LSO 2002 1

Technology Support for Knowledge Management

Mikael Lindvall
1
, Ioana Rus
1
, Sachin Suman Sinha
2
1
Fraunhofer Center for E!erimental Soft"are En#ineerin#, Colle#e $ark, M%20&'2, (S)
{mikli, irus}@fc-md.umd.edu
2
%e!t* of Com!uter Science, (niversit+ of Mar+land at Colle#e $ark, M%20&'2, (S)
sachin@cs.umd.edu
Abstract. ,uman ca!ital is the main asset of soft"are or#ani-ations*
.no"led#e has to /e !reserved and levera#ed from individuals to the
or#ani-ation* 0hus, the learnin# soft"are or#ani-ation "ill /e a/le to
continuall+ learn and im!rove* .no"led#e mana#ement has various
com!onents and multi!le as!ects such as socio1cultural, or#ani-ational, and
technolo#ical* In this !a!er "e address the technolo#ical as!ect2 s!ecificall+, "e
surve+ the tools availa/le to su!!ort different kno"led#e mana#ement
activities* 3e cate#ori-e these tools into classes, /ased on their ca!a/ilities and
functionalit+, and sho" "hat tasks and kno"led#e !rocessin# o!erations the+
su!!ort*
1. Introduction
Soft"are or#ani-ations have reali-ed that a lar#e amount of !ro/lems are attri/uted to
un1ca!tured and un1shared !roduct and !rocess kno"led#e* S!ecificall+ the+ have
discovered the need of kno"in# 4"ho kno"s "hat5, the need for distance
colla/oration, and the need for lessons learned and /est !ractices* 0his has led to a
#ro"in# call for kno"led#e mana#ement 6.M7* .no"led#e sharin# and
or#ani-ational learnin# can ha!!en ad1hoc* It is, ho"ever, more efficient if or#ani-ed*
0he amount of information and kno"led#e that needs to /e ca!tured, stored and
shared, the #eo#ra!hic distri/ution of sources and consumers, and the d+namic
evolution of information makes the use of soft"are tools not an o!tion, /ut a
necessit+* In this !a!er "e characteri-e and classif+ soft"are tools that su!!ort .M
usin# t"o models, 17 kno"led#e characteristics 6the knowledge sharing model7 and 27
the evolution of kno"led#e 6the knowledge life cycle model7*
2. Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Life ycle Model
The !nowledge"sharing model is also called the 4tacit1e!licit model5 68onaka
and 0akeuchi, 199:7* 0acit kno"led#e is kno"led#e that rests "ith the em!lo+ee and
e!licit kno"led#e is es!oused kno"led#e* Conversion of kno"led#e from one form
to another occurs fre;uentl+ and often leads to the creation of ne" kno"led#e*
LSO 2002 2
Fi#ure 1< 0he 0acit1E!licit Model 68onaka and 0akeuchi, 199:7
Explicit-explicit kno"led#e conversion or 4Com/ination5 is the reconfi#uration of
e!licit kno"led#e throu#h sortin#, addin#, com/inin# and cate#ori-in#* Explicit-
tacit kno"led#e conversion or 4Internali-ation5 takes !lace "hen one assimilates
kno"led#e ac;uired from kno"led#e items* Tacit-explicit kno"led#e conversion or
4Eternali-ation5 involves transformin# ;uiet !ersonal kno"led#e to es!oused
kno"led#e that can /e either recorded or unrecorded* Tacit-tacit kno"led#e
conversion or 4Sociali-ation5 occurs /+ sharin# e!eriences, "orkin# to#ether on a
team, and /+ direct echan#e of kno"led#e* ) kno"led#e mana#ement s+stem should
su!!ort all four t+!es of kno"led#e conversion*
The !nowledge lifecycle 63ii#, 19997 takes the !ath of kno"led#e
