and new ideas' to the innovation process, to new innovative products, services and solutions.
Read the paper 'From Knowledge to Innovation' here
Once we can understand the value and benefits to be gained, we will then become far more motivated to look further at the implementation of knowledge management. Doing ‘knowledge management’ for knowledge management’s sake is likely to produce a failure, or mediocre results at very best.
Knowledge management, as a discipline, must result in better achieving, or even exceeding, your objectives. The purpose of knowledge management must not be to just become more knowledgeable, but to be able to create, transfer and apply knowledge with the purpose of better achieving objectives.
How can we better achieve objectives with effective knowledge management?
Well, for a start, effective knowledge management should dramatically reduce costs.Most individuals, teams and organizations are today continually ‘reinventing the wheel’. This is often because they simply do not know that what they are trying to do has already been done by elsewhere. They do not know what is already known, or they do not know where to access the knowledge. Continually reinventing the wheel is such a costly and inefficient activity, whereas a more systematic reuse of knowledge will show substantial cost benefits immediately.
But as well as reducing costs, effective knowledge management should also dramatically increase our speed of response as a direct result of better knowledge access and application.
Effective knowledge management, using more collective and systematic processes, will also reduce our tendency to ‘repeat the same mistakes’. This is, again, extremely costly and inefficient. Effective knowledge management, therefore, can dramatically improve quality of products and/or services.
Better knowing our stakeholder needs, customer needs, employee needs, industry needs, for example, has an obvious immediate effect on our relationship management.
So it is very easy to see how effective knowledge management will greatly contribute to improved excellence, which is to:
a) dramatically reduce costs
b) provide potential to expand and grow
c) increase our value and/or profitability
d) improve our products and services
e) respond faster
Knowledge simply underpins everything we do.
But the benefits of knowledge management for improved excellence, is simply ‘one side of the coin’. There is more.
Effective knowledge management, especially accelerated knowledge creation, is the driver for innovation. Increasingly, products and services are becoming ‘smarter’ and more knowledge based.
Our ability to better collaborate in physical and virtual teams, as knowledge workers, is driving the process of new knowledge creation. Ideas can now be turned into innovative products and services much faster.
As organizations, we are learning faster, and that means that individuals are learning faster. People are developing their competencies and confidence faster in organizations that practice effective knowledge management.
In summary, we simply cannot afford not to mainstream, to embed and embody knowledge management principles, strategies, policies, processes, methods, tools and technologies into our daily personal, team and organizational lives.
The Knowledge Economy is the next booming economy in a world of recession
In a world that is facing economic recession many are starting to ask ‘What is going to be the next booming economy, what are its characteristics and, how will it help us to grow out of recession?’
At knowledge-management-online.com we strongly suggest that the next booming economy is already here! It’s the rapidly growing global knowledge economy!
More individuals, teams, organizations and inter-organizational networks will be restructuring and renewing themselves with the primary purpose of profitably trading their knowledge to add even higher value, predominantly on the World Wide Web.
Already we see more enlightened organizations developing and applying the knowledge they have about their industry, customers, partners and stakeholders, as their prime strategic asset, and at the highest point in the value chain. And many are becoming less involved, and more open to profitably outsourcing the other business operations.
Around the world we hear automobile companies talking far more about their critical and key knowledge areas of design, knowledge of manufacturing , knowledge of distribution, knowledge of service and support etc as their ‘crown jewels’ or ‘master recipe’.
Based on applying this key knowledge they then outsource the other business components. We hear the same from the aerospace industry, the oil and gas industry, the information technology industry, the food and agricultural industry, the healthcare industry, in fact most, if not all, industries.
Our knowledge mantra is 'know and apply what you know the best, and link to the rest'
Knowledge has become the key strategic asset for the 21st Century and for every organization that values knowledge it must invest in developing the best strategy for identifying, developing and applying the knowledge assets it needs to succeed.
Every organization needs to invest in creating and implementing the best knowledge networks, processes, methods, tools and technologies. This will enable them to learn, create new knowledge, and apply the best knowledge much faster.
Every individual who wishes to successfully participate in the rapidly growing global knowledge economy must now consider the development of their personal knowledge management competencies as an ‘essential life skill’ for the 21st Century.
It has been said many times, ‘knowledge will radically and fundamentally transform economies’.
One thing is absolutely certain in this rapidly changing world.
The best knowledge will always be in demand.
In, say, fifty years time you can be certain of one thing. Leaders of economies, industries and organizations will always be very interested in finding new and better ways to create and apply knowledge.
Effective Knowledge Management is a timeless and changeless principle.
The strategies, methods and tools of knowledge management will undoubtedly change, but the timeless principles will, of course, remain unchanged.
And to survive and succeed in the new global knowledge economy, we must become far more effective and more productive. We must always strive for the best relations and highest quality.
To do that, the successful organizations and individuals will not allow themselves to keep ‘re-inventing the wheel’ or ‘repeating the same mistakes. This is so costly and, we suggest that good leaders will simply not tolerate, nor be able to afford, such cost inefficiencies caused by knowledge gaps and bad knowledge flows.
Would the global financial crisis have been prevented or minimized with far more effective global knowledge management?
Finally, those individuals and organizations that can best sense, become quickly alerted to, find, organize, and apply knowledge, with a much faster response time, will simply leave the competition far behind.
All of this can only be achieved through good knowledge leadership that understands the unchanging timeless principles for knowledge, that transforms individuals and organisations to become far more responsive and effective players in a growing knowledge economy.
Knowledge Management is for everyone.
Global and/or Planetary Knowledge Management is becoming a reality today.
It is our belief that the knowledge economy is rapidly becoming the largest and most successful and sustainable economy in the world.
Why chose knowledge management?
Today, some see knowledge management as a choice. Today, those that work with knowledge very well are considered extraordinary.
Those that fail to understand knowledge management will consider it as ‘extra effort’ to our main work, or consider it a passing fad. They will risk ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’.
We predict that effective and extraordinary knowledge management, at all levels, for the individual, team, organization and global community will naturally become mainstream and ordinary, as the only way to successfully develop and grow for the future
Before we start to explore and understand the details of what knowledge management is, and how to implement knowledge management projects and initiatives, we need to first ask ourselves why we want to consider knowledge management in the first place?
