Knowledge Management in a Service Organisation Patrick Keogh Knowledge and Innovation Manager, Lucid IT © Copyright 2009 Lucid IT. All rights reserved

Agenda Some background Where we have been What we did Where we are going Some lessons

Some background

Where we have been

What we did

Where we are going

Some lessons

Background In eight years Lucid IT has grown from nothing to being a leading IT Management consulting and training organisation. From the very beginning we knew the value of KM and have incrementally improved our approach. It has grown as we have grown!

In eight years Lucid IT has grown from nothing to being a leading IT Management consulting and training organisation.

From the very beginning we knew the value of KM and have incrementally improved our approach.

It has grown as we have grown!

Why Do Knowledge Management? The Lucid IT KM value proposition Costs of not doing KM Risks from not doing KM Benefits of KM Costs of KM

The Lucid IT KM value proposition

Costs of not doing KM

Risks from not doing KM

Benefits of KM

Costs of KM

Costs of not doing KM Bringing new employees up to speed Reinventing the wheel in consulting engagements Errors leading to rework Reduced customer satisfaction

Bringing new employees up to speed

Reinventing the wheel in consulting engagements

Errors leading to rework

Reduced customer satisfaction

Risks of not doing KM Risk of inconsistent style and quality Reduced efficiency could make our services uncompetitive Harder to adapt our service catalogue to changing requirements

Risk of inconsistent style and quality

Reduced efficiency could make our services uncompetitive

Harder to adapt our service catalogue to changing requirements

Benefits of KM Enable more rapid growth and change Capitalise the experience of our best people and use it to develop all our people Support our distributed workforce More efficient service delivery Increased staff retention (they can see the value)

Enable more rapid growth and change

Capitalise the experience of our best people and use it to develop all our people

Support our distributed workforce

More efficient service delivery

Increased staff retention (they can see the value)

Costs of doing KM Time to lead and manage Tools Time to learn and contribute

Time to lead and manage

Tools

Time to learn and contribute

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

The early days Handful of experienced consultants You knew what everybody was doing You knew the individual strengths of everybody We could all meet around a kitchen table – and we did! KM through stories No formal process or tools Starting to accumulate valuable IP but not managing it Big win #1

Handful of experienced consultants

You knew what everybody was doing

You knew the individual strengths of everybody

We could all meet around a kitchen table – and we did!

KM through stories

No formal process or tools

Starting to accumulate valuable IP but not managing it

We started to grow and to disperse Knew the value of the “Lucid IT family” Continued to meet face to face Knew the value of our IP Developed a project-based repository for IP Knew the value of KM Each consultant’s compensation has a part for KM But cracks started to appear… Release management for our training materials Consultants not aware of existing IP from other locations Lesson: Our earlier intuitive approach was not going to be sufficient as we grew further – we needed level 2 maturity.

Knew the value of the “Lucid IT family”

Continued to meet face to face

Knew the value of our IP

Developed a project-based repository for IP

Knew the value of KM

Each consultant’s compensation has a part for KM

But cracks started to appear…

Release management for our training materials

Consultants not aware of existing IP from other locations

Lesson: Our earlier intuitive approach was not going to be sufficient as we grew further – we needed level 2 maturity.

… so we responded Acquired tools to make sharing of IP easier, and moved to a subject matter based repository Acquired a mobile phone service where calls to each other are “free” Implemented a teleconferencing facility and encouraged its use Ensured that all employees had internet access Instituted regular location meetings with a semi-social emphasis Formalised our face-to-face meetings as “knowledge days”

Acquired tools to make sharing of IP easier, and moved to a subject matter based repository

Acquired a mobile phone service where calls to each other are “free”

Implemented a teleconferencing facility and encouraged its use

Ensured that all employees had internet access

Instituted regular location meetings with a semi-social emphasis

Formalised our face-to-face meetings as “knowledge days”

Our #1 tool Groove (now part of Microsoft Office) On each consultant’s laptop All of the “must have” IP such as training materials Paid for itself many times over Big win #2

Groove (now part of Microsoft Office)

On each consultant’s laptop

All of the “must have” IP such as training materials

Paid for itself many times over

Groove Strengths Automatic peer to peer replication – Internet-savvy Always available (workspaces automatically updated on each user’s laptop) Centralised backup Secure Rich toolset (file repository, discussion groups, simple project management, IM…) Great for ad-hoc and unstructured Weaknesses NO searching NO management reporting

Strengths

Automatic peer to peer replication – Internet-savvy

Always available (workspaces automatically updated on each user’s laptop)

Centralised backup

Secure

Rich toolset (file repository, discussion groups, simple project management, IM…)

Great for ad-hoc and unstructured

Weaknesses

NO searching

NO management reporting

We did some things right in implementation “ No Work Zone” non threatening introduction to the tool social discussion, family photos etc. It is compulsory (eg. you have to open Groove to teach ITIL Foundation Certificate) Gave individuals control: What information they can see Ability to create workspaces for ad-hoc sharing, projects etc.

