Johannesburg, 02 Jul 2012
Knowledge management methodologies and systems have been around for a long time. Over the past few years, the market has seen an increased requirement for system-based solutions to organisational knowledge management that are more sophisticated in how they manage both retention of and access to explicit and tacit knowledge artefacts, as well as their ability to draw on social media and informal learning.
Allos UNIFIED is an award-winning, SaaS (software as a service) solution that enables:
* Employees to access what they need to know in real-time, regardless of where the information is in the organisation;
* Experts to share corporate approved information without repeating the same answers over and over;
* Managers to monitor the information flow and the performance of people who are sharing and seeking knowledge;
* Product managers to arrange workspaces according to their needs (product, service or process etc, related);
* Final clients to enjoy consistency of information received and fast, precise updated information; and
* Organisations to retain knowledge even if a subject matter expert or employee leaves the company.
Having successfully implemented our knowledge enablement solution for several corporates, Allos has learnt that any implementation of a knowledge management system must be supported by a sound methodology. Seven key components seem imperative to the success of any initiative of this nature.
1. Ownership. Even if a system is a SaaS solution, it is vital that the organisation using, paying for and expecting specific business results from this product, take full ownership of the success of the solution.
2. Sponsorship. Sponsorship of the solution, and sponsorship within organisational divisions, needs to be solid and visible, as this provides motivation and drive for uptake and use of the solution.
3. Knowledge gatekeeper. Every knowledge area in the organisation must have a “manager” that certifies and validates the corporate approved knowledge.
4. Subject matter experts. Without SMEs, a system like UNIFIED (that 'learns' through the interactions between the system users) cannot attain an adequate level of saturation and the users will have little benefit. The experts are the core structure of a healthy knowledge engine, and must be recognised, recognisable and rewarded.
5. Communication. Focused communication is imperative to a knowledge enablement venture and its supporting system. A well-designed and deployed communication campaign can make or break this initiative.
6. Usability. The easier it is to access and use UNIFIED, the more the benefits for the organisation and its employees. This is why UNIFIED allows the flexibility to be customised to match the needs of every single department in a business, without compromising functionality.
7. Quality and validity. Information loaded in UNIFIED must be aesthetically pleasing, lightweight and current. A knowledge enablement solution must provide up-to-date and easy-to-access, easy-to-understand information.
Successfully addressing each of these seven imperatives, coupled with an effective supporting software solution, will see your knowledge enablement solution well on its way to a positive return on investment and expectation.
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