Knowledge Management System - Report Example

Knowledge Management System Student Name Tutor Course Institution Date Knowledge Management System Introduction The design of knowledge management systems plays an essential role in enhancing the efficiency of a company. The design process should capture all the requirements of the company in order to streamline the operations (Maier, 2011). Before the design is carried out, it is important for a company to involve experts so as to fully determine the requirements of the system. The company should also involve the employees who should also be trained on the concepts of knowledge management systems. This is because the implementation of the knowledge management system will change the normal working of employees. New concepts are usually introduced when the knowledge management system is put in place. All the components should also be identified during the design periods so as to enable the process to be carried out effectively. It is also important to note that the knowledge management system should bring the people together as it is aimed at increasing the efficiency within the organization. It is thus important to ensure that everyone understands the process and its importance. It is for this reason that the design should not be complicated. Complicated designs may also prove to be difficult to work with incase of problems arising in the system (Dalkir, 2013). The aims and objectives of the organization is an important consideration during the design of the knowledge management system. The components should thus be able to support the entire design in order for the system to be accurate. The paper thus discusses the design of a knowledge management system in relation to Wheatman Company. Discussion The knowledge management system is for the purposes of dealing with a particular area of concern to an organization. The knowledge management system has the capacity of improving the operations of an organization in a particular sector or department. Wheatman Company is no different from the other companies when it comes to the aims and objectives of the organization. The company intends to enhance the capacity of service delivery by initiating a knowledge management system in the management of data. The data within the company plays an important role in the operations and the day to day activities. The design of a knowledge management system within the organization also enhances the business processes and hence solving the problems facing the organization. On the other hand, the design of an efficient system is also dependant on the budgetary allocation. This is because some of the components may be too expensive to purchase and hence burdening the organization. It is thus important for the designer to consider the financial implications during the design. It is however important to ensure that the outcome of the deign is not poor due to the budgetary constrains. This is because the stem is aimed at improving the operations of the organization. The design of the system should be carried out by experts in order to ensure that it works efficiently. However, the expert should work alongside the staff of the company so as to ensure that they understand its operations. The strengths and weaknesses of the design should also be determined for the purposes of future improvements (Hislop, 2013). The design of the knowledge management system should also be conclusive. This is usually achieved by capturing all the aspects of the particular problem facing the organization. It is thus important to consult widely wit the managers, supervisors and employees in the particular sector. The loss of data within the organization can happen as a result of many factors and hence the need for an efficient system designs. The system design should also be done procedurally so as to avoid taking too much time on the design (Lyles, 2011). This can be achieved by developing a timetable of events that will guide the design process. On the other hand, it is important to ensure that the operations of the company are not interrupted during the design. However, some changes are usually expected during the implementation period and may end up affecting the operation of the company during the initial stages. However, it is always important to train the employees in advance or during the design period so as to avoid employee resistance. It is always common for the employees to develop resistance whenever a new concept is introduced in the company. It is also important to note that different groups of employees always have different expectations with regards to the knowledge management system. It is for this reason that the architect should consider the needs of the employees. It is also important to ensue that the right infrastructure is put in place so as to enable the development of an efficient system (Klein, 2011). Design of a knowledge management system for the company Components The components form the basic step of the system design. This is because it identifies all the requirements for the operations of the design. The components involve the technological as well as the non technical group if function that will lead to the success of the design. The first strategy in the design of the knowledge management system for the company is the strategy. This component plays an important role in terms of establishing the problem which is data management. The strategy also ensures that the intended design is in line with the goals and objectives of the company. This is achieved through the development of proper policies with regard to the design process. The developed policy should also be in line with that of the organization. The risks, governance as well as the organizational culture are also taken care of through the strategy (Swan, 2009). During the design process, the actors also form components of the design. The owner of the company has to be identified as the owners have the ability to do away with the system or make changes at any time. The people holding the knowledge have to be identified. This mainly involves the people who have the