“ No Work Zone”

non threatening introduction to the tool

social discussion, family photos etc.

It is compulsory (eg. you have to open Groove to teach ITIL Foundation Certificate)

Gave individuals control:

What information they can see

Ability to create workspaces for ad-hoc sharing, projects etc.

Lucid IT Knowledge Days Twice a year for two days Bring ALL employees together Balance of formal and informal sessions Social events Dinners, drinks and lots of fun Lots of story telling Defines in part who we are Capture information for later sharing Costs real money but we understand the value

Twice a year for two days

Bring ALL employees together

Balance of formal and informal sessions

Social events

Dinners, drinks and lots of fun

Lots of story telling

Defines in part who we are

Capture information for later sharing

Costs real money but we understand the value

… and then we grew some more More people, more locations, more diverse portfolio: Expansion in IT Governance, PPM, ITSM, IT Strategy… nobody knows it all Expansion into Asia and New Zealand ITIL V3 Showed up deficiencies in our tools and process Process ownership a “spare time” role Lots of IP but hard to extract the best bits Even finding the “expert” became hard Difficult to measure and reward the right behaviours Conflict between short term and long term Lesson: Time for some formalism – we needed level 3 maturity

More people, more locations, more diverse portfolio:

Expansion in IT Governance, PPM, ITSM, IT Strategy… nobody knows it all

Expansion into Asia and New Zealand

ITIL V3

Showed up deficiencies in our tools and process

Process ownership a “spare time” role

Lots of IP but hard to extract the best bits

Even finding the “expert” became hard

Difficult to measure and reward the right behaviours

Conflict between short term and long term

Lesson: Time for some formalism – we needed level 3 maturity

… so once again we have responded! Reinforced importance of KM to leadership and defined our vision and strategy Appointed Knowledge and Innovation Manager Established Communities of Practice Updated toolset and IP lifecycle processes Starting to integrate KM with other key processes Service Delivery Service Portfolio Management

Reinforced importance of KM to leadership and defined our vision and strategy

Appointed Knowledge and Innovation Manager

Established Communities of Practice

Updated toolset and IP lifecycle processes

Starting to integrate KM with other key processes

Service Delivery

Service Portfolio Management

Knowledge and Innovation Manager 50% job role >1% of our workforce Process owner for Knowledge Management process Process owner for Service Portfolio Management process

50% job role

>1% of our workforce

Process owner for Knowledge Management process

Process owner for Service Portfolio Management process

Communities of Practice Examples IT Service design, transition and operation IT Strategy and governance Project and programme management Each COP has a leader (a part time role)

Examples

IT Service design, transition and operation

IT Strategy and governance

Project and programme management

Each COP has a leader (a part time role)

The COP Leaders Genuine expert on the subject Focal point for management of IP “ The person you ask” Responsible for creating and maintaining knowledge Driving internal awareness, contributing to training Identifying gaps Explicitly measured, goaled and rewarded on KM performance

Genuine expert on the subject

Focal point for management of IP

“ The person you ask”

Responsible for creating and maintaining knowledge

Driving internal awareness, contributing to training

Identifying gaps

Explicitly measured, goaled and rewarded on KM performance

Updated toolset Implemented SharePoint to complement Groove Most useful for large amounts of fairly static IP Good searching and adequate document management Could replace Groove in future Using SharePoint workflows for document lifecycle Better reporting on IP creation and use

Implemented SharePoint to complement Groove

Most useful for large amounts of fairly static IP

Good searching and adequate document management

Could replace Groove in future

Using SharePoint workflows for document lifecycle

Better reporting on IP creation and use

What’s next? Extend KM to our customers and partners Disintermediate access to our knowledge where appropriate Use “Web 2.0” concepts (we already have a presence in LinkedIn, Facebook, SlideShare, Wikis, Second Life, Twitter, Skype and others) Integrate knowledge from our customers and partners Extend our Communities of Practice Get better at capturing implicit knowledge (webinars, video and audio capture etc.) More extensive use of metadata to build knowledge around our IP Better measurement of the process

Extend KM to our customers and partners

Disintermediate access to our knowledge where appropriate

Use “Web 2.0” concepts (we already have a presence in LinkedIn, Facebook, SlideShare, Wikis, Second Life, Twitter, Skype and others)

Integrate knowledge from our customers and partners

Extend our Communities of Practice

Get better at capturing implicit knowledge (webinars, video and audio capture etc.)

More extensive use of metadata to build knowledge around our IP

Better measurement of the process

Lessons KM always WIP 4Ps (not really a lesson) Management commitment (not really a lesson) Don’t be afraid to try things … some things that we have tried didn’t work Plenty of cheap or free tools out there, the trick is to find the ones that fit your organisation KM can make a critical difference to the organisation

KM always WIP

4Ps (not really a lesson)

Management commitment (not really a lesson)

Don’t be afraid to try things … some things that we have tried didn’t work

Plenty of cheap or free tools out there, the trick is to find the ones that fit your organisation

KM can make a critical difference to the organisation

Questions? [email_address]