Introduction
The following ‘toolbox’ presents some of the most common tools and techniques currently used in knowledge management programmes. The aim is to give an introduction, to present an overview of what is involved, and to provide some pointers to further resources.
The Toolbox
A tool pioneered by the US army and now widely used in a range of organisations to capture lessons learned both during and after an activity or project.
Widely regarded as ‘the killer KM application’, communities of practice link people together to develop and share knowledge around specific themes, and are already being established in the NHS.
A systematic process to identify an organisation’s knowledge needs, resources and flows, as a basis for understanding where and how better knowledge management can add value.
Approaches to developing a formal knowledge management plan that is closely aligned with an organisation’s overall strategy and goals.
A tool used to capture the knowledge of departing employees.
Approaches to capturing best practices discovered in one part of the organisation and sharing them for the benefit of all.
Similar to libraries but with a broader remit to include connecting people with each other as well as with information in documents and databases.
A tool used to capture the knowledge of ‘experts’ and make it available to others.
A tool developed at BP-Amoco used to learn from the experiences of others before embarking on an activity or project.
Mapping relationships between people, groups and organisations to understand how these relationships either facilitate or impede knowledge flows.
Using the ancient art of storytelling to share knowledge in a more meaningful and interesting way.
A step-up from the usual staff directory, this is an online resource that allows people to find colleagues with specific knowledge and expertise.
