Where do technical writers fit into knowledge management

Where do Technical Writers Fit into Knowledge Management?

Society for Technical Communication, Toronto

May 16, 2012

© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012

Agenda

• Introduction

• What is Knowledge Management

• Where do Technical Writers fit in to KM?

© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 2

Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting

Organizing Chaos: The key to success is focusing on people, process, and technology, not one, but all three and how the three integrate and work together to provide superior collaboration, business process, and decision making results for the organization.


Who am I?

• Stephanie Barnes

• Accountant and IT Management by education

• KM consultant by choice

• Chief Chaos Organizer at Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, Knoco franchisee

• 4 yrs KM at HP

• 8+ yrs as consultant to a variety of companies including BMO, HSFO, Kodak, HP, Zenon Environmental, OSC, CIBC, ENEC

• Based in Toronto

4 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012

WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT?


Knowledge Management

Definition

• Connecting people to the knowledge they need to do their jobs whether that knowledge is tacit or explicit

• Includes activities as diverse as enterprise content management, lessons learned, peer assists, and communities of practice


Explicit Knowledge (documented knowledge)

• Business plans • Client lists • Letters • Project plans • Project Charters • Forms • Meeting minutes


Tacit Knowledge (knowledge in individuals’ heads)

• Social networks • Previous

experience • Learning from

courses • Research


Knowledge Flow

•Systematizing concepts, e.g. meta-

data, taxonomies

•Learning, e.g. on-the-job training, lessons learned, peer assists, searching

•Knowledge artefact creation, e.g.

documentation, lessons learned

•Sharing, e.g. Communities of Practice, mentoring, expertise location

Communicating Collecting

Organizing Accessing

People

Knowledge Repository

People Knowledge Repository to

from

Based on Nonaka and Takeuchi, “The Knowledge Creating Company,” p62 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 9

Knowledge Management Framework

Governance

Purpose, Vision, Goals, Objectives

Oversight

Policies and Procedures

Lifecycle Processes

Metadata and Taxonomies

Version Control

Privacy

Enabling Activities

Change Management

Staffing

Technology

Professional Development

Metrics and Measurement

Component Activities Documented Knowledge

• Portal/Intranet

• Document Management

• E-mail Management

• Enterprise Content Management

Document Handling

• Document Assembly

• Component Content Management

• Records Management

Sharing and Collaboration

• Lessons Learned

• Communities of Practice

• Social Media

• Collaboration

• Expertise Location

Supporting

• IT Knowledge Management

• Workflow

• Search

Innovation

• Idea Management

• Business Intelligence


Framework - Component Activities


Some Benefits of KM

• Better organization

• Better use of knowledge assets

• Knowledge sharing

• Improved learning


Approach


People

Process Technology

How to get started/focused?

• What problem are you trying to solve?

• What challenge are you trying to overcome?


Collect:

•Business Processes

•Information Flows

•Organization Strategy and Plan

•IT Strategy and Plan

•Change Mgmt

Analyze:

•Human, Social, and Intellectual Capital Best Practices

•Change Mgmt

Resolve:

•Policies

•Knowledge & process flows

•Metrics

•Strategic Goals

•Governance

•Change Mgmt

Select technology

•Change Mgmt

Design/ Develop/ Test

•Change Mgmt

Implement

•Change Mgmt

•Processes

•Metrics

Use

•Change Mgmt

Evolve

•Change Mgmt

Knowledge Management Roadmap


SO, WHERE DO THE TECHNICAL WRITERS ADD VALUE?

Now that you have context


Knowledge Flow: documentation

•Systematizing concepts, e.g. meta-

data, taxonomies

•Learning, e.g. on-the-job training, lessons learned, peer assists, searching

•Knowledge artefact creation, e.g.

documentation, lessons learned

•Sharing, e.g. Communities of Practice, mentoring, expertise location

Communicating Collecting

Organizing Accessing

People

Knowledge Repository

People Knowledge Repository to

from

Based on Nonaka and Takeuchi, “The Knowledge Creating Company,” p62 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 17

KM Framework: areas with significant documentation requirements

Governance


Oversight


Lifecycle Processes


Version Control

Privacy

Enabling Activities

Change Management

Staffing

Technology




• Portal/Intranet




Document Handling





• Lessons Learned


• Social Media

• Collaboration


Supporting


• Workflow

• Search

Innovation

• Idea Management



Documented Knowledge Lifecycle


Roles and Responsibilities: Knowledge Management Program

•Advocate and promote the benefits of pursuing

Knowledge Management Champions

•Support knowledge management policies

Managers

•Cross-functional team

•Provide advice, best practice guidance and training on Knowledge Management

*Governance Committee

•To promote the values of Knowledge Governance

•To monitor, evaluate, evolve knowledge management practices

*Knowledge Management Program Team

•The accountable person within the organization who owns the KM Process and is responsible for its implementation, performance, and maintenance, as well as governance and standards

*Knowledge Management Process Owner

•Helps to institutionalize Knowledge Management in the organization; they are team-based KM subject matter experts

*Knowledge Manager

•Ensures that they create and maintain appropriate records in relation to their work and to manage those records in accordance with the organization’s information/document management policies and procedures

*Individual


Roles and Responsibilities: Documented Knowledge Lifecycle

Approvers endorse the accuracy of the content and format of a document/knowledge artefact, this group should include the document owners and support providers where applicable

*Collaborators work with Creators to develop the content and format of a document/knowledge artefact

*Creator bringing knowledge or documents into existence for the first time.

Knowledge Management Process Owner

the accountable person within the organization who owns the KM Process and is responsible for its implementation, performance, and maintenance, as well as governance and standards

*Knowledge Managers helps to institutionalize Knowledge Management in the organization; they are team-based KM subject matter experts. This role is responsible for managing/maintaining the process

*Managers someone who over-sees staff, can also apply to Project Managers

*Owner responsible for the up-keep of a document after it has been created. The role of Owner is a new role/concept for the organization, and in some cases will be the same as the creator, while in other situations it may be someone else

Publishers post a document/knowledge artefact to a knowledge repository

*Reviewers assess the content of a document/knowledge artefact, should include staff who will be using the document, especially if it is a support/operational document

*Users draw on the content of a document/knowledge artefact as part of their job responsibilities


Technical Writer Skills

• Writing skills – Consistency

– Structure

– Templates

• Technical skills (re: content/subject matter)

• Tools skills

• Interviewing and listening skills

• Design skills

• Usability and testing skills


How to promote your value as a Technical Writer to a KM initiative

• Promote the standardization, consistency, and usability of documentation

• But what else…


Where do you see yourselves fitting within the KM Framework?

Governance


Oversight


Lifecycle Processes


Version Control

Privacy

Enabling Activities

Change Management

Staffing

Technology




• Portal/Intranet




Document Handling





• Lessons Learned


• Social Media

• Collaboration


Supporting


• Workflow

• Search

Innovation

• Idea Management



QUESTIONS


Thank You!


Knowledge Workers Toronto

• Two groups:

– Methods: http://toronto.methods.knowledgeworkers.org

– Technology: http://toronto.technology.knowledgeworkers.org


http://toronto.methods.knowledgeworkers.org/

http://toronto.methods.knowledgeworkers.org/

http://toronto.technology.knowledgeworkers.org/

http://toronto.technology.knowledgeworkers.org/