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 ConsultingOrganizing Chaos:The key to success isfocusing on people, process,and technology, not one,but all three and how thethree integrate and worktogether to provide superiorcollaboration, businessprocess, and decisionmaking results for theorganization. © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 3

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© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 4

WHAT IS KNOWLEDGEMANAGEMENT? © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 5

Knowledge ManagementDefinition• 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 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 6

Explicit Knowledge (documented knowledge)• Business plans• Client lists• Letters• Project plans• Project Charters• Forms• Meeting minutes © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 7

Tacit Knowledge (knowledge in individuals’ heads)• Social networks• Previous experience• Learning from courses• Research © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 8

Knowledge Flow People to Knowledge Repository •Sharing, e.g. •Knowledge artefact Communities of creation, e.g. Practice, mentoring, documentation, expertise location lessons learnedPeople Communicating Collecting from Accessing OrganizingKnowledge •Learning, e.g. on- •SystematizingRepository the-job training, concepts, e.g. meta- lessons learned, peer data, taxonomies assists, searching Based on Nonaka and Takeuchi, “The Knowledge Creating Company,” p62 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 9

Knowledge Management FrameworkGovernance Purpose, Vision, Goals, Objectives Oversight Enabling Activities Policies and Procedures Change Management Lifecycle Processes Staffing Component ActivitiesMetadata and Taxonomies Technology Documented Document Handling Sharing and Supporting Innovation Knowledge • Document Assembly Collaboration • IT Knowledge • Idea Management • Portal/Intranet • Component Content • Lessons Learned Management • Business Intelligence • Document Management Management • Communities of Practice • Workflow Professional Development • E-mail Management • Records Management • Social Media • Search Version Control • Enterprise Content • Collaboration Management • Expertise Location Metrics and Measurement Privacy © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 10

Framework - Component Activities © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 11

Some Benefits of KM• Better organization• Better use of knowledge assets• Knowledge sharing• Improved learning © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 12

Approach PeopleTechnology Process © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 13

How to get started/focused?• What problem are you trying to solve?• What challenge are you trying to overcome? © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 14

Knowledge Management Roadmap Evolve Use •Change Mgmt Implement •Change Mgmt Design/ •Change Mgmt Develop/ Test Select •Processes technology •Change •Metrics Resolve: Mgmt •Change Analyze: •Policies Mgmt •Knowledge &Collect: •Human, process flows Social, and•Business •Metrics Intellectual Processes Capital Best •Strategic•Information Practices Goals Flows •Change •Governance•Organization Mgmt •Change Strategy and Mgmt Plan•IT Strategy and Plan•Change Mgmt © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 15

Now that you have contextSO, WHERE DO THE TECHNICALWRITERS ADD VALUE? © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 16

Knowledge Flow: documentation People to Knowledge Repository •Sharing, e.g. •Knowledge artefact Communities of creation, e.g. Practice, mentoring, documentation, expertise location lessons learnedPeople Communicating Collecting from Accessing OrganizingKnowledge •Learning, e.g. on- •SystematizingRepository the-job training, concepts, e.g. meta- lessons learned, peer data, taxonomies assists, searching Based on Nonaka and Takeuchi, “The Knowledge Creating Company,” p62 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 17

KM Framework: areas with significant documentation requirementsGovernance Purpose, Vision, Goals, Objectives Oversight Enabling Activities Policies and Procedures Change Management Lifecycle Processes Staffing Component ActivitiesMetadata and Taxonomies Technology Documented Document Handling Sharing and Supporting Innovation Knowledge • Document Assembly Collaboration • IT Knowledge • Idea Management • Portal/Intranet • Component Content • Lessons Learned Management • Business Intelligence • Document Management Management • Communities of Practice • Workflow Professional Development • E-mail Management • Records Management • Social Media • Search Version Control • Enterprise Content • Collaboration Management • Expertise Location Metrics and Measurement Privacy © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 18

Roles and Responsibilities: Knowledge Management ProgramKnowledge Management Champions•Advocate and promote the benefits of pursuingManagers•Support knowledge management policies*Governance Committee•Cross-functional team•Provide advice, best practice guidance and training on Knowledge Management*Knowledge Management Program Team•To promote the values of Knowledge Governance•To monitor, evaluate, evolve knowledge management practices*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 Manager•Helps to institutionalize Knowledge Management in the organization; they are team-based KM subject matter experts*Individual•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 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 20

Roles and Responsibilities: Documented Knowledge LifecycleApprovers 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 the accountable person within the organization who owns the KM Process and is responsible for its implementation,Process Owner 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 elsePublishers 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 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 21

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 © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 22

How to promote your value as a Technical Writer to a KM initiative• Promote the standardization, consistency, and usability of documentation• But what else… © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 23

Where do you see yourselves fitting within the KM Framework?Governance Purpose, Vision, Goals, Objectives Oversight Enabling Activities Policies and Procedures Change Management Lifecycle Processes Staffing Component ActivitiesMetadata and Taxonomies Technology Documented Document Handling Sharing and Supporting Innovation Knowledge • Document Assembly Collaboration • IT Knowledge • Idea Management • Portal/Intranet • Component Content • Lessons Learned Management • Business Intelligence • Document Management Management • Communities of Practice • Workflow Professional Development • E-mail Management • Records Management • Social Media • Search Version Control • Enterprise Content • Collaboration Management • Expertise Location Metrics and Measurement Privacy © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 24

Knowledge Workers Toronto• Two groups: – Methods: http://toronto.methods.knowledgeworkers.org – Technology: http://toronto.technology.knowledgeworkers.org © Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 27

Where do technical writers fit into knowledge management

by Stephanie Barnes

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