By conducting a 'Knowledge Systems Audit', HCi can tell you precisely what your organisation needs to do to develop a good Corporate Memory. Much of what is required is simply 'Information Development Expertise' (see below). Contact us for more information or to arrange a free presentation to your senior management team.

Please see also our articles on KM in the HCi Journal.

Knowledge Management and Information Development

The driving force behind Knowledge Management is Information Development - the concepts, tools, techniques and systems which turn the many disparate sources of often disorganised and inconsistent information into useful, accessible and buildable resources.

Information Development attends to five key functions* within the organisation,

1. Knowledge capture (the creation of documents and their transfer to electronic form).
2. Adding value through editing, packaging, and pruning (to make it readable and accessible).
3. Developing knowledge categorisation approaches and categorising new contributions to knowledge.
4. Developing technology infrastructures and applications for the distribution and transfer of knowledge.
5. Educating employees on the creation, sharing, and use of knowledge.

In addressing these functions, HCi draws on core competencies built up over the past 15 years in,

• Information user needs analysis and effective document design (knowledge capture, adding value, categorisation)
• Technical writing, editing and communication (knowledge capture, adding value)
• Use of electronic media for text and graphics manipulation and presentation such as word processors, help authoring tools, SGML, HTML, Web authoring tools and so on (technology applications for knowledge distribution and transfer)
• Systems for controlling and manipulating document files - such as groupware and electronic document management & control systems (technology infrastructures)
• Quality Assurance and Compliance Management (adding value, educating employees, categorisation)
• Process Improvement (knowledge creation, adding value, educating employees)

Contact us for guidance and assistance with your Knowledge Management initiatives.

* Adapted from "Some Principles of Knowledge Management", Thomas H. Davenport, Graduate School of Business, University of Texas at Austin.