What are the real benefits that can be gained from effective knowledge management for the individual, the team, the entire organization, the community, the nation, or even the entire planet Earth?
Knowledge management is far reaching. Maybe you are considering developing your own personal knowledge management competencies, to become a more effective player in the global knowledge economy, or becoming a more competitive knowledge leader and knowledge driven organization.
Maybe you wish to develop and apply knowledge management strategies to government, military operations, global poverty eradication, international disaster management and even, now, knowledge management for global climate change.
The list is endless. Knowledge management is applied today across the world, in all industry sectors, public and private organizations and humanitarian institutions and international charities.
Most importantly, effective knowledge management is now recognised to be 'the key driver of new knowledge and new ideas' to the innovation process, to new innovative products, services and solutions.
Read the paper 'From Knowledge to Innovation' here
Once we can understand the value and benefits to be gained, we will then become far more motivated to look further at the implementation of knowledge management. Doing ‘knowledge management’ for knowledge management’s sake is likely to produce a failure, or mediocre results at very best.
Knowledge management, as a discipline, must result in better achieving, or even exceeding, your objectives. The purpose of knowledge management must not be to just become more knowledgeable, but to be able to create, transfer and apply knowledge with the purpose of better achieving objectives.
How can we better achieve objectives with effective knowledge management?
Well, for a start, effective knowledge management should dramatically reduce costs.Most individuals, teams and organizations are today continually ‘reinventing the wheel’. This is often because they simply do not know that what they are trying to do has already been done by elsewhere. They do not know what is already known, or they do not know where to access the knowledge. Continually reinventing the wheel is such a costly and inefficient activity, whereas a more systematic reuse of knowledge will show substantial cost benefits immediately.
But as well as reducing costs, effective knowledge management should also dramatically increase our speed of response as a direct result of better knowledge access and application.
Effective knowledge management, using more collective and systematic processes, will also reduce our tendency to ‘repeat the same mistakes’. This is, again, extremely costly and inefficient. Effective knowledge management, therefore, can dramatically improve quality of products and/or services.
Better knowing our stakeholder needs, customer needs, employee needs, industry needs, for example, has an obvious immediate effect on our relationship management.
So it is very easy to see how effective knowledge management will greatly contribute to improved excellence, which is to:
a) dramatically reduce costs
b) provide potential to expand and grow
c) increase our value and/or profitability
d) improve our products and services
e) respond faster
Knowledge simply underpins everything we do.
But the benefits of knowledge management for improved excellence, is simply ‘one side of the coin’. There is more.
Effective knowledge management, especially accelerated knowledge creation, is the driver for innovation. Increasingly, products and services are becoming ‘smarter’ and more knowledge based.
Our ability to better collaborate in physical and virtual teams, as knowledge workers, is driving the process of new knowledge creation. Ideas can now be turned into innovative products and services much faster.
As organizations, we are learning faster, and that means that individuals are learning faster. People are developing their competencies and confidence faster in organizations that practice effective knowledge management.
In summary, we simply cannot afford not to mainstream, to embed and embody knowledge management principles, strategies, policies, processes, methods, tools and technologies into our daily personal, team and organizational lives.
The Knowledge Economy is the next booming economy in a world of recession
In a world that is facing economic recession many are starting to ask ‘What is going to be the next booming economy, what are its characteristics and, how will it help us to grow out of recession?’
At knowledge-management-online.com we strongly suggest that the next booming economy is already here! It’s the rapidly growing global knowledge economy!
More individuals, teams, organizations and inter-organizational networks will be restructuring and renewing themselves with the primary purpose of profitably trading their knowledge to add even higher value, predominantly on the World Wide Web.
Already we see more enlightened organizations developing and applying the knowledge they have about their industry, customers, partners and stakeholders, as their prime strategic asset, and at the highest point in the value chain. And many are becoming less involved, and more open to profitably outsourcing the other business operations.
Around the world we hear automobile companies talking far more about their critical and key knowledge areas of design, knowledge of manufacturing , knowledge of distribution, knowledge of service and support etc as their ‘crown jewels’ or ‘master recipe’.
Based on applying this key knowledge they then outsource the other business components. We hear the same from the aerospace industry, the oil and gas industry, the information technology industry, the food and agricultural industry, the healthcare industry, in fact most, if not all, industries.
Our knowledge mantra is 'know and apply what you know the best, and link to the rest'
Knowledge has become the key strategic asset for the 21st Century and for every organization that values knowledge it must invest in developing the best strategy for identifying, developing and applying the knowledge assets it needs to succeed.
Every organization needs to invest in creating and implementing the best knowledge networks, processes, methods, tools and technologies. This will enable them to learn, create new knowledge, and apply the best knowledge much faster.
Every individual who wishes to successfully participate in the rapidly growing global knowledge economy must now consider the development of their personal knowledge management competencies as an ‘essential life skill’ for the 21st Century.
It has been said many times, ‘knowledge will radically and fundamentally transform economies’.
One thing is absolutely certain in this rapidly changing world.
The best knowledge will always be in demand.
In, say, fifty years time you can be certain of one thing. Leaders of economies, industries and organizations will always be very interested in finding new and better ways to create and apply knowledge.
Effective Knowledge Management is a timeless and changeless principle.
The strategies, methods and tools of knowledge management will undoubtedly change, but the timeless principles will, of course, remain unchanged.
And to survive and succeed in the new global knowledge economy, we must become far more effective and more productive. We must always strive for the best relations and highest quality.
To do that, the successful organizations and individuals will not allow themselves to keep ‘re-inventing the wheel’ or ‘repeating the same mistakes. This is so costly and, we suggest that good leaders will simply not tolerate, nor be able to afford, such cost inefficiencies caused by knowledge gaps and bad knowledge flows.
Would the global financial crisis have been prevented or minimized with far more effective global knowledge management?
Finally, those individuals and organizations that can best sense, become quickly alerted to, find, organize, and apply knowledge, with a much faster response time, will simply leave the competition far behind.
All of this can only be achieved through good knowledge leadership that understands the unchanging timeless principles for knowledge, that transforms individuals and organisations to become far more responsive and effective players in a growing knowledge economy.