creation=ac;uisition, or#ani-ation=stora#e, distri/ution, a!!lication=reuse and finall+
concludes "ith creation=ac;uisition a#ain* 0acit kno"led#e has to /e made e!licit in
order to /e ca!tured* 0his is accom!lished "ith the aid of knowledge acquisition tools
or knowledge creation tools* .no"led#e ac;uisition evolves and /uilds an
or#ani-ation5s kno"led#e /ase* .no"led#e organization/storage refers to activities
/+ "hich kno"led#e is or#ani-ed, classified and stored in re!ositories* E!licit
kno"led#e needs to /e or#ani-ed and indeed for eas+ /ro"sin# and searchin#* It
must /e stored efficientl+ to minimi-e stora#e s!ace* ) variet+ of tools have /een
develo!ed to distribute or deploy kno"led#e* .no"led#e can /e distri/uted throu#h
various channels such as trainin# !ro#rams, automatic kno"led#e distri/ution s+stems
and kno"led#e1/ased e!ert s+stems* Knowledge application is the !rocess throu#h
"hich kno"led#e /ecomes the /asis for further learnin# and innovation* )!!l+in#
kno"led#e is the !a+off for kno"led#e mana#ement* ) kno"led#e mana#ement
s+stem should su!!ort the entire kno"led#e flo" in the kno"led#e life c+cle*
2 Software Tools for Knowledge Management
.M should /e su!!orted /+ a collection of technolo#ies for authorin#, indein#,
classif+in#, storin#, and retrievin# information, as "ell as for colla/oration and
a!!lication of kno"led#e* ) friendl+ front1 end and a ro/ust /ack1end are the /asic
necessities of a soft"are tool for kno"led#e mana#ement* Fi#ure 2 sho"s a la+ered
kno"led#e mana#ement s+stem architecture /ased on 6La"ton, 20017*
LSO 2002 >
0he lo"est la+er handles sources of e!licit kno"led#e* E!licit kno"led#e
resides in re!ositories as documents or other t+!es of kno"led#e items 6e*#*, e1mail
messa#es, and data/ase records7* Standard authorin# tools 6such as "ord !rocessors7
and data/ase mana#ement s+stems 6%?MS7 su!!ort this la+er* File servers, e1mail
/ro"sers etc* su!!ort the infrastructure la+er* %ocument and content mana#ement
tools "ith features for search and retrieval as "ell as anal+sis and maintenance
re!resent kno"led#e re!ositories* 0he or#ani-ation of kno"led#e is /ased on a
cor!orate taonom+ and serves as a @kno"led#e ma!A su!!orted /+ classif+in# and
indein# tools* .M services are !rovided usin# tools for data and kno"led#e
discover+ and colla/oration services* 0hrou#h !ortals, kno"led#e can /e distri/uted
to different users and a!!lications, such as e 1learnin#, com!etence mana#ement,
intellectual !ro!ert+ mana#ement, and customer relationshi! mana#ement*
Business Application E-Learning
Competen
ce Intellectual Property Customer Relationship
Layer
Managemen
t
Manageme
nt Management Management
Personalized
Knowledge ateway
KM !er"ices
#rganizational
$a%onomy
&ocument and
Content Managemnt
Low le"el I$
In'rastructure
In'ormation and
Knowledge !ources
Knowledge Portal
Knowledge Map
Knowledge
Repositories
(e)
Brows
ers*
(ord
Proce
ssors*
E-mail
Brows
ers*
+ile
!er"er
s*
&BM!
*
Multe
media
ener
ators*
Messaging $ools*
and
Internet,Intranet
!er"ices
Bulletin
Boards,
&ata)as
es
Electronic
E-
mails
Multimedia Logged
-ewsgroups &ocuments +iles Chats
Fi#
ure
2<
.
M
)r
chi
tec
tur
e
Mo
del
It is hard to dra" the line
/et"een information
technolo#+ 6I07 and tools for
.M* In the architectural
model a/ove, "e consider
.M to /e the hi#her la+ers,
startin# at the @kno"led#e
re!ositor+A level, and I0
constitutin# the lo"er la+ers,
/ut this /oundar+ is fu--+*
3e concentrate on the u!!er
la+
ers
of
the
arc
hit
ect
ure
an
d
ana
l+-
e
too
ls
fro
m
a
kn
o"
led
#e
ma
na
#ement !ers!ective
and discuss the needs
of em!lo+ees that use
kno"led#e, the t+!es
of kno"led#e
conversion that occur
and a common set of
features !rovided /+
tools from each
cate#or+* 0he kinds
of tools "e anal+-e
are those that are
"idel+ used for
su!!ortin# the .M
la+ers of the a/ove
architecture* 0his
surve+ is not
intended to cover all
kinds of tools on the
market, /ut to #ive
the reader a sense of
the various tools that
are availa/le for
kno"led#e
mana#ement*
2.1 #ocument and ontent
Management
In terms of kno"led#e
mana#ement, the documents
!roduced /+ or#ani-ations
re!resent their e!licit
documented kno"led#e*
8e" kno"led#e can /e
#enerated from documents2
for eam!le, de facto e!erts
can /e identified /ased on
authors of documents*
%ocument mana#ement
s+stems ena/le e!licit1to1
e!licit kno"led#e
conversion* One could ar#ue
that a form of tacit1to1
e!licit kno"led#e
conversion
LSO 2002 '
occurs "hen e!erts are determined /ased on the documents the+ authored* E!ert
identification certainl+ results in kno"led#e creation*
Common needs that arise in a document1 sharin# environment are related to
identif+in# the latest version of a document, accessin# documents remotel+ and
sharin# the documents in "ork#rou!s* %ocument mana#ement s+stems offer features
that include storin#=u!loadin# of documents=files2 version control2 or#ani-ation of
documents in different "a+s2 search and retrieval /ased on indein# techni;ues and
advanced searchin# mechanisms2 and access from an+ Internet1connected
"orkstation* Most document mana#ement s+stems also !rovide some kind of search
for e!erts /ased on authorshi!*
%ocument mana#ement s+stems can aid learnin# soft"are or#ani-ations that need
to ca!ture and share !rocess and !roduct kno"led#e* Most artifacts #uidin# a
soft"are !roBect and /ein# develo!ed durin# a soft"are !roBect can /e re!resented as
documents and are the main e!licit assets of the soft"are or#ani-ation* %ocument
mana#ement s+stems thus hel! su!!ort the core /usiness /+ mana#in# these
invalua/le assets and ena/le transferrin# kno"led#e from e!erts to novices*
2.2 ollaboration Ser$ices
%eliverin# the ri#ht information at the ri#ht time is one of the maBor o/Bectives of
kno"led#e mana#ement* 0o achieve this, em!lo+ees need to colla/orate and
communicate, es!eciall+ "hen !eo!le "ork in an environment that is distri/uted in
time and s!ace* 0he kno"led#e conversions su!!orted /+ this cate#or+ of tools are
mainl+ tacit1to1tacit, "hich occur, for eam!le, "hen t"o or more users communicate
usin# a chat tool or an instant messen#er* One can ar#ue that since the conversation is
in an electronic form, a form of tacit1to1e!licit conversion also takes !lace* Some
tools make an effort to ca!ture this conversation so that it can /e !u/lished and used
for other users* Some even anal+-e the conversation in order to create ne"
kno"led#e, "hich stren#thens the ar#ument for a tacit1to1e!licit kno"led#e
conversion* 0he /asic functionalit+ of tools in this cate#or+ is to connect em!lo+ees
/+ !rovidin# a com!uter1/ased communication channel* 0his communication can /e
s+nchronous or as+nchronous* Colla/oration in terms of chattin# or "hite1 /oardin#
usin# a chat tool or a messen#er tool "ould /e an eam!le of the former, "hile e1
mail, /ulletin /oards, and ne"s#rou!s "ould /e eam!les of the latter* ) common
!ractice is to use a tool to share a document in real1time so that t"o or more
#eo#ra!hicall+ distri/uted #rou!s can see and hear the same !resentation* Some tools
are desi#ned to ca!ture communication and "ork results for further use and
refinement* Some tools are desi#ned to su!!ort concurrent co1authorin# of documents
over a distance* Other tools su!!ort active kno"led#e sharin# in the form of e1
learnin#* Some tools su!!ort e3orksho!s in on1line moderated meetin#s /et"een
e!ert !artici!ants* 0he results of the "orksho! are ca!tured and anal+-ed in order to
#enerate ne" kno"led#e in a !articular area* 0his illustrates that technolo#+ and
!rocess can /e used to /rin# !eo!le to#ether and #enerate ne" kno"led#e*
