Suntec, a Kerala-based software company, faces challenges related to knowledge management due to rapid growth and changes in technology. The Knowledge Management & Competency Development team implements various initiatives like e-learning portals, knowledge sharing sessions, and a rewards program to foster a learning culture. Key lessons emphasize starting small, effective communication, aligning programs with organizational goals, and the importance of user experience.

1. Knowledge Management @ SunTec
Jack Eapen C
Knowledge Management and Competency Development Team
SunTec Business Solutions
August 2014

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Agenda
• About SunTec
• Our challenges
• Our initiatives
• Lessons Learned

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About SunTec
• Kerala-based software product development
company
• Leading provider of revenue management and
business assurance solutions to financial services
and digital and communications services
industries
• Clients include world’s leading banks

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Our Challenges
• Knowledge-based organization
– Need domain knowledge
– Need product knowledge
– Need technical knowledge
• Rapid growth
• Rapid changes in business and technology

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Knowledge Path for a SunTecian

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“In the end, learning faster than our competitors is the only
sustainable competitive advantage”
-Arie de Geus – Shell
KM Thoughts

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Knowledge Management & Competency
Development Team
Actively involved in
• Conducting internal training programs
• Conducting client/partner training programs
• Facilitate knowledge sharing sessions
• Create self learning contents
Our Mandate:
To grow and maintain SunTec as a learning organization, where
knowledge is identified, transformed and shared in a seamless way
Our Moto:
Delivering knowledge at your finger tips

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Our Guiding Principle
“If Hewlett Packard knew what Hewlett Packard knows,
we would be three times more profitable.”
-Lew Platt, CEO of HP

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Our Initiatives- SunGuru
• e- learning portal powered by Moodle
• Hosts self learning videos
• Structured learning environment

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I would rather entertain and hope that people learned
something, than educate people and hope they were
entertained
-Walt Disney
KM Thoughts

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Our Initiatives- SunWiki
• Wikipedia-like knowledge sharing portal
• Hosts knowledge bites shared by user community
• Uses semantic web technologies (Semantic MediaWiki) to harness
knowledge from content

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“Too often, people think of knowledge management as a noun. They’re
mistaken: KM is a verb, a way of getting work done. You can’t get it done
without a lot of nouns, such as “people,” “processes,” “procedures” or
“products.”
–Jeff Angus, KM Magazine
KM Thoughts

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Our Initiatives- Learning Credits
• A reward program for promoting learning and knowledge sharing
culture
• Every learning, knowledge creation and sharing activity is
recognized with points
• Linked to the employee KRA and performance appraisal system

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Our approach to KM is far more than stick or carrot. We say,
"Knowledge Sharing is your job. Do it! As a reward you may
keep your job”
-Bob Buckman
KM Thoughts

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Our Initiatives- Knowledge Sharing Sessions
• Occasion for experts to share their knowledge
• Occasion for learners to hear from the experts
• Can be within a small team or organization-wide
• Special purpose sessions
– Product Watch
– Project Watch
– Solution Club
– Tuesdays with Technology
• Knowledge shared is captured in structured documents, or video
recorded for future reference

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Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely
interested in helping one another develop new capacities for
action; it is about creating learning processes
- Peter Senge
KM Thoughts

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Our Initiatives- Knowledge Olympiad
• Organization-wide competition to identify and promote innovations
• Many innovations hidden within small teams came into limelight
• Rich knowledge externalized and documented

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Imagination is
more important
than knowledge
KM Thoughts

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Overall Lessons Learned
• Think big, but start small
• Effective communication
• Support of senior management is essential, but buy-in from middle and
lower levels is crucial
• Align KM programs with organization goals
• Technology is important, but the user experience is more important
• Challenges for a global organization
• Importance of evaluation
• Always collect feedback, and reinvent yourself

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“You can’t manage knowledge – nobody can. What you can do is to manage the
environment in which knowledge can be created, discovered, captured, shared,
distilled, validated, transferred, adopted, adapted and applied.”
Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell,
Learning to Fly: Practical Knowledge Management from Leading and Learning Organizations
KM Thoughts

21. Thank You
Connect at jackec@suntecgroup.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jackeapen
http://www.jackeapen.com