Investigating Knowledge Management practices in software development organisations – An Australian experience

This study, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, investigates current practice of Knowledge Management (KM) in Software Engineering (SE) processes in two Australian companies on the basis that they both claimed to apply KM practices in their software development work. It also describes the KM activities and KM process used in SE practice, and examines the enablers of KM process for SE in terms of leadership, technology, culture, process and measurement.One of the main findings showed that software developers believe in the usefulness of knowledge sharing; however, their ability to utilise some of the KM systems was limited. The most commonly used systems included personal networks, informal networks, groupware and third-party knowledge. There is a need to formalise knowledge sharing of practices, while also supporting informal and ad-hoc knowledge sharing. While KM was considered to be important, the tools, techniques and methodologies currently employed for software development were inadequate to address effective management of knowledge in these organisations. In both organisations, a uniform model of the KM process did not exist. Among the four KM enablers, leadership was considered to be the most significant as top-down KM strategies were seemingly being pursued by management. Technology was also considered to be an obvious mechanism for KM, despite some of their current KM systems either being unsuitable or inaccessible. In addition, the crucial role that personal networks played in accessing tacit and implicit knowledge was seen as a key reason to foster a culture that encourages participants to share their knowledge with others.     

知识管理系统的构建及其策略

知识管理和知识管理系统是目前和将来知识经济下的一个重要研究领域,该文对知识管理以及知识管理系统的概念、功能、构建原则和构建过程中的系统策略进行了分析,提出了一些比较新颖和实用的模式和方法,对于各种信息技术如个性化研究、搜索过滤算法、分类策略、智能代理、知识挖掘在知识管理系统中的应用进行了比较全面的分析研究。     

知识管理在化工企业中的应用

知识已成为企业重要的生产投入要素，知识管理能将企业战略、信息系统和企业核心能力知识有机结合起来，而成为新的研究热点。当前国际管理信息发展的三个趋势是：从信息管理走向知识管理，从信息资源开发走向知识资源开发，由C／S(Client／Server)结构走向B／S(Browser／Server)结构。企业实施知识管理是当前现代管理的发展方向。该文分析了化工企业实施知识管理的必要性，介绍了知识管理的基本概念，提出了知识管理系统的分层框架，以及企业实施知识管理的原则和步骤。     

Identifying knowledge agents in a KM strategy: the use of the structural influence index

Knowledge transfer is a complex KM activity that integrates communication technologies with challenging social, cultural, and organizational issues. It is critical to effective KM systems (KMS) and the development of effective transfer strategies enhances competitive advantage. This study incorporated the theory of organizational influence to demonstrate the structural influence index within a network KMS. Using the research process in the pharmaceutical industry as a basis for knowledge transfer events, this study demonstrated the benefits of structural indexing, which identifies knowledge agents, evaluates knowledge sharing among organizational members, and objectively assesses the contribution of knowledge agents. Subgrouping knowledge agents gave insight into knowledge sharing among members and provided a basis for the coordination of knowledge resources in new and unique ways.     

Knowledge management through the development of information schema

Knowledge management (KM) has been receiving considerable attention in the human-systems research community in the past few years. This paper discusses the key concepts of user–computer interaction for knowledge development and proposes a model of an information schema. Such an information repository for KM must be organized into a domain schema. Users of an information repository play an active role in searching through information to coordinate their actions. An example of information schema for KM can be found in a student advising system. This will be used to illustrate the concept of the development of an information schema.     

基于SDLC的知识管理实施研究*

知识是竞争优势的根源,知识管理是挖掘这种竞争优势的有效手段,而知识管理的实施又是重中之重.首次将软件开发中业已成熟的生命周期法(SDLC)引入知识管理领域,以其系统化、阶段化的思想指导知识管理的实施.     