%istance colla/oration is the need of the hour for learnin# soft"are or#ani-ations*
%ue to #lo/ali-ation, soft"are develo!ment "orkin# #rou!s are often s!read out
LSO 2002 :
#eo#ra!hicall+ and "ork in different time -ones* 0he outsourcin# of su/s+stems to
su/contractors also results in these #eo#ra!hicall+ distri/uted teams "orkin# to#ether*
Colla/oration tools "ill hel! these #rou!s to communicate, colla/orate, and
coordinate inde!endent of time and !lace*
2.% #ata and Knowledge #isco$ery
0he #oal of this cate#or+ of tools is to #enerate ne" kno"led#e from eistin# data,
information, and kno"led#e /ases* Eam!les of tools include visuali-ation and data
minin#, as "ell as anal+sis and s+nthesis tools* %ata minin# tools tr+ to reveal
!atterns and relationshi!s /et"een data and #enerate ne" kno"led#e a/out the
underl+in# data and "hat it re!resents* .no"led#e mana#ement tools often deal "ith
ra" data and sin#ular data !oints, +et in order to create theories, these data !oints
need to /e anal+-ed* Ra" data and sin#ular data !oints are, for eam!le, documents,
fre;uentl+ asked ;uestions, lessons learned, and other kno"led#e items stored in
kno"led#e /ases* %ata and kno"led#e discover+ can reveal "hat is hidden in the
data* Such tools can /e used to identif+ !atterns in the content and usa#e of
kno"led#e* .no"led#e discover+ also identifies #rou!s of users active, inactive, and
de1facto e!erts* Such tools can also /e used to anal+-e kno"led#e /ases in order to
#enerate more com!le kno"led#e items, for eam!le "hen derivin# /est !ractices
/ased on lessons learned and fre;uentl+ asked ;uestions* 0he kno"led#e conversion
that takes !lace as a result of data and kno"led#e discover+ is, first and foremost,
e!licit1to1e!licit due to the fact that all kno"led#e in the kno"led#e /ase is alread+
e!licit and the discover+ !rocess creates ne" e!licit kno"led#e /ased on it* One
could also ar#ue that a !ortion of the e!licit1to1tacit kno"led#e conversion occurs in
the !rocess "hen the anal+st looks at the data from different !ers!ectives and #ains a
/etter understandin# of it*
0+!ical features of the tools in this cate#or+ !rovide for visuali-ation of data in
different "a+s* Features for statistical anal+sis are also common, alon# "ith different
features for decision su!!ort* 0hese features are sometimes /ased on artificial
intelli#ence 6)I7 techni;ues that can hel! in the discover+ !rocess* Some tools
analyze multimedia content and transcri/e it into tet, identif+ and rank the main
conce!ts "ithin it, and automaticall+ !ersonali-e and deliver that information to those
"ho need it* %eliver+ can occur across the Internet or /+ usin# other di#ital channels
such as mo/ile !hones, handheld com!uters, etc* Other tools are used for or#ani-in#
and anal+-in# kno"led#e and e!erience /ases* 0aonom+ editors ena/le
classification mana#ers to develo! taonomies for the e!erience /ase* Some tools
connect to eistin# kno"led#e and e!erience /ases and visuali-e their content*
)nal+sis tools can /e used to anal+-e #ro"th trends of kno"led#e and e!erience
/ases, and for other related anal+ses*
0he discover+ of /est !ractices and lessons learned is ver+ im!ortant for learnin#
soft"are or#ani-ations* Soft"are en#ineerin# has /een advocatin# this for a lon# time*
Soft"are develo!ment teams "ork on similar kinds of !roBects "ithout reali-in# that
results "ould have /een achieved more easil+ if the+ follo"ed a !ractice ado!ted /+ a
!revious !roBect*
LSO 2002 C
2.& '(pert )etwor!s
E!ert net"orks !rovide a forum for !eo!le "ho need to esta/lish kno"led#e sharin#
focused on solvin# a !ro/lem* E!ert net"orks are t+!icall+ /ased on !eer1 to1!eer
su!!ort* 0hese kinds of s+stems aid #eo#ra!hicall+ distri/uted or#ani-ations* E!ert
net"orks often em!hasi-e the im!ortance of ackno"led#in# that most kno"led#e
cannot /e made e!licit and stored in a com!uter, /ut "ill reside in the /rains of
e!erts* $eer1to1!eer su!!ort is tacit1to1tacit "hen e!erts use a chat tool to
communicate, /ut it is tacit1to1e!licit "hen solutions are stored for future use and
reference* One could also ar#ue that an e!licit1to1tacit conversion occurs "hen
someone finds a solution to a !ro/lem in the kno"led#e /ase of stored solutions and
a!!lies it to solve their task* Common features are e!ertise /rokera#e and e!ert
identification* Other features are communication and colla/oration /et"een !eo!le
and the ca!ture of ;uestions and ans"ers* 0hese tools t+!icall+ track and rate
