Breakout Session #508 Niall Sinclair Date: April 27, 2005 Managing Partner

2. Generating Successful KM Initiatives Breakout Session #508 Niall Sinclair Date: April 27, 2005 Managing Partner Time: 10:45 Nterprise Consulting Inc. NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

3. What the Government of Canada (GoC) says about knowledge ___________________________________ “People and knowledge management are two essential cornerstones of a new public-sector management model.” - COSO Learning and Development Committee Progress Report, 2002 “We don’t make widgets, we manage knowledge, that’s what government people, public-sector people, do.” - Clerk of the Privy Council’s Sixth Annual Report NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

4. How much attention is the Canadian Government giving KM?_____________________________________ • At the moment senior managers have no appetite for yet another business requirement i.e. KM • Ministers’ focus is more on Information Management e.g. implementing the new Management of Information policy • DM and ADM performance accords highlight IM, and TreasuryBoard(TBS)bi-lateralsarefocusedonIMoutcomes • Many Acts and Policies deal with IM, none with the management of knowledge assets …. Yet • However there are signs of change: new TBS guidance has significant KM focus e.g. “Corporate knowledge to be captured and managed as a strategic resource” NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

5. Why is KM struggling in the Government of Canada? ____________________________________ • Scope is a problem … senior managers tend to see things from an all-or-nothing perspective …. however, KM works best where it can grow incrementally around community needs, not where it is mandated from the top • KM can be threatening to some …. it lacks visible structure, isn’t hierarchically dependant, and isn’t easy to see or control • No Deputies or ADM’s have been made accountable for it, therefore it can be easily side-stepped as a priority issue • But most of all ….There is no compelling storyline in the public sector showing how KM is inextricably linked with successful outcomes in government operations NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

6. Does the Government of Canada actually need KM? ________________________________ • The pace and direction of Canada’s economic development has changed over the last 25 years • A global e-economy has emerged based on the capacity to adopt and exploit technology, information and knowledge to create innovation and productivity • The e-economy is largely based upon the ability of countries and organizations to manage information and translate it into knowledge…… Therefore: The management of knowledge is crucial to Canada’s future well-being as a country, and to its future status in the global economy NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

7. The Problem with KM from a Government Perspective __________________________________ • Business managers are skeptical about making the necessary investment in KM tools and techniques without proof that it will enhance efficiency • Employees think that KM requires more time than they can give it, resources are seen as being too scarce to devote to it, and there is no appetite for yet more change • Confusion as to how KM differs to IM • Scarcity of any compelling success stories about KM use in the public sector • “I know its important, but ………..” syndrome NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

8. Making the KM connection in Public Sector organizations______________________________ How to make the connection? • By establishing a value proposition in the minds of business managers • By thinking small, not big • By demystifying KM and showing that it is neither elitist nor impractical • By keeping under the corporate radar This is what I call Stealth KM NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

9. Working in Stealth Mode_____________________________ Start at a Manageable Pace • Change-fatigue is a big problem in government: too many new senior managers, too many reorganizations, too many new demands and issues to be dealt with. Therefore …. • People have a low tolerance for additional demands placed on their time in an already overloaded work environment • Find the most receptive individuals and communities in your organization and focus early attention on them Bottom-line: get a feel for what people may, or may not, be willing to accept before you start planning for KM NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

10. Working in Stealth Mode________________________________ Set Realistic Expectations • Try and set an appropriate level of expectation, particularly with senior managers, and particularly in regards to the level of cultural change that KM can potentially achieve • Set manageable, and above all “do-able” targets for KM-based process changes and project deliverables • Focus on the business-unit level of knowledge issues and opportunities, not the enterprise-level ones Bottom-line: keep the message simple – KM is about making better decisions together, nothing more NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

11. Working in Stealth Mode ______________________________ Ask (and answer) Some Crucial Questions • There are three crucial questions that you must be able to answer if you want to get people to buy-in to KM: • How is KM relevant to what I do? • What specifically am I expected to do? • What’s in it for me? Bottom-line: If you can’t answer these questions then you are not ready to engage your organization in a conversation about KM deployment NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

