Knowledge Maps An Intellectual Infrastructure for KM

1. Knowledge Maps An Intellectual Infrastructure for KM Tom Reamy Knowledge Architect Intranet Consultant

2. Knowledge Maps • What is a knowledge map? • The Foundation: Knowledge Architecture • Strategic Role of a Knowledge Map • Creating, Applying, Growing a Knowledge Map

3. What is a Knowledge Map? • Multiple & Dynamic Taxonomies • Content Repositories • People • Activities • Living, Breathing, Evolving • The human operators • Intellectual infrastructure

4. What is a Knowledge Map? • Content Repositories: • Intranet Content & External Content • Structured and unstructured • Best Practices Database, Library of Stories • Key Features: • Multiplicity of authors, size and types of documents • Multiplicity of formats, uses. • Design for dynamic fluxuating content

5. What is a Knowledge Map? • Personal Contexts • Individuals – explicit and implicit personalization • Formal Communities • Informal Communities • Hidden and temporary Communities • Key Features: • Tacit Knowledge, Expertise

6. What is a Knowledge Map? • Taxonomies of Tasks • Information + rules about types of related content • Basic task: Find Information • Key Features: • Least Developed Taxonomy • Most Dynamic & Most Local Variation

7. What is a Knowledge Map? • The Human operators • K Managers • K Analysts • K Engineers

8. What is a Knowledge Map?The Human Operators • Knowledge Managers • Project Management+ • Capture the knowledge generated in a project • Develop knowledge sharing practices • Capture Best Practices • Provide training and leadership on projects

9. What is a Knowledge Map?The Human Operators • Knowledge Analysts • Research, catalog, categorize, search • Corporate Librarians+ • Work with SME’s to create a semantic network of the enterprise • Work with KM support technology, especially search and categorization

10. What is a Knowledge Map?The Human Operators • Knowledge Engineers • Collect, analyze, organize tacit knowledge • Establish connections between individuals to facilitate knowledge transfer • Facilitate explicit knowledge transfer (K Base) • Provide input and feedback to Knowledge analysts • Train people to incorporate KM

11. What is a Knowledge Map?Format • Format of Knowledge Map • It doesn’t matter – Any old thing will do. • Database, intranet, shared files • Excel Spreadsheets & macros • Need Federated search and ability to categorize all content • Content Management

12. Knowledge Architecture:Foundation for a Knowledge Map • Knowledge Architecture is the foundation for a Knowledge map • Information Architecture is the foundation for Knowledge Architecture • Knowledge is Information + Contexts • Intellectual, Personal, Practical Contexts • Knowledge Architecture: Integration of Multiple Contexts

13. Information Architecture • Organization • Navigation • Labeling • Search Information Architecture for the World Wide Web - Lou Rosenfield and Peter Morville

14. Information Architecture • Organization - Taxonomy • “Believe it or not, we’re all becoming librarians.” • Support categorization, casual browsing, and directed searching • Typical Schemas: Alphabetical, chronological, location, hierarchical, hypertext • Controlled Vocabularies

15. Information Architecture • Navigation - Browse • Good Design provides context to enable users to make smart choices • Present the structure of the information hierarchy • Table of contents, Index, site map

16. Information Architecture • Labeling systems • Supports navigation • Textual, iconic, index terms, link labels, Headings • Controlled Vocabularies & Thesauri

17. Information Architecture • Search • Not a substitute for poorly designed browsing system. • Support variety of search strategies - known item, exploration • Search and Browse • Advanced Search?

18. Knowledge Architecture • Knowledge is information + contexts • Context is what gives meaning and depth to information • Let me tell you a story.

19. Knowledge Architecture • Intellectual, Personal, Practical Contexts • Integration of Contexts • Knowledge network mapped to network of actors mapped to a network of tasks.

20. Intellectual Context • Dynamic • Model a historical dimension • KA for Stories - temporal and experiential • Multi-dimensional • Information + precedent • Policy - topical + why its important • Rich Structure • Controlled Vocabularies, not just keywords • Hierarchical semantic net

21. Personal Context • Audience based categorization • Smart and Dynamic Personalization • Adapt to user’s activities • Tacit Knowledge • Connecting People and People • People and Agents

22. Social Contexts • Personal Newspaper - useless • “To say it simply, newspapers should get out of the information business and into the knowledge business….information that is embedded in some context, …has a purpose, …leads one to seek. • Buidling a Bridge to the Eighteenth Century • Community Newspapers - Yes!

23. Communities • Variety of Activity Types • Communication and Collaboration • Variety of Interest Types • Stock Market, Java Programming, Scuba • Variety of Channels • Project / document collaboration • Discussion Groups, Real Time Video Conf. • Chat, Water Cooler Mtg’s, Email

24. Social Context • KA must support all those social activities • Model and support the communities • Model, capture, and retrieve the tacit and explicit knowledge expressed inside. • Model and match personal profiles

25. Practical Contexts • Find Information on Product X • What information is important depends on why you want the information. • Contact a person who knows Y • Know when to contact them • Understand my educational options • Personal and historical filter of information

26. Integration of Contexts • Consistent Categorization • Collaboration, Expertise Locators, Search • Rules for mapping categories • Thesaurus • Rules for applying categories • Relative weighting of filters

27. Strategic Role of Knowledge MapHistory of KM • Phase I – KM as technology - CIO • “We are a technology company in the X services industry.” • Phase II – “It’s the culture, Stupid!” -CKO. • Phase III – “It’s the Knowledge, Stupid!” – CKO + CKA

28. Strategic Role of Knowledge Map • 3 Essential Infrastructures: • Technology: $Millions and 1,000’s of people • Organizational: Recognized Value, fundamental to enterprise • Intellectual: a couple of librarians, no budget, and first to be laid off.

29. Strategic Role of Knowledge Map • Establish legitimacy, value of the third infrastructure • Create the proper context for projects • Expertise locators, search, etc. • Overcome the Tyranny of the technologists • Align KM approach with business goals • Codification and Personalization

30. Creating a Knowledge Map • Key Features • Its an evergreen project • Based on multiple Taxonomies • Active field work with SME’s • Soft Methods (Day in the Life) • Hard Methods (Auto-categorization) • Self-Referential Project

31. Creating a Knowledge Map • Content Repositories • Meta Data – Dublin Core + • Extensions: XML, RDF • Controlled Vocabularies • Browse Taxonomy • Early Application (Pay the Rent) • Build it to destroy itself • Categorization - Cyborg

32. Creating a Knowledge Map • Categorization of People, Communities • Knowledge Engineers • Knowledge Interviews • Personal Contexts: Expertise, interests • Communities: formal and informal • Activities • Map to Content Repositories • Expertise Locators

33. Creating a Knowledge Map • Historical Dimension • Feedback into all aspects of the map • Track how people are using the applications built on the map • Search, Browse, Content Creation • Collaborative Filtering • Ranking the importance of elements of the system

34. Applying a Knowledge Map • Infrastructure Application • Consistent categorization across all KM initiatives. • Integration of birth/death cycle • Content Creation: Innovation • Collaboration • Knowledge Retrieval • Distributed Content Management • Taxonomic Publishing, not Web site

35. Applying a Knowledge Map • Smart Technical Support • E-Learning and Best Practices • Expertise Locators • Support formal and informal communities • Knowledge Retrieval

36. Applying a Knowledge Map • Information Retrieval: ProductName • List of Documents, ranked by frequency of keyword • You will only look at the first three. • You will probably not find what you want. • Or it will take you a long time to find it.

37. Applying a Knowledge Map • Knowledge Retrieval: ProductName • List of Documents – about product • Categorized list: • Features of Product • Comparisons of Products • Legal / Policy documents • Activities associated with product • List of Experts and types of questions • Background Resources • Glossaries • Communities

38. Applying a Knowledge Map • Knowledge Retrieval: ProductName • Filters: • Admin in retail tech support • Belong to a discussion group - resource • The last time you looked up ProductName, you selected documents x, y, z • You don’t want legal information emphasized • You are not an expert on product – general abastracts

39. Applying a Knowledge Map • Knowledge Retrieval: ProductName • Filters: • You have read documents a-c • You are having money problems • You are open to a bribe • You’re not doing anything Saturday night • You like red wine • It knows just the place!