e!ertise, customer satisfaction, and re"ards that are handed out to !eo!le "ho
contri/ute to the success of the s+stem* E!ert net"orks aid learnin# soft"are
or#ani-ations* Soft"are develo!ment is a human and kno"led#e intensive activit+ and
most of the kno"led#e is tacit and "ill never /ecome e!licit* It "ill remain tacit
/ecause there is no time to make it e!licit* In this scenario E!ert 8et"orks can
!rovide a solution as the+ can reduce the time s!ent /+ soft"are en#ineers in lookin#
for s!ecific domain kno"led#e*
2.* Knowledge +ortals
.no"led#e "orkers use man+ different com!uter1/ased information sources 6sales
results, manufacturin# activities, inventor+ levels, and customer orders7* 0hese
information sources need to /e inte#rated and accessed throu#h a common, +et
!ersonali-ed, interface* $ortals create a customi-ed sin#le #ate"a+ to a "ide and
hetero#eneous collection of data, information, and kno"led#e* 0he+ also !rovide
different kinds of !ersonali-ation so that content is !resented in a manner that suits
the individual5s role "ithin the or#ani-ation and reflects !ersonal !references* ?oth
the or#ani-ation and the user can control "hat information is made availa/le and ho"
it is dis!la+ed* $ortals !ull information to#ether from different sources and dis!la+ it
in a coherent "a+, !erformin# an e!licit1to1e!licit kno"led#e conversion* $ortals
su!!ort kno"led#e distri/ution, as "ell as or#ani-ation of the dis!la+ of information*
Em!lo+ees make decisions ever+ da+, /ut not all of them are informed* 3hen
critical data is hard to find, or takes too lon# to locate, it "ill not /e availa/le "hen it
is needed for makin# a decision, and makin# the /est decisions re;uires current and
relevant information, "hich is "hat !ortals deliver*
Like other or#ani-ations, soft"are or#ani-ations can /enefit from !ortals* ) stud+
found that !eo!le in soft"are or#ani-ations s!ent '0D of their time in searchin# for
different t+!es of information related to their !roBects 6,ennin#er, 199&7* 3ith !ortals
!rovidin# a one1sto! sho! for all the information that an individual "ants, the time
s!ent lookin# for information can /e si#nificantl+ reduced*
LSO 2002 &
2., ustomer -elationship Management
) !o!ular area of kno"led#e mana#ement is customer su!!ort* 0here are mainl+ t"o
forms of customer su!!ort tools< tools that ena/le customers to hel! themselves 6self1
hel!7 and tools that hel! customer su!!ort !ersonnel 6hel!1desk7 * In some cases,
vendors even set u! areas for customers to hel! each other, i*e*, to share kno"led#e
a/out !roducts and services 6!eer1to1!eer7* Customer su!!ort !ersonnel mi#ht lack
a!!ro!riate kno"led#e and consistenc+ to deliver 2'=&=>C: su!!ort* 0his can /e offset
/+ s+stems that assist them "ith kno"led#e and su!!ort !rocess, continuousl+ and
consistentl+, "hile the+ #ain a!!ro!riate kno"led#e throu#h e!erience* 0here are
man+ cases "here a hi#h re!eata/ilit+ in the su!!ort !rocess can /e levera#ed /+
reusin# ans"ers to the most common ;uestions* Over time, su!!ort !ersonnel also
ac;uire a vast amount of kno"led#e a/out the !roducts and services the or#ani-ation
offers, as "ell as information a/out customers and their /ehavior* 0his kno"led#e is a
resource for the or#ani-ation as a "hole and should /e ca!tured and s!read* 0he
kno"led#e conversation that takes !lace in customer su!!ort is mainl+ tacit1to1tacit,
/ut "ith customer su!!ort s+stems that use kno"led#e /ases it is !ossi/le to turn the
!rocess first into tacit1to1 e!licit, and then e!licit1to1e!licit, conversion* 3hen
customers search for 6and later a!!l+7 kno"led#e, one can ar#ue that e!licit1to1tacit
kno"led#e conversion takes !lace*
)!!lications for customer su!!ort are often /ased on kno"led#e re!ositories and,
therefore, su!!ort the entire kno"led#e life c+cle* S+stems that su!!ort hel! desks
t+!icall+ have features that automaticall+ direct customer re;uests to re!resentatives
/ased on !rofiles of the customers, as "ell as on the e!ertise of the re!resentative*
$ast customer /ehavior and connections to !roduct catalo#s are other factors that can
assist in the hel!in# !rocess* Su!!ort for self1hel! is often !rovided out of a "e/site*
.no"led#e /ases t+!icall+ !rovide an interface to ca!ture ne" kno"led#e a/out the
!roducts, services, and their use so that ne" cases, ne" incidents, and ne" lessons
learned can /e ca!tured and shared* On1line customer su!!ort often links the self1hel!
