This presentation was delivered to the Toronto chapter of the Society for Technical Communication on May 16, 2012.

1. Where do Technical Writers Fit into
Knowledge Management?
Society for Technical Communication, Toronto
May 16, 2012
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012

2. Agenda
• Introduction
• What is Knowledge Management
• Where do Technical Writers fit in to KM?
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 2

3. Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting
Organizing Chaos:
The key to success is
focusing on people, process,
and technology, not one,
but all three and how the
three integrate and work
together to provide superior
collaboration, business
process, and decision
making results for the
organization.
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 3

4. 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

5. WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT?
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 5

6. Knowledge Management
Definition
• 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

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

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

9. Knowledge Flow
People to Knowledge Repository
•Sharing, e.g. •Knowledge artefact
Communities of creation, e.g.
Practice, mentoring, documentation,
expertise location lessons learned
People
Communicating Collecting
from
Accessing Organizing
Knowledge
•Learning, e.g. on- •Systematizing
Repository 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

10. Knowledge Management Framework
Governance
Purpose, Vision, Goals,
Objectives
Oversight
Enabling Activities
Policies and Procedures
Change Management
Lifecycle Processes
Staffing Component Activities
Metadata 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

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

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

13. Approach
People
Technology Process
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 13

14. 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

15. 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

16. Now that you have context
SO, WHERE DO THE TECHNICAL
WRITERS ADD VALUE?
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 16

17. Knowledge Flow: documentation
People to Knowledge Repository
•Sharing, e.g. •Knowledge artefact
Communities of creation, e.g.
Practice, mentoring, documentation,
expertise location lessons learned
People
Communicating Collecting
from
Accessing Organizing
Knowledge
•Learning, e.g. on- •Systematizing
Repository 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

18. KM Framework: areas with significant
documentation requirements
Governance
Purpose, Vision, Goals,
Objectives
Oversight
Enabling Activities
Policies and Procedures
Change Management
Lifecycle Processes
Staffing Component Activities
Metadata 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

19. Documented Knowledge Lifecycle
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 19

20. Roles and Responsibilities:
Knowledge Management Program
Knowledge Management Champions
•Advocate and promote the benefits of pursuing
Managers
•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

21. Roles and Responsibilities:
Documented Knowledge Lifecycle
Approvers 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 else
Publishers 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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 Activities
Metadata 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

25. QUESTIONS
© Missing Puzzle Piece Consulting, 2012 25

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