Knowledge Management is for everyone.
Global and/or Planetary Knowledge Management is becoming a reality today.
It is our belief that the knowledge economy is rapidly becoming the largest and most successful and sustainable economy in the world.
Why chose knowledge management?
Today, some see knowledge management as a choice. Today, those that work with knowledge very well are considered extraordinary.
Those that fail to understand knowledge management will consider it as ‘extra effort’ to our main work, or consider it a passing fad. They will risk ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’.
We predict that effective and extraordinary knowledge management, at all levels, for the individual, team, organization and global community will naturally become mainstream and ordinary, as the only way to successfully develop and grow for the future
Try free knowledge management tool www.crameasy.com www.vt3soft.com
Smaller-sized Companies Also Need Knowledge Management
Smaller-sized Companies Also Need Knowledge Management
Typically a knowledge management process involves: knowledge capture; knowledge organizing and knowledge storage; knowledge distribution; knowledge sharing. Ultimately, successful knowledge management results in the best possible means to apply and leverage the knowledge that has been captured, organized and stored, distributed and shared. It means that very little of the company's highly valued intellectual capital has escaped the knowledge management net. Virtually all the knowledge within the enterprise is harnessed, and will be used as part of the company's core business and competitive intelligence strategy.
Generally, knowledge management software developers and vendors do not target smaller-sized companies for their tools. The reason for this is purely market driven. Smaller-sized companies are apparently not a ready market, and the large companies' market is far from exhausted or saturated. Most vendors, therefore, view smaller sized companies as the more difficult to penetrate markets.
However, the lack of attention given to smaller-sized companies by knowledge management vendors is not in the least indicative of the urgent need for these kinds of tools and solution by these somewhat 'poor cousins' of the industry giants. It is obvious that the smaller-sized company also needs to capture and intelligently exploit its knowledge.
Unequal Access to Knowledge Management Tools
Unquestionably smaller-sized companies need knowledge management just a much as the giant enterprises. The current demand for knowledge management services is the result of the high uptake by large businesses. Innovative large companies and organizations now place great emphasis on knowledge management as part of their core business processes. These corporate giants have embraced knowledge management as part of their business strategy, including examining how they can better manage their intellectual capital.
When software vendors minimize or passively downplay the importance of smaller-sized companies by paying them very little attention, they are in effect denying them equal access to the sophisticated knowledge management tools and solutions on the market. They are helping to keep them out of the buoyant and business enhancing knowledge-driven market.
There is one overriding reason why corporate giants have implemented knowledge management strategies; it is essentially to gain a competitive advantage in the knowledge economy. They seek the best methods to audit and capture knowledge regarding both the explicit and tacit knowledge within the enterprise. They also want to improve their ability to acquire and create new knowledge quickly.
The question again is "Why should anyone believe that smaller-sized companies are not equally in need of knowledge management for the very same reasons that the large corporate bodies need it?"
Smaller-Sized Companies Are Not Blame Free
Software developers and vendors are somewhat justified in their "deliberate" shunning of smaller-sized companies. After all smaller-sized companies themselves are often not seeking knowledge management tools and advice. Many do not even know that KM exists. Of those who are aware of the power of knowledge management, very few feel they have the necessary "infrastructure" to implement the KM systems and many feel they have far more pressing priorities and needs.
Foremost in the minds of senior managers of smaller-sized enterprises is the financial feasibility. Most smaller-sized companies feel that the knowledge management return on investment [ROI] figures do not generally add up, so knowledge management is relegated to the level of a "luxury item," and therefore something to be considered in the future.
Knowledge management is still very much viewed by smaller-sized companies as a "big boys thing," or even as a fad, that only the giants can afford to indulge in. One can perhaps empathize with the "poor cousin" smaller-sized companies who adopt the "wait and see" position with regards to the uptake of knowledge management. It is often a case of "Let the rich big boys test the waters, and when they have validated it's worth to all businesses, including smaller-sized ones, then we will act." In the meantime, they continue in the way they know best: losing vital knowledge capital and competitive advantages daily.
Such a position by senior management of smaller-sized companies is likely to have strong support from finance directors/managers. For, many say, "If validation of the usefulness of knowledge management as a business enhancer never comes, then at least we did not waste money, lots of money, on something that would not really add value to our business or give us any measurable competitive advantage." On the other hand, "If the big boys do give it the green light, then we can jump right on the train, knowing that we are adopting a tried and tested solution, while having saved a lot of money by not having come on board too soon. We all know that software price plummets drastically with age and increased uptake." Is this really the wisest position?
The questions we might raise is: "Is this sound and valid reasoning? Does it make sound business sense for the smaller-sized company or is it one cautious stance too many?"
There can hardly be many business intelligence practitioners and consultants who subscribe to the "wait and see" position that many smaller-sized companies have taken. Why? Because it does not make good business sense in what is essentially a knowledge driven economy. Smaller-sized companies should adopt the policies and practices of the larger, more prosperous companies. They have to begin to understand the importance of substituting intellectual capital for "normal balance sheet alternatives." They should understand that they need knowledge management just as much as the larger companies do, and they need it now, not in the distant future. They must have it NOW.
Their phantom barriers against the implementation of a knowledge management system in smaller-sized companies is shrouded in one factor: their cultural resistance to change.
Knowledge Management Is Not New To Smaller-Sized Companies
Contrary to the popular modern stance, smaller-sized companies were the forerunners of knowledge management, as they have been practicing knowledge management since ancient times. History shows that as small business moved towards growth, and the eventual development of ancient international business activity, 0.
knowledge of foreign markets, customs, customers, trade winds, and pirates, were what distinguished winners from losers. This was knowledge management in action. And this was knowledge management initiated, implemented and practiced by smaller entrepreneurial businesses.
Knowledge management is currently being marketed as a "new" business intelligence-enabling tool. We are led to believe that knowledge management is an invention of the last decade, but in fact it has been part of the core business process/strategies as far back as one cares to venture. Academics and other knowledgeable persons will verify that knowledge assets within a companies and organizations have been long considered vital and these assets should be formally and strategically managed.
The important difference with modern day, 'new style' knowledge management is the changed environment in which businesses operate, and the high technology enabling tools that is available to help the knowledge management process.
