Implementation of a global

Knowledge Management system at

IRSN ‒ Some insights

Third International Conference on NKM, IAEA,

7-11, November, 2016

Jean Couturier, IRSN

▌ French TSO (Technical Safety Organization) in nuclear safety and

radiological protection – Technical support of the french nuclear

safety authorities – Independant since 2002

▌ 1 750 persons, mainly on two sites (Fontenay-aux-Roses,

Cadarache)

▌ Two types of activities: expertise ( 50%), research ( 50%, alone

or in european/international collaborations)

▌ Many domains: nuclear safety of power reactors, research

reactors, sodium fast reactors, of installations of the fuel cycle, of

waste and storage, human radioprotection and medical treatment,

environmental radioprotection, emergency preparedness and

intervention, security issues…

▌ A long history: a considerable amount of expertises and research

gathered during about 45 years

The IRSN

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 1/10

▌ Many interactions:

The IRSN

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 2/10

IRSN

French government (five supervising Ministries)

French nuclear safety authorities (civil installations and activities, national

defense installations and activities)

French nuclear operators (EDF,

CEA, AREVA…)

Research organizations (CEA,

EDF, CNRS, french Universities, KIT,

JAEA…)TSOs, Regulatory bodies,

European or international

organizations (U.S.NRC, GRS,

JNES…, WENRA, ETSON, IAEA…)

Civil society (in Local Commission of

Information…)

▌ Needs for a sustenability of the control of the safety and the

radioprotection regarding nuclear risks

▌ Enhance nuclear safety, taking benefit from diverse sources of

knowledge and know-how:

operating experience (TMI, Tchernobyl, Fukushima…, Le

Blayais flooding in 1999 and others…)

research, studies (severe accidents research, seismic

hazards research, probabilistic safety assessments…)

analysis and expertises (safety concepts or approaches,

technical positions)

▌ Renewal of generations occurring since the first construction

and operation of nuclear power plants… (1970s)

The reasons for implementing a KM system

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 3/10

The four main objectives of the KM system

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 4/10

‘Strategic analysis of critical

knowledge’ – K-PLAN tool

Actions aiming at rationalize

databases, implementation of

powerful research engines

…

Capitalization (reference

documents, e-books…)

Internal transfer: Internal

University

External transfer: ENSTTI

Scientific watch, specific

process aiming at update e-

books, …

▌ 2012-2014:

internal consultations on KM needs (in Management seminars),

review of KM actions in some other organizations (EDF, AREVA,

ANDRA…)

KM Director function created at the top management level

(1/01/2012),

KM budget line created for human and financial resources in the

differents units,

first implementation of KM tools in order to identifying some

critical knowledge, capitalize experts…

Steps

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 5/10

▌ 2014-2018:

KM needs formally registered in the « Contrat d’Objectifs et de

Performances » (COP), with objectives and indicators, binding

IRSN to its five supervising Ministries: both a constraint and an

internal lever…

in particular, each domain of the IRSN activities have to

be analysed in terms of critical knowledge before the end

of 2018

Implementation or specific development (with a consultant) of

KM tools of diverse nature

Steps

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 6/10

Strategic analysis of critical knowledge: K-PLAN tool (consultant:

Knowledge Improvment Project – KIP)

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 7/10

for

each

dom

ain

Aligning step

Action Plan (priorized)

▌ Flooding hazards: State of the art – 2013

▌ Severe accidents in power reactors: State of the

knowledge – 2013

▌ Security and non-proliferation elements – 2015/16

▌ State of the research in the domain of the safety of PWRs –

end of 2016

Some reference books (on the IRSN website – in French and in English)

…

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 8/10

▌ Capitalization of ‘critical’ experts, identified by the strategic

analysis

▌ Method MASK, based on interviews,

providing access to knowledge (explicit,

tacit) through six ‘approaches’

Knowledge codification in e-books (only for internal use)

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 9/10

Two slides of the e-books ‘Phenomenology, prevention and mitigation of severe accidents’

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN 10/10

The IRSN intranet Knowledge Portal

Reference books

(on IRSN website)Internal

University

Reference

documents for

the expertiseExpert list (with

some publications)

Operational

ExperienceE-books

Knowledge data

bases

News

…

…

…

…

The Knowledge

Management

General policy

Approaches and methods

Strategic analysis of

critical knowledge

Financial resources

KM resources

(conferences…)

Collaborative platform

(workspace only for

strategic analysis and e-

books in progress, and for

KM coordinators)

access to the IRSN

expertises or R&D

documents with a powerful

search engine

access to the Internal

University courses

(slides)

access to analysis of

operational experience of

nuclear installations and

activities

strategic maps, maps of

capabilities, action

plans…

Implementation of a global KM system at IRSN

Reference

documents for

the expertises E-books

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION