Managing knowledge on intranets: examples and needs
I have always been curious to know how infotech and software companies manage their knowledge (or re-usable and recyclable data). You might ask why software or infotech companies? It’s because if they can think of something, they are in a capacity to implement it, unlike the companies or industries that are not in the info-tool creating business.
It helps to take a page or two from the “concept” that is implemented from the likes of the giants of the software industry like Microsoft and Google. It helps even if that concept can be really stripped down to adopt to your company (big or small). Best of all, examples help create awareness and possibly forming ideas or simply the wants within your company that fuels the need to have an easy access to recyclable information to make the best of time and practices.
If pictures and flow diagrams are anything to go by, then Microsoft Web, which is Microsoft’s intranet (or Microsoft Knowledge Network as they call it), is quite impressive.
Image courtesy: Microsoft IT Showcase
Now, if only Google would put some documentation on how they have their intranet setup and manage their content (I’m aware that they have one of the best), that’d be a hoot.
There are a vast number of industries and businesses that are seriously looking at solutions and ending-up with a half-assed inhouse development either because these systems cost them an arm and a leg, or are too difficult to implement.
A typical example: The company I work for has a vast wealth of information in terms of number of offshore projects. Over 20 years in business in just this region alone, take an average of 4 projects a year. Each project to have approximately 1-4 platforms (although there have been exceptions where there have been over 20 in some projects!). We have over 10 engineering disciplines that would be working on a typical project, each generating a virgin set of documents, information, vendor data and deliverables in a given project. In addition, If we could append projects from elsewhere (America, Europe, Africa, South America and Australasia), the statistical information itself would be mind-blowing. But unfortunately, it is not accumulated.
If the company could somehow harness all that engineering done in a database and also set it to query any related info, comparative data, charts and engineering information, it could easily dismantle more than two-thirds of re-inventing-the-wheel cycle. If this an interesting and advantageous proposition for adding new data as new projects happen, then I think people would be more than willing to feed the necessary data to the system. Not only that, it would also automatically place an audit system that would provide some justification and authetication to philosophies adopted and decisions taken.
Who are the clients: Engineering companies that want to pool their past project experiences, Hospitals and doctors that want to document and collate case histories, Universities and Institutions and so many knowledge centered businesses that dig this. The concept of an internal web itself hasn’t been percolating much, if we leave the IT-tech companies aside. To non-IT companies, pooling info is still a new concept. The tendency is to think of it as a notice board, nothing more. While in contrast, in the information world, we are already seeing bursts of Web 2.0.
Here’s a proposition to software companies: If you think setting-up intranet systems is a problem due to a myriad of environments, sell a rack (something like a Google appliance), if you like, that comes bundled with the latest intranet management software, ready for deployment with documentation, firmware and software upgrades. With the need to collate and add information is growing, there is a serious deficit in terms of managed solutions to manage data and knowledge and put it to good reuse within and across company extranets and company offices elsewhere.
Seriously, we all need good and simple managed (intranet) systems, that are fully controllable and customizable by graphical consoles, so that we spend less time building one with the limited knowledge we have, and get back to what we’re good at: “creating and reusing content”.
I wonder how many IT managers and IT admins in non-IT companies would do a chorus with me on this one.
That Photo changing feature is cool….man !
Aug 23, 05 at 09:24We are helping our clients use the Intranet more effectively to communicate with it’s employees and urge knowledge sharing on the available platform. I truly belive the next step for all corporates is taking this very seriously as businesses are growing vertically and information re-cycling becomes an important feature.
P.S I like your blog template. Very neat. What are you running? Wordpress?
Aug 23, 05 at 14:06Sagar: Thanks
Aug 23, 05 at 20:15Kapil: That’s right, I use WordPress.