Knowledge assets are essentially the knowledge regarding markets, products, technologies and organizations that a business owns or needs to own and which enable its business processes to generate profits and add value. It therefore, comes as no surprise that managing these assets have been key priorities for all business models over the centuries.
Knowledge Management Model is Already Well-suited to Smaller-sized Companies
Modern day knowledge management has been targeted at large companies and large organizations. However, in practice, knowledge management within giant enterprises has been mainly departmental. The general practice has been to adopt knowledge management to individual, often autonomous, departments, with the intention or hope of making the tried and tested departmental model applicable enterprise-wide. Most often the size of and style of operations mirrors that of a smaller-sized company.
Practitioners of knowledge management within large companies and organizations would ideally want to take a more holistic and enterprise-wide approach. But practicality often dictates otherwise. Thus, traditionally, the systematic capturing, transferring and sharing of knowledge have primarily been practiced in what is essentially a smaller-sized company environment.
Within the smaller-sized company, and departments within large companies, it is perhaps significantly easier to gain a valuable understanding of the formal and informal knowledge communities, than it is within the much larger, and more complex companies. Smaller-sized companies are already likely to actively have in place a culture that is more in tune with knowledge sharing, and sharing of resources in general.
Smaller-sized Companies Understand the Importance of Social Capital
The notion of social capital is currently receiving great attention in knowledge management circles. People are now beginning to realize that wealth can be derived from contacts, connections, and the ability to work well with others. Often an organization's most valuable knowledge resides not in explicit forms such as documents, database records and web pages, but in employees' experiences and know-how.
This is very much in line with the smaller business practices, where growth and prosperity is, in large part, due to the tight, honor-based relationships between employees and external contacts and partners such as other small firms and sub-contractors. Technology, by itself, is merely an enabler. The real revenue comes from a change in mind-set, organization, and culture.
Whether they realize it or not, smaller-sized businesses have a head- start on larger companies where social capital is concerned. The all-important human aspect of knowledge is embedded in social relationships, and traditionally employees within smaller-sized companies tend to have greater and more genuine social relationships than is found in large enterprise. Large companies, can, indeed, learn from them. Smaller-sized companies are well poised to extend their knowledge processes to customers and suppliers without feeling that their business intelligence is threatened.
There seems little doubt that smaller-sized companies have an intrinsically great appreciation of knowledge as a corporate asset. Traditionally their business practices have had a greater reliance and dependency on tacit knowledge than larger businesses. In this modern, knowledge-centric business environment, smaller-sized companies have to embrace knowledge management tools that will help them leverage that tacit knowledge within the business.
Smaller-Sized Companies Must Have Knowledge Management
While it is true to say that smaller-sized companies have traditionally had a great understanding of the importance of tacit knowledge for their business enhancement, they have fallen behind when it comes to managing or leveraging the knowledge assets they possess. They have failed to fully exploit these highly valued knowledge assets, in order to help their businesses gain the kind of competitive edge that is so vital in this fast-paced knowledge-driven economy. This is the reason that smaller-sized companies must get back on the knowledge management track, as large companies seek to tighten their control of the knowledge market.
The challenge for the smaller-sized business of deploying the knowledge assets of the company to create the necessary competitive advantage has become increasingly business critical. The knowledge driven, rocket-paced, global marketplace in which the smaller-sized company must operate is more vibrant and competitive than at any previous time in recorded history. In addition, technological innovation improves at such a rapid rate, that to remain viable in the market place, smaller-sized companies must quickly capture, assimilate and use effectively 'just in time' knowledge.
Smaller-Sized Companies Must Follow Where Larger Companies Lead
It is no longer the case that smaller-sized and larger-sized companies operate in vastly different market places. The phenomenal growth and uptake of the Internet/world wide web has narrowed the gap-differences significantly. Some might even ask, "What gap-differences?"
Here are just a few of the reasons why smaller-sized companies must walk along the same path as the bigger and 'wiser' enterprises.
· Large corporations now operate as customer/client-centric businesses, and have organized their operations with focus on creating customer/client value. The smaller-sized business must do the same.
· Large companies are replacing the informal knowledge management of the staff function with formal methods in customer aligned business processes. Small companies must do the same.
· Knowledge is perishable. The shelf life of expertise is limited because new technologies, products, and services continually pour into the marketplace. No one company or individual can hoard knowledge. People and companies must constantly renew, replenish, expand, and create more knowledge.
· Knowledge within companies resides in many different places such as: on computers in databases, filing systems and in the heads of employees. Very often one part of an enterprise repeats work of another part simply because it is impossible to keep track of, and make use of, knowledge in other parts. Within most smaller-sized companies this is indeed a problem area.
·Large companies have honed in on the fact that it takes a long time for employees to gain the level of experience of the company's key processes to be able to translate them into valuable explicit and tacit knowledge. They also realize that their employees no longer have the luxury of time to acquire the knowledge. Smaller-sized companies must also hone in on these basic modern day truths.
· Even within large, "stable" companies that offer much opportunity for personal development, the job for life culture is fast disappearing. Highly experienced and knowledgeable employees are taking advantage of the new opportunities, in a globally shrunk, highly accessible market place. The knowledge loss resulting from this culture change is phenomenal, and large companies are taking action to capture and store the knowledge assets of their employees before they leave the company. Smaller-sized companies must follow this example.
Smaller-Sized Companies - No More Excuses Please
Smaller-sized companies can no longer excuse their tardiness or procrastination where implementation of knowledge management is concerned. Larger companies have done most of the groundwork for them. They have invested heavily in research and trials, including pioneering knowledge management software. Smaller-sized businesses had better start moving toward the open gate now, as in all likelihood, if they delay the gate will shut on them, and they will be permanently locked out of the global knowledge-led business market.
There is no foreseeable movement away from the knowledge driven economy, so very few of those companies that do not place knowledge management high on their business agenda will live to tell the tale.
The Practical Benefits to Smaller-Sized Companies of Knowledge Management
Among the core benefits to a smaller-sized business development and improvement of an enterprise wide knowledge management system is a greater level of awareness of the company's knowledge. This improved awareness goes a long way towards saving time and effort, business entities that carries a premium price in today's fast-paced working environment.