"ith the hel! desk throu#h live chat and soft"are s+stems that are ca!a/le of
ans"erin# ;uestions*
Soft"are or#ani-ation can #reatl+ /enefit from customer su!!ort s+stems* Most /i#
or#ani-ations have alread+ em!lo+ed customer su!!ort s+stems to track /u# re!ortin#
and crash histories of soft"are* 0his hel!s in maintenance, version u!date and
customer su!!ort for the users of that soft"are*
2.. ompetence Management
)lon# "ith document mana#ement 6%M7, "e vie" com!etence mana#ement 6CM7 as
one of the most /asic .M activities* If %M deals "ith the or#ani-ation5s e!licit
kno"led#e assets, then CM handles its tacit kno"led#e* Or#ani-ations need to
develo! 4kno"led#e ma!s5 in terms of "here kno"led#e items are and "ho kno"s
"hat* Once such a kno"led#e ma! is in !lace it can /e used to identif+ a!!ointed and
de facto e!erts2 to staff ne" !roBects /ased on skills and e!erience re;uired2 to
LSO 2002 E
identif+ kno"led#e #a!s that indicate the need to hire ne" !eo!le2 or to develo!
trainin# !ro#rams* .no"led#e ma!s can also /e used to identif+ core com!etencies
for or#ani-ational marketin#* 0ools that su!!ort com!etence mana#ement /ecome
necessar+, es!eciall+ for lar#e or#ani-ations, "here !eo!le do not kno" each other*
0heir necessit+ also /ecomes o/vious in an+ distri/uted, decentrali-ed, and mo/ile
or#ani-ation* 0he kno"led#e transformations su!!orted /+ these tools are mostl+
4e!licit1to1e!licit5 /ecause the+ are /ased on re!ositories in "hich information
a/out kno"led#e !ossession is stored* One can ar#ue that tacit1to1e!licit kno"led#e
conversion takes !lace "hen !eo!le create !rofile a/out their o"n kno"led#e* One
can also ar#ue that kno"led#e creation takes !lace "hen the CM s+stem anal+-es the
stored information and #enerates kno"led#e ma!s sho"in# "ho kno"s "hat, or "hat
com!etence the or#ani-ation has or does not have*
) t+!ical feature is !rofilin#* $rofiles of em!lo+ees, customers, su/contractors,
vendors, !artners, !roBects, and !ositions can /e #enerated, "hich also leads to
identification of and searches for e!erts* Some tools automaticall+ create
com!etence !rofiles /+ minin# various sources of information* $rofilin# mechanisms
etract terms and !hrases from e1mail communications and documents !roduced or
shared /+ individuals* Each user !rofile !rovides a detailed inde of an individual5s
kno"led#e, e!erience, and "ork focus* ) set of !rofiles, therefore, re!resents a
com!osite 4sna!shot5 of the e!ertise "ithin an or#ani-ation* Com!etence
mana#ement addresses a ver+ im!ortant !ro/lem of learnin# soft"are or#ani-ations,
4the need of kno"in# "ho kno"s "hat5* Much kno"led#e can /e recorded for other
or#ani-ations, /ut nevertheless the assets of a soft"are en#ineerin# or#ani-ation are
mainl+ its em!lo+ees and their tacit kno"led#e* )s a kno"led#e intensive industr+,
soft"are or#ani-ations are heavil+ de!endant on tacit kno"led#e, "hich is ver+
mo/ile* Com!etence mana#ement can hel! /uild structures and frame"orks for
ca!turin# ke+ information that can hel! retain some kno"led#e "hen em!lo+ees
leave or /ecome unavaila/le*
2./ Intellectual +roperty Management
.no"led#e mana#ement often includes mana#ement of intellectual !ro!ert+ such
as !atents, co!+ri#hts, trademarks, and service marks* Or#ani-ations that o"n
intellectual !ro!ert+ need "a+s to automate "orkflo" and su!!ort the mana#ement
and anal+sis of inventions, !atents and related matters* It often takes a lon# time to
file and o/tained a!!roved ri#hts to intellectual !ro!ert+, and or#ani-ations need