基于KM教学法的软件工程教学研究

知识的逻辑结构描述了知识的体系结构及知识之间的内在联系,思维导图是直观的知识组织与表征工具。KM教学法是将知识的逻辑结构与思维导图相结合,通过将知识逻辑结构化,经过分类和分层组织,再经过抽点、连线、成网、扩展、概型等逻辑加工,得到反应知识本质的逻辑结构图与思维导图。本文以"软件工程"为例,探讨应用KM教学法的要点。     

Retracted: Human factors of knowledge sharing intention among taiwanese enterprises: a preliminary study

Knowledge management (KM) is very important in the business world of today. The Taiwanese government has recognized the importance of KM in helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to innovate through both their internal core competencies and external resources. They have the KM promotion project to combine resources from the information service industry and the academic sector in order to assist SMEs, and have been attempting to introduce the process of KM since 1993. The motivation, opportunity, and ability (MOA) framework has been applied to study how this MOA availability drives knowledge sharing in large enterprises. This study investigates the factors or barriers that influence the intention of knowledge sharing in Taiwanese SMEs through the MOA framework. It should help business managers identify the motivational elements that can encourage investment in it, and then propose pragmatic suggestions for introducing KM initiatives in order to reinvigorate the numbers of KM‐implementing SMEs in Taiwan. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Using connect and collect to achieve the KM endgame

Innovation drives organizational success, the true knowledge management endgame. Knowledge management (KM) must harness the processes that deliver innovation. KM is ill defined in the marketplace. Therefore, companies mistakenly segregate critical IT infrastructure needs such as e-learning, performance support, process improvement, reengineering, change management, and KM. They fence off efforts in these areas from each other, even setting them up as competitive initiatives, each with its own champion. Initiative leaders strive to increase performance, but they often compete for precious few resources in a vacuum of knowledge about other the true strategic efforts. In particular, most employees and managers lack knowledge about KM. KM can only enhance organizational performance when understood and intelligently applied, which includes integration with other improvement initiatives. You can begin to understand KM by understanding basic knowledge processes     

Communities of practice model driven knowledge management in multinational knowledge based enterprises

Existing research in intelligent manufacturing literature has highlighted the need for linking organizational culture, business strategy with Knowledge Management (KM) as well as measuring the performance of knowledge management systems for best practice. Communities of Practice (CoPs) are accepted as best practice and distinct from organizational structures while implementing KM. Besides, employing CoPs as an approach for linking business strategies with KM design, CoPs can be the prevailing way for group learning and innovation building within firms. As firms grow in size, scope, and complexity, CoPs members who regularly engage in sharing and learning based on common interests, could improve organizational performance. The purpose of this work is to design a CoPs model for KM which addresses issues related to organization culture, business strategy and performance measurement reported in earlier publications in intelligent manufacturing. A CoPs evaluation hierarchy for KM is developed. It includes four dimensions and sixteen criteria for studying and evaluating organizational culture and business strategy. Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach has been employed to quantitatively analyze various criteria priorities and business strategy preferences of CoPs. In order to validate the CoPs model, a case study has been undertaken in two multinational knowledge based organizations and the results are compared to differentiate strategic preferences. The contributions of this paper include: a) Definition of a CoPs model based on sixteen criteria which helps to understand an organization’s KM culture or CoPs; b) Employing these criteria to link an organization‘s KM culture with four business strategies; c) Develop a quantitative method for measuring KM performance in the context of four business strategies, and d) Validating the CoPs model through its application in two multinationals in Taiwan and Japan. The CoPs model thus can be used by organizations to understand their KM culture, allocate resources towards the chosen business strategy and measure KM performance in the context of the chosen business strategy.     

基于本体论的动态参与型知识管理系统

知识管理(KM)系统是一种综合利用信息技术以实现知识的俘获、存储和重用的技术。提出了一个动态参与型知识管理系统体系结构,旨在以较强的动态参与性推动知识管理的实用化。该体系体系结构主要从三维即知识的共享型建立、知识的开放性集成和知识的随注意连接,系统化地研究了实现KM的理论和方法,并在此基础上给出了一个这种体系的实例——ICSRP系统。     

Process-aware approach for managing organisational knowledge

Knowledge is currently considered an asset for organisations. In this new paradigm, Knowledge Management (KM) is emerging as an unavoidable activity for organisations. Information and communications technologies, together with business policies, become a tool par excellence for supporting the creation of KM platforms that provide access to organisation knowledge resources such as workers, technical reports, software applications, and business documents. In spite of the benefits provided by current KM platforms, most of them were designed to manage a single type of knowledge (tacit or explicit) without considering either the form in which organisational areas need knowledge to be provided (reactive or proactive) or the integration with business processes. This work presents a process-aware approach to develop KM platforms linked to business processes with semantic capability to manage knowledge objects with natural language content as well as to support social interactions and ad hoc working groups. To this aim, a comprehensive analysis of influencing-KM factors to be addressed by technological solutions is considered by a set of technological requirements. Based on these requirements, a model that provides the main components to be addressed by KM approaches is specified and implemented by a technological platform. This platform goes after a balance between technological and social aspects that support and promote collaboration and communication among organisation members.     

An application of knowledge based modelling using scripts

Knowledge management (KM) takes an increasingly significant place in the companies. The field of the KM aims to answer the problems of memory within companies by proposing methodologies to formalise know-how during the different steps of production. The KM is a domain with many ramifications and applications. One of them, so called Knowledge Based Engineering, search how to record knowledge from experts to put them in CAD software. Our study relates to the possibility of using the knowledge of an expert in modelling and, more particularly, on the automatic modelling of filling systems in foundry.     

Exploring barriers to knowledge flow at different knowledge management maturity stages

A significant amount of work has been done to better understand the barriers to knowledge flow and develop models of KM maturity; this was intended to help in assessing the progress of KM initiatives in the firm. However, to date there has been no comprehensive research that considers both these issues at the same time, and thus it is still necessary to explore the evolution of barriers to knowledge flow when the level of KM maturity is changing. We reviewed the progress of KM initiatives in recent years, categorized the barriers to knowledge flow according to the cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), and used one of the existing models of KM maturity (the Knowledge Navigator Model—KNM), to address gaps in the current literature. As part of our exploratory study, a longitudinal survey, involving constant observation, development and use of questionnaires and qualitative interviews with managers of seven firms were conducted. We selected the firms so they covered a wide range of KM maturity levels; triangulation was adopted to enhance the quality of the process. The major findings indicated that: (1) barriers to knowledge flow were inherently different at different KM maturity levels; and (2) various changes in the barriers to knowledge flow were associated with the maturity of the KM.     

知识管理的模型框架及其关键技术

给出了知识管理的一个模型框架，详细分析了实施知识管理的关键技术，如信息提取技术、分级权限管理和多级安全控制技术以及群组协同工作等技术，最后简要分析了企业实施知识管理的过程中可能遇到的一些问题。     

Knowledge management at Infosys

Knowledge management (KM) is important to software engineering, because organizations need more than just human capital to successfully distribute and use their employees' knowledge. Knowledge might be inexpensive, but effectively using and managing it is not. This article reviews KM practices at Infosys, highlighting KM's importance and benefits     

一种可视化的知识管理建模语言

如何在浩瀚信息海洋中获取自己所需的知识,进而进行有效的管理并最终利用知识创造价值,是知识管理的重要目标。而如何构建良好的知识模型来存储和表达所需的知识,是知识创造价值过程的关键因素。该文正是针对这种需求,提出了可记录隐性知识的可视化知识建模语言(KnowledgeModelingLanguage,KML)。通过使用KML,人们可以将内在的知识记录转化为图形化的文档,从而得以展现知识的全貌,而知识的使用也变得更加直观和有效。     

知识管理机制与业务流程的集成研究

知识管理与业务流程具有内在相关性,这种相关性要求将知识管理机制与业务流程有机结合起来.为此,首先分析了业务流程实施对知识管理提出的要求,指出知识管理机制在业务流程中的知识利用方面应提供知识支持和协作支持,在知识创新方面则应提供知识创新支持和知识分类支持.然后在此基础上提出了一种知识管理机制与业务流程的集成方法,并详细说明了其在信息系统层面上的实现方式.