Linked closely to the improved awareness is greater accessibility among the staff. This allows virtually all individuals within the company to combine knowledge and experience in the context of their own roles. Knowledge within the company also becomes more easily available, and this knowledge can be used when and where it is needed. Information technology tools now make it easy for employees to work away from the office, or base, just as effectively as they would on-site. With good knowledge management, 'just-in-time' information and knowledge is available whenever and wherever needed.
And Finally Why Smaller-Sized Companies Need Knowledge Management
Smaller-sized companies need knowledge management for virtually the same reasons that larger ones do. The world has changed, and continues to do so. There are more contenders for every dollar of profit, which puts great pressure on companies, large and small, to innovate and to develop products rapidly. Both innovation and rapid development require accelerated use of knowledge.
Business intelligence practitioners worldwide generally agree that In this knowledge-driven global economy, knowledge itself is a commodity that offers the only sustainable competitive edge.
Economists, business strategists, and business school professors are more and more united in the belief that what you know and how you use what you know are the deciding factors for successful companies. They are realizing it's not technology or the quality of management they need to remain competitive. Companies have to know something and then coordinate and use what they know. They also have to know new things quickly.
Smaller-sized enterprises also need to know what their knowledge assets are then how to manage and make use of these assets to get maximum return. If smaller-sized companies are slow on their feet they will fail to respond competitively to the new global markets.
Conclusion
There are a plethora of knowledge management tools on the market. While most tools seem to be targeted at the large companies, there is no shortage of software that is suited to any smaller-sized company.
A smaller-sized company must begin by employing the services of a consultant that understands the difficulties and constraints facing business that do not have large budgets.
Unfortunately there are not many consultants who specialize in knowledge management for the smaller-sized enterprise, as a single unit, and these would be the preferred advisors. However, any knowledge management consultant who has consulted on the implementation of solutions in departments within large enterprises should be able to adequately serve the smaller-sized business market. The problem often centers on the fact that smaller-sized companies are not willing to pay the premium rates offered by large companies, which limits their choices. However, it is assumed that as more smaller-sized companies choose to include knowledge management as part of their core business, then more consultants will become interested in serving that market, and more knowledge management tools will be targeted at the smaller-sized enterprise. There is much room for optimism.
Typically a knowledge management process involves: knowledge capture; knowledge organizing and knowledge storage; knowledge distribution; knowledge sharing. Ultimately, successful knowledge management results in the best possible means to apply and leverage the knowledge that has been captured, organized and stored, distributed and shared. It means that very little of the company's highly valued intellectual capital has escaped the knowledge management net. Virtually all the knowledge within the enterprise is harnessed, and will be used as part of the company's core business and competitive intelligence strategy.
Generally, knowledge management software developers and vendors do not target smaller-sized companies for their tools. The reason for this is purely market driven. Smaller-sized companies are apparently not a ready market, and the large companies' market is far from exhausted or saturated. Most vendors, therefore, view smaller sized companies as the more difficult to penetrate markets.
However, the lack of attention given to smaller-sized companies by knowledge management vendors is not in the least indicative of the urgent need for these kinds of tools and solution by these somewhat 'poor cousins' of the industry giants. It is obvious that the smaller-sized company also needs to capture and intelligently exploit its knowledge.
Unequal Access to Knowledge Management Tools
Unquestionably smaller-sized companies need knowledge management just a much as the giant enterprises. The current demand for knowledge management services is the result of the high uptake by large businesses. Innovative large companies and organizations now place great emphasis on knowledge management as part of their core business processes. These corporate giants have embraced knowledge management as part of their business strategy, including examining how they can better manage their intellectual capital.
When software vendors minimize or passively downplay the importance of smaller-sized companies by paying them very little attention, they are in effect denying them equal access to the sophisticated knowledge management tools and solutions on the market. They are helping to keep them out of the buoyant and business enhancing knowledge-driven market.
There is one overriding reason why corporate giants have implemented knowledge management strategies; it is essentially to gain a competitive advantage in the knowledge economy. They seek the best methods to audit and capture knowledge regarding both the explicit and tacit knowledge within the enterprise. They also want to improve their ability to acquire and create new knowledge quickly.
The question again is "Why should anyone believe that smaller-sized companies are not equally in need of knowledge management for the very same reasons that the large corporate bodies need it?"
Smaller-Sized Companies Are Not Blame Free
Software developers and vendors are somewhat justified in their "deliberate" shunning of smaller-sized companies. After all smaller-sized companies themselves are often not seeking knowledge management tools and advice. Many do not even know that KM exists. Of those who are aware of the power of knowledge management, very few feel they have the necessary "infrastructure" to implement the KM systems and many feel they have far more pressing priorities and needs.
Foremost in the minds of senior managers of smaller-sized enterprises is the financial feasibility. Most smaller-sized companies feel that the knowledge management return on investment [ROI] figures do not generally add up, so knowledge management is relegated to the level of a "luxury item," and therefore something to be considered in the future.
Knowledge management is still very much viewed by smaller-sized companies as a "big boys thing," or even as a fad, that only the giants can afford to indulge in. One can perhaps empathize with the "poor cousin" smaller-sized companies who adopt the "wait and see" position with regards to the uptake of knowledge management. It is often a case of "Let the rich big boys test the waters, and when they have validated it's worth to all businesses, including smaller-sized ones, then we will act." In the meantime, they continue in the way they know best: losing vital knowledge capital and competitive advantages daily.
Such a position by senior management of smaller-sized companies is likely to have strong support from finance directors/managers. For, many say, "If validation of the usefulness of knowledge management as a business enhancer never comes, then at least we did not waste money, lots of money, on something that would not really add value to our business or give us any measurable competitive advantage." On the other hand, "If the big boys do give it the green light, then we can jump right on the train, knowing that we are adopting a tried and tested solution, while having saved a lot of money by not having come on board too soon. We all know that software price plummets drastically with age and increased uptake." Is this really the wisest position?
The questions we might raise is: "Is this sound and valid reasoning? Does it make sound business sense for the smaller-sized company or is it one cautious stance too many?"