access to the data storage and manipulation within the company. This means that the managers as well as the information technology staff in the human resource department have to be involved during the design. The clients should also be considered as actors since the data is usually required when serving them (Yang, 2010). The infrastructure forms the most important component of the knowledge management system for the company. This is because the management of the data will require it for the purpose of enabling the system to function. Facilities will thus be required for the purposes of handling the entire infrastructure. Equipment will be required for the purposes of holding the data as well as ensuring that it is processed. This means that the company has to purchase several data equipment like the hard disks that handles the data. The equipment will also solve the issue of where the information and knowledge has to be stored in order to effectively address the problem of data management. In order to ensure that the data is effectively managed, instruments will be required for the purposes of capturing and sharing the knowledge (Wiig, 2012). These instruments include directories and taxonomies. Software is also an important infrastructure that is required during the process. However it is important to note that only the knowledge management software that supports the management of data will be required. Hardware will also be required as they play an important role in the storage and manipulation of the data. The computer hardware must be available since data processing within the company is dependant on the use of the computer. Networks also have to be availed during the implementation and should thus be included in the design. This means that internet connectivity has to be put in place in order to facilitate the operations of the system (Chen, 2009). Functionality is also a component that plays an important role in the success of the knowledge management system. This is because the system will be required to support knowledge intensive process when handling the data. A logic or concept will be required for the purposes of functionality. This means that rules have to be established in order for the system to perform the required functions. Transformation of the data will also be required and hence its importance during the design process. The transformation is for the purposes of ensuring that the required output is obtained. It is also important to consider the issues of integration. This is because the knowledge management system for the data management will have to work with other systems within the organization. The methods of integration with the other system should therefore be established during the design process. The response of the client should be sensed by the system and hence the importance of tailoring. The design also has to outline the requirements that the administration has to fulfill in order for the system to function effectively. This means that a reporting procedure is required during the operations and should be put in place during the design period. The procedures of controlling the activities should also be put in place for the purposes of ensuring that the system can be controlled easily by the administrators (Ajmal, 2010). This is also for the purposes of controlling the contents. This is because the contents are important in the management of data which is a major problem facing the company. The delivery of the system should also be featured in the design. This is because the system has to ensure that the required operations are achieved. The mode of operations should be established in order to ensure the facilitation of interaction between the user and the system (Ruggles, 2012). The system should also be personalized in order to suit the relevant personnel in the company. It is also important to ensure that the access is controlled so as to prevent the misuse of the knowledge and data. The content is also an important component that will enable the system to function properly. Security measures should be developed during the design so as to enable the protection of classified information. This is important as the system will mainly be dealing with the management of data. Mechanisms of version control should also be developed during the design period so as to ensure that the system can be updated. This is because the requirements in terms of knowledge management always experiences changes from time to time. Mechanisms for continuous improvement should also be put in place so as to determine the effectiveness of the system in terms of meeting the demands of the company. The reviews should also be carried out on a regular basis so as to determine the efficiency of the system. Improvements should be made incase the system does not perform adequately (Sage, 2011). System engineering and development The engineering process is the most complicated and it depends on the components available for the system to be put in place. The creation of a flexible document classification was the first step in the development of the system. This was for the purposes of enabling the users to search easily for the required data. This is achieved through the utilization of the equipment which was an important component. The integration of the knowledge sharing legacy is also important and it was part of the design. The integration process was important in order to enable the system to work with the other systems in different departments. However, during this process, it is important to ensure that the different departments are involved. This is because each of the department of the company has to migrate to the system so as to enable knowledge management with respect to the management of data. Enabled relational databases of the company are for the purposes of enhancing the process of integration. In order for the search experience of the data to be enhanced, workflow management services were also incorporated in the design. This is because the workflow provides an important platform for the knowledge management process. The addition of documents