su!!ort to track this !rocess, more so for international or#ani-ations* Intellectual
!ro!ert+ re#ulations re;uire o"ners of co!+ri#hts, trademarks, and service marks to
!a+ le#al fees at s!ecific !oints in time2 other"ise the ri#hts can /e lost* For licensin#
issues, it is also im!ortant to track licensees and ro+alties* )nother as!ect of
intellectual !ro!ert+ is the !rotection of di#ital content covered /+ co!+ri#ht*
Intellectual !ro!ert+ mana#ement is mainl+ an e!licit1to1e!licit kno"led#e
conversion* It is /ased on kno"led#e re!ositories and, thus, deals "ith all as!ects of
kno"led#e stora#e, or#ani-ation and kno"led#e distri/ution in a controlled "a+*
LSO 2002 9
0+!ical features include search for !atents ca!a/ilities, su!!ort to file for !atents,
searcha/le kno"led#e /ases "ith rules and re#ulations and su!!ort for le#al hel!, as
"ell as collections of forms and standard letters* Other related issues that these tools
su!!ort are licensin# of !atents and trackin# of licenses, as "ell as calculation of fees*
2.0 '"Learning Management Systems
.no"led#e mana#ement aims to hel! !eo!le ac;uire ne" kno"led#e, as "ell as
!acka#e and deliver eistin# kno"led#e throu#h teachin#* E-learning is a relativel+
ne" area that includes com!uter1/ased and on1line trainin# tools* E1learnin# is
a!!ealin# /ecause it offers flei/ilit+ in time and s!ace, as "ell as colla/oration
/et"een students and tutors* Man+ of the colla/oration and communication tools
mentioned /efore can /e used to su!!ort this activit+* E -teaching su!!orts tacit1 to1
e!licit kno"led#e conversion in that the teacher5s tacit kno"led#e is converted to
e!licit learnin# material* E1learnin# su!!orts e!licit1to1tacit kno"led#e
transformation in that students learn and internali-e the e!licit material* ?oth e1
teachin# and e1learnin# su!!ort tacit1to1tacit kno"led#e sharin# "hen the tutor and
student communicate* E1teachin# involves kno"led#e creation, kno"led#e
distri/ution, stora#e, and or#ani-ation, as "ell as kno"led#e a!!lication 6"hen the
students a!!l+ the ne"l+1ac;uired kno"led#e to !ro/lems7*
Common features for tools include reusa/le learnin# o/Bect li/raries2 ada!tive "e/1
/ased course deliver+2 com!onent1/ased authorin#, schedulin# and re!ortin# tools2
student evaluation and !ro#ress trackin#2 and /uildin# of skills inventories* E1learnin#
s+stems often include colla/oration tools and su!!ort for different t+!es of content,
i*e*, video, audio, documents etc* Searchin# for and matchin# of tutorials "ith student
needs and on1line facilitation of these tasks, are often su!!orted* Soft"are
develo!ment is /ecomin# a more com!le domain to master due to the constant
chan#e and stream of ne" technolo#ies* Man+ industries have similar !ro/lems, /ut
the soft"are industr+ is !ro/a/l+ "orse than other industries due to the fact that the
!ace of chan#e is hi#her* 8e"l+ emer#in# technolo#ies cannot /e mastered overni#ht*
E1 Learnin# tools can reduce the time and difficult+ in learnin# /+ a considera/le
mar#in, thus hel!in# soft"are or#ani-ations remain com!etitive*
% Summary
0his !a!er focused on soft"are tools for kno"led#e mana#ement* 3e have surve+ed
the commercial market for such tools, divided them into functional cate#ories and
descri/ed them from different !ers!ectives* 3e !rovided t"o models that "e used to
descri/e the tools* )ll kno"led#e cannot /e made e!licit and recorded2 thus a
kno"led#e mana#ement solution must address /oth tacit and e!licit kno"led#e* )ll
re!ositor+1/ased soft"are s+stems su!!ort a maBorit+ of the !hases in the kno"led#e
