Download - Knowledge Management
Unstructured knowledge management techniques in the
project management of software development
Elaine [email protected]
Overview
• Types of knowledge• Knowledge management• Research purpose and findings• Trying something new
• Please ask questions at any time
KNOWLEDGE
Trial and error
Books
Demo
Immersion
Project management equivalents
• Judging contingency• Estimating timescales• Evaluating risk• Assigning priorities• Knowing who to go to• Influencing a team to do what is needed• Getting things done
So embedded that it’s invisible
10/09/08
The wisdom of Rumsfeld
There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know
What about the unknown knowns?
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
What is Knowledge Management?• The mistaken idea that what is in peoples heads (knowledge) is
fundamentally the same stuff as can be documented in words, pictures charts etc (information). ...www.information-alchemy.co.uk/glossary.htm
• A range of practices used by organisations to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knowledge management
• The process of systematically and actively managing and leveraging the stores of knowledge in an organisation is called knowledge management. It is the process of transforming information and intellectual assets into enduring value.www.unisa.edu.au/pas/qap/planning/glossary.asp
• Discipline within an organisation that ensures that the intellectual capabilities of an organisation are shared, maintained and institutionalised.www.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/knowledgebase/itservices/a-z/k.html
Purpose of the research
• What are the perceived benefits of knowledge management?
• What techniques do project managers use to capture knowledge?
• Where are these techniques are lacking?• What could be used at a project level to
improve on existing techniques?
Benefits and techniques
Benefits1. Improved consistency of information - everyone is
referring to the same versions and documents2. Reduced need to reinvent the wheel for every project3. Improved speed of issues resolution by making
existing solutions to past problems available4. Training for new starters - provides a consistent set of
information and experience for them to tap into5. Shared workload - no single person is the sole keeper
of knowledge6. When you are aware that something similar has been
done before, knowledge management makes it easy to find the information you need
What we use
1. Common storage area / intranet for project documents
2. Defect list for technical bugs3. Ongoing issues list throughout a project4. Lessons learned written up and placed in
shared location at end of project5. Post project reviews6. Progress reports shared with wide audience
What’s missing?
What’s missing?• Capturing knowledge that will help provide more accurate
estimates in future• Emails and documents can be hard to keep track of if they
are being contributed to by many people.• Capturing the solution to specific technical issues that have
had to be overcome• Capturing subjective opinions - discussions on how
something should have been done or how successful a particular approach was
• Capturing relationship information - who is helpful and who is not constructive
• Keeping information general enough to be applied in other scenarios without being too vague.
What could be better?Techniques we use Gaps we identified
TRYING SOMETHING NEW
What’s changed?
• Move away from massive semantic databases• No need for organisational buy-in• Accessible, affordable, low-overhead software• Piggyback on existing technology using a KM
angle on it (blogging, wikis)• Project work increasing – short-term set-ups
What has not changed
• We like to believe our problem is unique• If it wasn’t invented here, it can’t be right• If I don’t know you, why should I trust you?
Some suggestions
• Programming patterns• Storytelling• Blogging, discussion groups and collaboration
software• Semi-structured interviews• Rich personal interaction
Programming patterns• “During a retrospective, the project team can
identify likely patterns [...] A critical moment can be a decision, a turning point, or an action that overcame an obstacle or made a difference in some other way. ”Rising & Derby (2003)
• General approach – allows adaptation to encourage adoption
• Memorable name – helps to spread the pattern• Share info about the problems encountered on
projects
Storytelling
• The act of listening puts the listener into a problem solving frame of mind.
• Primed to look for connections and solutions to the problem presented to them.
• Extrapolate from the specific scenario described in the story to try to gauge how it might be relevant to them.
Blogging, discussion groups and collaboration software
• Particularly useful in sharing knowledge in cross-cultural environments.
• Improved personal interactions and builds trust
• Draws on experiences from wider range of people
• Allows minority views to be recorded
Semi-structured interviews
• Motivate individuals to share information by conducting interviews ... Get them to describe events, provide examples and a narrative.
• Found that interviewees had difficulty in understanding how much they really knew.
• The process of questioning them with a view to extracting examples was found to help individuals to share their tacit knowledge.
Rich personal interaction
• Direct personal interaction is most effective• Frequent interaction is required, not just close
physical proximity• Informal interaction is more effective than formal
networks• Benefits– Builds trust– Increases innovation– Improves information redundancy
How to help
• Provide– Opportunities to discuss experiences, informal
and formal– A way of capturing and sharing people’s stories– Key lessons learned as general patterns to be
applied to all projects– A place to capture dissenting opinions and capture
discussion
Questions?• Programming patterns• Storytelling• Blogging, discussion
groups and collaboration software
• Semi-structured interviews
• Rich personal interaction
• We like to believe our problem is unique
• If it wasn’t invented here, it can’t be right
• If I don’t know you, why should I trust you?