There can hardly be many business intelligence practitioners and consultants who subscribe to the "wait and see" position that many smaller-sized companies have taken. Why? Because it does not make good business sense in what is essentially a knowledge driven economy. Smaller-sized companies should adopt the policies and practices of the larger, more prosperous companies. They have to begin to understand the importance of substituting intellectual capital for "normal balance sheet alternatives." They should understand that they need knowledge management just as much as the larger companies do, and they need it now, not in the distant future. They must have it NOW.
Their phantom barriers against the implementation of a knowledge management system in smaller-sized companies is shrouded in one factor: their cultural resistance to change.
Knowledge Management Is Not New To Smaller-Sized Companies
Contrary to the popular modern stance, smaller-sized companies were the forerunners of knowledge management, as they have been practicing knowledge management since ancient times. History shows that as small business moved towards growth, and the eventual development of ancient international business activity, 0.
knowledge of foreign markets, customs, customers, trade winds, and pirates, were what distinguished winners from losers. This was knowledge management in action. And this was knowledge management initiated, implemented and practiced by smaller entrepreneurial businesses.
Knowledge management is currently being marketed as a "new" business intelligence-enabling tool. We are led to believe that knowledge management is an invention of the last decade, but in fact it has been part of the core business process/strategies as far back as one cares to venture. Academics and other knowledgeable persons will verify that knowledge assets within a companies and organizations have been long considered vital and these assets should be formally and strategically managed.
The important difference with modern day, 'new style' knowledge management is the changed environment in which businesses operate, and the high technology enabling tools that is available to help the knowledge management process.
Knowledge assets are essentially the knowledge regarding markets, products, technologies and organizations that a business owns or needs to own and which enable its business processes to generate profits and add value. It therefore, comes as no surprise that managing these assets have been key priorities for all business models over the centuries.
Knowledge Management Model is Already Well-suited to Smaller-sized Companies
Modern day knowledge management has been targeted at large companies and large organizations. However, in practice, knowledge management within giant enterprises has been mainly departmental. The general practice has been to adopt knowledge management to individual, often autonomous, departments, with the intention or hope of making the tried and tested departmental model applicable enterprise-wide. Most often the size of and style of operations mirrors that of a smaller-sized company.
Practitioners of knowledge management within large companies and organizations would ideally want to take a more holistic and enterprise-wide approach. But practicality often dictates otherwise. Thus, traditionally, the systematic capturing, transferring and sharing of knowledge have primarily been practiced in what is essentially a smaller-sized company environment.
Within the smaller-sized company, and departments within large companies, it is perhaps significantly easier to gain a valuable understanding of the formal and informal knowledge communities, than it is within the much larger, and more complex companies. Smaller-sized companies are already likely to actively have in place a culture that is more in tune with knowledge sharing, and sharing of resources in general.
Smaller-sized Companies Understand the Importance of Social Capital
The notion of social capital is currently receiving great attention in knowledge management circles. People are now beginning to realize that wealth can be derived from contacts, connections, and the ability to work well with others. Often an organization's most valuable knowledge resides not in explicit forms such as documents, database records and web pages, but in employees' experiences and know-how.
This is very much in line with the smaller business practices, where growth and prosperity is, in large part, due to the tight, honor-based relationships between employees and external contacts and partners such as other small firms and sub-contractors. Technology, by itself, is merely an enabler. The real revenue comes from a change in mind-set, organization, and culture.
Whether they realize it or not, smaller-sized businesses have a head- start on larger companies where social capital is concerned. The all-important human aspect of knowledge is embedded in social relationships, and traditionally employees within smaller-sized companies tend to have greater and more genuine social relationships than is found in large enterprise. Large companies, can, indeed, learn from them. Smaller-sized companies are well poised to extend their knowledge processes to customers and suppliers without feeling that their business intelligence is threatened.
There seems little doubt that smaller-sized companies have an intrinsically great appreciation of knowledge as a corporate asset. Traditionally their business practices have had a greater reliance and dependency on tacit knowledge than larger businesses. In this modern, knowledge-centric business environment, smaller-sized companies have to embrace knowledge management tools that will help them leverage that tacit knowledge within the business.
Smaller-Sized Companies Must Have Knowledge Management
While it is true to say that smaller-sized companies have traditionally had a great understanding of the importance of tacit knowledge for their business enhancement, they have fallen behind when it comes to managing or leveraging the knowledge assets they possess. They have failed to fully exploit these highly valued knowledge assets, in order to help their businesses gain the kind of competitive edge that is so vital in this fast-paced knowledge-driven economy. This is the reason that smaller-sized companies must get back on the knowledge management track, as large companies seek to tighten their control of the knowledge market.
The challenge for the smaller-sized business of deploying the knowledge assets of the company to create the necessary competitive advantage has become increasingly business critical. The knowledge driven, rocket-paced, global marketplace in which the smaller-sized company must operate is more vibrant and competitive than at any previous time in recorded history. In addition, technological innovation improves at such a rapid rate, that to remain viable in the market place, smaller-sized companies must quickly capture, assimilate and use effectively 'just in time' knowledge.
Smaller-Sized Companies Must Follow Where Larger Companies Lead
It is no longer the case that smaller-sized and larger-sized companies operate in vastly different market places. The phenomenal growth and uptake of the Internet/world wide web has narrowed the gap-differences significantly. Some might even ask, "What gap-differences?"
Here are just a few of the reasons why smaller-sized companies must walk along the same path as the bigger and 'wiser' enterprises.
· Large corporations now operate as customer/client-centric businesses, and have organized their operations with focus on creating customer/client value. The smaller-sized business must do the same.
· Large companies are replacing the informal knowledge management of the staff function with formal methods in customer aligned business processes. Small companies must do the same.
· Knowledge is perishable. The shelf life of expertise is limited because new technologies, products, and services continually pour into the marketplace. No one company or individual can hoard knowledge. People and companies must constantly renew, replenish, expand, and create more knowledge.
· Knowledge within companies resides in many different places such as: on computers in databases, filing systems and in the heads of employees. Very often one part of an enterprise repeats work of another part simply because it is impossible to keep track of, and make use of, knowledge in other parts. Within most smaller-sized companies this is indeed a problem area.