types together with their metadata was also done in order to enhance the system in terms of knowledge management. The metadata that was associated with the data was also involved in the process in order to ensure that all the data can be managed by the system (Durant-Law, 2006). The migration of the documents to the knowledge management system was an important step as it ensued that the documents could easily search. The internet which ids an important component played an important role during the configuration process. The configuration of the search engine was for the purposes of ensuring that the documents stored in the repository of the system could be accessed. The configuration was also for the purposes of ensuring that the migration of the departmental files was done. The migration of the departmental files was for the purposes of ensuring that all the data could be managed. In order to enhance the experience of the users, the searches were also constrained to certain domains. This included the different departments within the organization. This means that the users could narrow the search to a specific department only. The customization of technology during the process was enabled due to the availability of the required components. The strategy was used for the purposes of ensuring that the equipment are used to the advantage of the users. The management of the data within the organization was also for the benefits of the clients of the company. It is for this reason that the information from the clients was also used. In order to ensure that the customers are satisfied, a feedback mechanism was also developed in order to obtain information fro the customers. It is always important to ensure that the process is all inclusive and hence the importance of the actors who are also a major component (Langton, 2006). The security of the data is an important aspect as some of the data are classified. Unauthorized access may result to negative impacts for the company. To solve the issue of data security, group security was established in order to manage the data for each of the departments. It was also recommended that each of the department should identify one of its staffs to manage the security issue. However, the system was also configured to request for passwords when dealing with sensitive information. The concepts of personalization were also utilized during the process so as to enhance the efficiency of the system when dealing with individuals. Sensitive data from the legal as well as accounting departments were however removed from the corporate wide search. This was mainly for the purposes of ensuring that the data cannot be accessed completely by the unauthorized personnel. Import functionality was also utilized in the process for the purposes of solving some challenges. The main challenge during the process is usually important information from the hard drives to the knowledge management system. Other complications during the process also include the hardware complications. This complication may easily result to the loss of sensitive data during the process. Visualization during the design process was for the purposes of enabling the easy interaction among the users of the system. The visualization process also links information to the social networks where it can be analyzed by other users. This encourages contribution from the members and hence enhancing the capacity of the data. To improve data handling, the knowledge management has to work independently (Maier, 2007). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the knowledge management system is for the purposes of improving the operations of the company. However, it requires a lot of components for it to be successful. Each component has a different role in relation to the design. It is also important to note that the process of designing knowledge management system requires the services of experts. The system should be able to solve the problems facing an organization and hence improving its prospects and relationship with the customers. It is also important to note that the employees require training regarding the concepts so as to ensure that they work comfortably with the system. It is also evident that the design process has financial implications. However, it is important to note that the benefits of knowledge management system outweigh the financial implications. The availability of all the components plays an important role in the design as each of the components plays a unique role. It is also evident that the problems of data management can be solved through knowledge management systems. References Hislop, D, 2013, Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction, Oxford Universtity Press. Dalkir, K, 2013, Knowledge management in theory and practice, Routledge, London. Lyles, M, 2011, Handbook of organizational learning and knowledge management, Wiley Press. Klein, D, 2011, The strategic management of intellectual capital, Routledge. Maier, R, 2011, Knowledge management systems, McMillan Publishers, New York. Swan, J, 2009, Managing knowledge, work and innovation, Palgrave Macmillan. Yang, B, 2010, Linking organizational strategy, culture and organizational effectiveness: Mediating role of knowledge management, Journal of Business research. Wiig, K, 2012, People focused knowledge management, Routledge, London. Chen, J, 2009, Strategic human resource practices and innovative performance- The mediating role of knowledge management capacity, Journal of business research. Ajmal, M, 2010, Critical factors of knowledge management in project business, Journal of knowledge management. Sage, A, 2011, Handbook of systems engineering and management, Wiley. Ruggles, R, 2012, Knowledge management tools, Routledge. Durant-Law, G, 2006, The Essential Components of a Knowledge Management System, Knowledge Matters. Langton, N, 2006, Organizational Behaviour, Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Prentice Hall. Maier, R, 2007, Knowledge Management Systems: Information And Communication Technologies for Knowledge Management, 3rd edition, Berlin: Springer. Read More