12. Working in Stealth Mode_______________________________ Adopt Some Guiding Principles (To keep things simple and to help understanding about KM) • Corporate Alignment - Aligning with business drivers • Credible Targets - Setting an appropriate level of expectation about KM • Clear Language - Avoid jargon, use business terms • Communication - Focus on business managers, expert communities and senior change-leaders • Collaboration - Working with knowledge communities to help them become self-sustaining entities NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

13. Working in Stealth Mode______________________________ FocusonEnablingProcesses,ToolsandTechniques • Most organizations don’t have a good understanding of how their processes work from a knowledge perspective • Embedding knowledge attributes into work processes lays a solid foundation for future organizational KM evolution • Supporting KM tools and techniques such as collaboration or CRM software and processes, can give important momentum to knowledge workers, and can help them to work in a more holistic and consolidated fashion Bottom-line:Process evolution equals cultural evolution NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

14. Working in Stealth Mode_______________________________ Focus on Good Publicity • Success stories are self-perpetuating • Failures don’t need to be broadcast to everyone – the important thing is to absorb the lessons of what went wrong and apply them next time around • Use communications vehicles with discretion; target receptive audiences first • Use business leaders who have deployed KM successfully as your publicists Bottom-line:Its all about perception NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

15. A Procurement KM Case Study________________________________ Some Background on Procurement in the GoC • All procurement activity for Canadian government departments and agencies is conducted by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) • PWGSC has struggled with negative perceptions regarding the value proposition for its procurement activities – other departments thinks its too slow, too costly, too mired in red tape etc. • In 2003 PWGSC re-organized with the intention of improving service delivery and customer satisfaction levels NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

16. A Procurement KM Case Study________________________________ Procurement Issues and Opportunities • PWGSC reviewed its delivery structure on procurement and adopted a portfolio approach, where procurement teams have a set number of clients to whom they are dedicated, and to whom they are responsible for end-to-end solutions i.e. no more multiple branches, business units etc. being jointly responsible for services • Working with client groups it quickly became evident that there were a number of inhibitors to achieving better service levels, these included: lack of common business processes; lack of common IT/IM infrastructure etc. NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

17. A Procurement KM Case Study________________________________ Procurement Issues and Opportunities • Over the last few years the GoC has invested heavily in shared systems infrastructure for government records and document management requirements • This infrastructure is known as RDIMS (Records and Documents Information Management System) • PWGSC is responsible for the marketing and deployment of RDIMS within the GoC • PWGSC has evolved a number of information-based services built on RDIMS functionality e.g. meetings and agendas management, common information naming conventions such as metadata and controlled vocabulary NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

18. A Procurement KM Case Study________________________________ Procurement Issues and Opportunities • PWGSC is working with its procurement clients to get RDIMS implemented in all client departments e.g. DND • Having RDIMS functionality available to all suppliers and receivers of procurement services will ensure: • A common mechanism to capture (RDIMS repository engine) and share project information and knowledge • A common standard for categorization and storage of project information • A secure environment for all project information • Total availability of project information, both for present and future reference, or for access to information needs NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

19. A Procurement KM Case Study________________________________ Some Pros and Cons of using the RDIMS solution • Pro - Using RDIMS as a technology hub for procurement projects will leverage GoC sunk costs, and align with a desired GoC technology direction • Con – Issues of additional cost will arise for departments that haven’t already deployed RDIMS • Pro – Using RDIMS as a common interface will ensure more efficient and effective management of procurement projects • Con – There will be the potential for continued disconnection of processes, and on-going inefficiencies, if not everyone moves to the RDIMS platform NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

20. Some KM Lessons Learned ….____________________________ • Avoid definitional warfare • Surveys aren’t sexy • Lever what’s already in place e.g. IT/IM infrastructure • Don’t ask senior managers for money or resources • Don’t worry if people think that KM is IM, as long as they are doing something to manage their knowledge • Walking the talk is the best publicity you can buy NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

21. Some Final Thoughts ….________________________________ • Any plan for KM must set realistic, yet attainable, goals, and should resonate with any audience at any level in your organization • Stealth KM should work well in any organization, but isn’t necessarily the best option for everyone • Nobody has all the answers where KM is concerned, so don’t be afraid to do it differently if it works for you NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”

22. Contact Information …. nterprise@rogers.com NCMA World Congress 2005 “Prime Time: Contract Management at the Core of the Enterprise”