·Large companies have honed in on the fact that it takes a long time for employees to gain the level of experience of the company's key processes to be able to translate them into valuable explicit and tacit knowledge. They also realize that their employees no longer have the luxury of time to acquire the knowledge. Smaller-sized companies must also hone in on these basic modern day truths.
· Even within large, "stable" companies that offer much opportunity for personal development, the job for life culture is fast disappearing. Highly experienced and knowledgeable employees are taking advantage of the new opportunities, in a globally shrunk, highly accessible market place. The knowledge loss resulting from this culture change is phenomenal, and large companies are taking action to capture and store the knowledge assets of their employees before they leave the company. Smaller-sized companies must follow this example.
Smaller-Sized Companies - No More Excuses Please
Smaller-sized companies can no longer excuse their tardiness or procrastination where implementation of knowledge management is concerned. Larger companies have done most of the groundwork for them. They have invested heavily in research and trials, including pioneering knowledge management software. Smaller-sized businesses had better start moving toward the open gate now, as in all likelihood, if they delay the gate will shut on them, and they will be permanently locked out of the global knowledge-led business market.
There is no foreseeable movement away from the knowledge driven economy, so very few of those companies that do not place knowledge management high on their business agenda will live to tell the tale.
The Practical Benefits to Smaller-Sized Companies of Knowledge Management
Among the core benefits to a smaller-sized business development and improvement of an enterprise wide knowledge management system is a greater level of awareness of the company's knowledge. This improved awareness goes a long way towards saving time and effort, business entities that carries a premium price in today's fast-paced working environment.
Linked closely to the improved awareness is greater accessibility among the staff. This allows virtually all individuals within the company to combine knowledge and experience in the context of their own roles. Knowledge within the company also becomes more easily available, and this knowledge can be used when and where it is needed. Information technology tools now make it easy for employees to work away from the office, or base, just as effectively as they would on-site. With good knowledge management, 'just-in-time' information and knowledge is available whenever and wherever needed.
And Finally Why Smaller-Sized Companies Need Knowledge Management
Smaller-sized companies need knowledge management for virtually the same reasons that larger ones do. The world has changed, and continues to do so. There are more contenders for every dollar of profit, which puts great pressure on companies, large and small, to innovate and to develop products rapidly. Both innovation and rapid development require accelerated use of knowledge.
Business intelligence practitioners worldwide generally agree that In this knowledge-driven global economy, knowledge itself is a commodity that offers the only sustainable competitive edge.
Economists, business strategists, and business school professors are more and more united in the belief that what you know and how you use what you know are the deciding factors for successful companies. They are realizing it's not technology or the quality of management they need to remain competitive. Companies have to know something and then coordinate and use what they know. They also have to know new things quickly.
Smaller-sized enterprises also need to know what their knowledge assets are then how to manage and make use of these assets to get maximum return. If smaller-sized companies are slow on their feet they will fail to respond competitively to the new global markets.
Conclusion
There are a plethora of knowledge management tools on the market. While most tools seem to be targeted at the large companies, there is no shortage of software that is suited to any smaller-sized company.
A smaller-sized company must begin by employing the services of a consultant that understands the difficulties and constraints facing business that do not have large budgets.
Unfortunately there are not many consultants who specialize in knowledge management for the smaller-sized enterprise, as a single unit, and these would be the preferred advisors. However, any knowledge management consultant who has consulted on the implementation of solutions in departments within large enterprises should be able to adequately serve the smaller-sized business market. The problem often centers on the fact that smaller-sized companies are not willing to pay the premium rates offered by large companies, which limits their choices. However, it is assumed that as more smaller-sized companies choose to include knowledge management as part of their core business, then more consultants will become interested in serving that market, and more knowledge management tools will be targeted at the smaller-sized enterprise. There is much room for optimism.
Try free knowledge management tool www.crameasy.com www.vt3soft.com
What is Knowledge Management [KM] Tool
We will define knowledge as ideas, information and the relationships between various ideas and information.
Background
While people have criticized Knowledge Management as the same old thing using different words, a well-developed knowledge management system would stimulate the creativity of each employee by providing exactly the knowledge that employee needs to be optimally creative. We will define knowledge as ideas, information and the relationships between various ideas and information. Functionally, the Crameasy knowledge management Infrastructure would take advantage of existing knowledge, stimulate the development of new knowledge and ideas, acquire knowledge directly and painlessly, automatically classify and interrelate knowledge, make knowledge globally accessible so that the right knowledge could be obtained and effectively utilized by any Knowledge worker who needs it.
Like any sophisticated system, a Knowledge Management system needs to be well engineered. In this paper, we will discuss using a Component Architecture design approach.
What is Knowledge Management?
Knowledge Management is the discipline that helps spread knowledge of individuals or groups across organizations in ways that directly affect performance. Knowledge Management envisions getting the Right Information within the Right Context to the Right Person at the Right Time for the Right Business Purpose.
How it might work
Knowledge is collected from all existing sources including people, systems, data stores, file cabinets and desktops. All knowledge of value is stored in the organizational knowledge repository. For virtual teams, this knowledge would be immediately conveyed to those people and systems that could use it. The right knowledge will go to the right person or system at the right time. Current knowledge can be retrieved from the system at any time in the future. As knowledge becomes obsolete or expires, that knowledge will automatically be removed from the system.
Knowledge Communities
Knowledge Communities are Communities of interest that come together to share knowledge that affects performance. Knowledge Communities operate independent of traditional organizational structure to find common ground for their category of interest. They are virtual, global communities that are boundary-less and are not hindered by organizational or physical barriers.
Practitioners of Knowledge Management have found that a critical success factor in the implementation of knowledge management is the creation of a cultural environment that encourages the sharing of information. Knowledge sharing requires the balancing of the natural instinct of people to share work and to receive recognition for it, against the protective instincts that recognize that creative knowledge can give the enterprise a competitive edge.
Knowledge communities have separate knowledge assets and knowledge access requirements. A knowledge community will have knowledge requirements specific to its area of interest. Because knowledge communities may have overlapping areas of interest as well as overlapping membership, there are often common knowledge requirements across communities.
Knowledge Assets
Knowledge assets are similar to capital assets. They are usually independent of those who created them and they can be used, moved, and leveraged by others to solve broad-based problems and to enhance performance. A knowledge artifact is a specific instance of a knowledge asset. These knowledge artifacts may be presented by a browser-based system. They may be embodied as text, diagrams, graphics, audio, video, or animation.
What is Component Architecture?
A component architecture is a representation of the underlying set of interrelated components that define and describe the solution domain required by the business to attain its objectives and achieve its business vision. Architecture is an amalgam of engineering art and engineering science.
A component is a self-contained, reusable building block that can be used independently or assembled with other components to satisfy enterprise requirements. A component handles a specific event, or related set of events, and provides a particular function or group of related functions through a well-defined and stable interface. All components consist of one or more component interfaces, component decision event handlers, and component behavior activators. The component interface may send or receive data from a file, or may be a user interface. The decision event handler utilizes business rules to determine which component behavior should be activated.
Knowledge Management Component Architecture
The Knowledge Management Component Architecture consists of knowledge portals, knowledge components, and the knowledge repository.
A Knowledge Portal is a starting point web site where members of a knowledge community begin to enter, find, and access knowledge using the various knowledge artifacts. The knowledge portal may be designed to focus upon the type of work expected to be done by the knowledge user. Knowledge portal profile modes so far determined are: (1) knowledge subject matter access, (2) collaboration, (3) community description and, (4) a combination of the above. At times, the knowledge user may wish to focus on knowledge relevant to a project being worked on within the context of the knowledge community, or he or she may wish to take an enterprise knowledge view.
A knowledge component is a self-contained, reusable object that can be used independently or assembled with other components to satisfy knowledge management requirements. There is the generic set of architecture issues relevant to all components. Knowledge components have to interface with the knowledge portal, with the knowledge repository, and with other knowledge components. A knowledge component may need to be customized to handle knowledge of events specific to a given knowledge community. In a like fashion, component behavior may need to be customized to satisfy the special needs of the specific knowledge community.
The Knowledge Repository consists of servers where knowledge indices and, often knowledge artifacts (documents, presentations, databases, charts, graphs, plans, audio files, and/or video files) are made accessible. Some searching may cross knowledge servers.
Global Virtual Knowledge Repositories are inter-connectable Knowledge Repositories, globally distributed, that look to be a single entity to portals and knowledge components. One search searches all.
Maintaining Knowledge Quality
While knowledge components are crucial to a knowledge management system, experts have estimated that 90 percent of the success of knowledge management is involved with gaining the buy-in of knowledge users and encouraging knowledge sharing. One important aspect of knowledge sharing is obtaining high-quality knowledge and in maintaining its excellence.
One essential aspect of knowledge quality is meaningful classification. Although it may be possible to perform some classification automatically, a considerable amount of manual effort will be required initially. "Knowledge Journalists" will be required to perform some of these activities. This is not to say that Knowledge Journalists are essential for a functioning Knowledge Management System.. What it means is that those organizations that require high-quality information need to consider developing Knowledge Journalist professionals.
Knowledge Stewardship (Editorial Board)
Stewardship has been defined as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care. Knowledge does not belong to a knowledge community; it belongs to the enterprise. Therefore, selected knowledge community members should act as stewards of the knowledge to maintain and enhance the quality of the knowledge.
Knowledge stewards need to take responsibility for both appropriate knowledge content and appropriate knowledge presentation.
One knowledge stewardship approach is to set up an Editorial Board for this purpose. The Editorial Board will be responsible for ensuring that both content and presentation of knowledge is appropriate. Presentation would consider aesthetics as well as the medium (for example, text, graphics, data, audio, video) by which knowledge is conveyed.
Knowledge Content Administration
In addition to Editorial functions, members of the organization will also need to perform Knowledge Management administrative functions. Functions that need to be provided include reviewing and maintaining knowledge, archiving appropriate knowledge, organizing knowledge etc.
Knowledge Management Tool Administration
Of course, all the tools the Infrastructure will have to be maintained. Maintenance will include common network management functions, server maintenance, as well as administration of all the KM tools.
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Document Management System VT3soft.com
Does Your Business Need A Document Management System?
Information. Your business depends on it. But can your employees easily locate the information they need when they need it? In most companies, documents are stored in a variety of places – on networks, on individual PC hard drives, CDs, and zip drives, in file cabinets and in desk drawers. To complicate matters, the people who need to access these documents are often situated in different locations as well.
The answer for an increasing number of businesses – large and small – is a document management system, say Texas CPAs. The following information can help you determine if a document management system is right for your business.
What is a document management system?
Document management is an organizational method. More specifically, it is a technology-based means of storing documents. Documents (and sometimes images) are held in a single repository that simplifies managing and retrieving the files when necessary. Since organizations have diverse needs, systems are often custom designed.
How does it work?
Document management typically begins with using a scanner to convert paper documents into digitized images. Once all files are electronic, it is easier to organize the information.
In the next step, sometimes referred to as indexing, the scanned image is typically given a name containing the date. The user is often asked to type in additional "tags" or indexing criteria. For instance, if you were scanning a customer’s financial plan, you might tag it with the name of the customer, the words “financial plan,” and the date. The system stores the scanned file by associating the image with the tags. Accurate tags make it easier to find the document you need.
Some document management systems also have a function called “optical character recognition” (OCR) built into the scanning process. As the document is scanned, the OCR software “reads” the page and stores the text as tags to facilitate future retrieval.
When you need to retrieve a document from the system, you perform a search by entering one of the tags. The request is processed and the information is retrieved.
Document management systems include security measures to ensure that only authorized users have access. These measures determine which documents certain people can read, and what actions or modifications they can make.
Benefits to the business and its employees
An effective document management system helps companies become better organized by making it easier to file, share, retrieve, and secure information. Employees can also be more productive since they save time searching for business critical information. A good document management system also facilitates collaboration, decision, and the ability to build upon the work of others.
Digital files have functionality that is not possible with paper files. With a document management system in place, multiple people, even those working from home offices or the field, can access and work on files simultaneously.
Improved customer service is another important byproduct. Files are at the fingertips of all employees so that customer inquiries can be answered more quickly and effectively. There may also be a savings in printing and copying expenses and less need for onsite and offsite file storage space.
Try crameasy free Knowledge and document Management system
www.vt3soft.com www.crameasy.com
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