life c+cle, "hile fe" s+stems actuall+ deal "ith the anal+sis and s+nthesis of ne"
kno"led#e* 3e conclude that most of the availa/le tools are s!eciali-ed, and not
LSO 2002 10
com!lete s+stems* 0his is a result of the man+ facets of .M that need to /e addressed
throu#h a .M s+stem* )nother findin# is that not all tools that are la/eled 4.M tools5
are indeed .M tools2 their vendors attem!t to make them more attractive /+ attachin#
this /u--"ord to them* Im!ressions from .M3ORL%2001 and other conferences
indicate that the market is steadil+ #ro"in#* 0o im!lement an efficient .M s+stem,
or#ani-ations must identif+ their main !ro/lems, !riorities, and strate#+, and then
select a!!ro!riate tools* .no"led#e mana#ement relies heavil+ on technolo#+, /ut it
is im!ortant to reali-e that technolo#+ alone "ill never /e the solution to kno"led#e
mana#ement* 0here are socio1cultural and or#ani-ational com!onents that need to /e
addressed in a .M s+stem im!lementation to assure its acce!tance and success*
-eferences
,ennin#er, S*, FCase1?ase .no"led#e Mana#ement 0ools for Soft"are %evelo!ment,F
Automated oftware Engineering, vol* ', !!* >191>'0, 199&*
La"ton, G*, F.no"led#e Mana#ement< Read+ for $rime 0imeH,F !EEE "omputer, vol* >', no*
2, !!* 1211', 2001*
8onaka, I* and 0akeuchi, ,*, The Knowledge "reating "ompany# Oford (niversit+ $ress,
199:*
3ii#, .*, Com!rehensive .no"led#e Mana#ement 1 3orkin# $a!er,
htt!<=="""*kno"led#eresearch*com=do"nloads=com!rehIkm*!df, .no"led#e
Research Institute, Inc*, 1999*
-esources
1eb resources
%ocument and Content htt!<=="""*microsoft*com=share!oint
Mana#ement htt!<==docushare*ero*com
htt!<=="""*lotus*com=home*nsf="elcome=km
htt!<=="""*h+!er"ave*com
htt!<=="""*documentum*com
Colla/oration Services htt!<=="""*microsoft*com="indo"s=netmeetin#
htt!<=="""*lotus*com=home*nsf="elcome=sametime
htt!<=="""*lotus*com=home*nsf="elcome=;uick!lace
htt!<=="""*#rou!s+stems*com
htt!<==fc1md*umd*edu=e"orksho!
%ata and kno"led#e %iscover+ htt!<=="""*autonom+*com
htt!<=="""*s!otfire*com
htt!<=="""*di#imine*com
LSO 2002 11
htt!<==fc1md*umd*edu=v;i=
E!ert 8et"orks htt!<=="""*a/u--*com
htt!<=="""*so!heon*com=
.no"led#e $ortals htt!<=="""*!lumtree*com
htt!<=="""*O!timalJie"*com
htt!<=="""*ascentialsoft"are*com
htt!<=="""*lotus*com=home*nsf="elcome=kstation
Customer Relationshi! htt!<=="""*askit*com
Mana#ement htt!<=="""*askmecor!*com
htt!<=="""*remed+*com

htt!<=="""2*ero*com=#o=r=kno"led#est=kno"led#eIsect
i
on*Bs!HidK192>E
Com!etence Mana#ement htt!<=="e/*skillsca!e*com
htt!<=="""*tacit*com
Intellectual $ro!ert+ Mana#ement htt!<=="""*!atentcafe*com
htt!<=="""*content#uard*com
E1learnin# Mana#ement S+stems htt!<=="""*h+!er"ave*com=e=!roducts=els*html
htt!<=="""*"isdomtools*com
htt!<=="""*firstdoor*com
htt!<=="""*tutor*com
2urther reading
)#resti, 3*, F.no"led#e Mana#ement,F Ad$ances in "omputers, vol* :>, !!* 1&112E>, 2000*
?asili, J* R*, 0esoriero, R*, Costa, $*, Lindvall, M*, Rus, I*, Shull, F*, and Lelko"it-, M* J*
F?uildin# an E!erience ?ase for Soft"are En#ineerin#< ) re!ort on the first Ce?)SE
e3orksho!F, ?omarius, Frank and .omi1SirviM, SeiBa, S!rin#er, !n %roceedings of $rofes
6$roduct Focused Soft"are $rocess Im!rovement7, !!* 110112:,2001*
Lindvall, M*, Rus, I*, Nammalamadaka, R*, and 0hakker, R*, Soft"are 0ools for .no"led#e
Mana#ement, %)CS State1of1the1)rt1Re!ort, 2001*
Rus, I* and Lindvall, M* .no"led#e Mana#ement in Soft"are En#ineerin#* IEEE Soft"are
./O0P, 2C1>E* 2002*
Rus, I*, Lindvall, M*, and Sinha, S*, .no"led#e Mana#ement in Soft"are En#ineerin#, %)CS
State1of1the1)rt1Re!ort, 2001*