Knowledge Management Strategy - dpac.tas.gov.au · PDF fileabout 150 to about 450. ... we have kept in mind the main elements of successful KM ... 5037-2005) knowledge management „continuum‟

Department of Economic Development and Tourism

Knowledge

Management Strategy

2009


The Knowledge Management Strategy is a managed document. Changes will only be issued as a

complete replacement document. This document is authorised for release once all signatures

have been obtained.


Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1

our goal

our drivers

our approach

1. our knowledge framework...................................................................................................................... 3

talking about knowledge: definitions

understanding knowledge: characteristics and principles

managing knowledge: processes and assets

2. our knowledge environment .................................................................................................................. 7

how we explored

what we found

knowledge „enablers‟ in the agency

3. our knowledge initiatives ...................................................................................................................... 15

PEOPLE

PROCESS

CONTENT

TECHNOLOGY

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Introduction

In 2007, the Agency Executive Committee (AEC) of the then Department of Economic

Development identified a need to improve client service and the knowledge-sharing culture

across the organisation.

There was recognition that the client service provided was sometimes inconsistent, and that

this was in part caused by silos, knowledge hoarding, and a lack of sharing of information

across units and divisions.

The AEC recommended the development of a knowledge management (KM) strategy and

program to address the issues.

In 2008, Tourism Tasmania joined the department, increasing the number of employees by

about 150 to about 450. The integration of Tourism Tasmania and the Department of

Economic Development has provided additional challenges. These cluster around the need to

bring together Tourism Tasmania and Economic Development‟s processes, understandings,

knowledge and systems so that the organisations can move forward together.

our goal

An organisation that understands the value of knowledge and encourages its sharing by

providing easy access to knowledge; empowering its people in problem solving, improvement

and innovation; and sharing knowledge across all levels

our drivers

A number one driver for a knowledge management program is alignment with

organisational strategies and business drivers. The drivers for this strategy are:

Corporate Plan 2007-2010

Objective 6 Deliver outstanding client service and high-quality information and advice

Key focus area 6.1 Develop a comprehensive knowledge management strategy

Balanced Scorecard 2008-2009

Objective 9 Effective and sustainable systems, procedures and processes

Key focus area 9.1 Enhance our knowledge management capability

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our approach

Knowledge management has been described as

‘anything an organisation can do to create an environment in which

employees are seduced to deal intelligently with their own knowledge

and the knowledge of others in order to achieve their individual and

collective actions’1 .

In this strategy we identify a wide range of „things‟ - or initiatives - designed to facilitate the

intelligent and collaborative use of knowledge so that we as an agency can provide

outstanding client service based on high-quality and leading edge information and advice.

In many cases, the process of developing a km strategy is more important than any individual

knowledge artefact - thing - it might create. We hope that the process of developing the

strategy has and will continue to help us at DEDT learn about the value of our knowledge.

As with many other management initiatives, a lot of consultation is usually required before a

KM program is implemented. This is because knowledge management deals with issues of

cultural change and individuals‟ willingness to share and collaborate. The agency consulted

widely in developing the strategy, and commits to continuing to do so in implementing and

maintaining it.

In developing the strategy, we have kept in mind the main elements of successful KM

programs, which are:

clear focus on organisational strategies and relevant business drivers

effective enablers focussed on the empowerment of employees

effective change management sponsored by top management

effective management of the KM program.

In the following sections, the strategy provides:

1. a knowledge framework including definitions and understandings

2. an description of the knowledge environment that surrounds us

3. a set of practical initiatives to take us forward.

1 CIBIT consultants/educators Rob van der Spek, Josef Hofer-Alfeis and Jan Kingma The Knowledge Strategy Process in Handbook on Knowledge Management Clyde W Holsapple, School of Management, University of Kentucky Feb 2002

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1. our knowledge framework

The knowledge framework captures understandings around knowledge and its management –

in an intentional approach to developing the way we think about knowledge in DEDT.

These understandings will evolve over time. People tend to absorb new ideas incrementally,

with each new idea building upon those that came before. It is hoped that the

implementation of the initiatives contained in this strategy will result in growth in agency

understandings and improvements to the knowledge environment. These will feed back into

new initiatives. As the understandings evolve, so will the strategy.

Leadership is highly significant in determining the success or otherwise of a knowledge

strategy. Senior management commits to acting in accordance with the principles and

understandings and to implementing the initiatives so that we and our clients can reap the

benefits.

It can be difficult to communicate the ideas contained in a knowledge framework without

embarking on practical knowledge initiatives – most people learn best when working on

concrete issues. Therefore the development of the knowledge framework is occurring

simultaneously with the development and implementation of some of the initiatives.

Here we outline some understandings around knowledge. The section provides definitions,

insights into some of the characteristics of knowledge, principles to provide a guide to action,

and basic understandings around knowledge processes and „assets‟. It seeks to establish

common ground on which to develop, refine and implement our knowledge strategy.

1a) talking about knowledge: definitions

A fundamental understanding is the difference between data, information and knowledge, and

their respective management tools.

Data: bits of information and sets of facts, for example statistics or records in

a database, which can be digitised. It has no contextual meaning, for example,

“10 degrees”. Data is just the tip of the knowledge iceberg.

Technology management: is involved with the planning, implementing and

operation of an organisation‟s hardware, software and associated computing

equipment on which data is stored and transferred.

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Information: data that has been processed to make it more useful. It has

structure and meaning. For example, “it‟s 10 degrees outside... Information

can be digitised, like data. Data and information are sometimes categorised

together. They make up the visible component of the knowledge iceberg.

Information management: concerned with information systems,

telecommunications and documents that represent and deliver

information across an organisation.

Knowledge: derived from information but richer and more

meaningful. People develop knowledge from information through

comparison, categorising, making connections, contextualising

and calculating. For example, “often in Hobart when it is 10

degrees, there‟s a freezing wind blowing down from the

mountain. I think I should stay in bed today”. It is the know-how

and expert judgment that can be used to solve puzzles.

Knowledge management: focuses on leveraging the expertise of

people and the transfer of knowledge throughout the

organisation. Knowledge management encourages the creation,

sharing, learning, enhancing, organising and utilisation of

knowledge to benefit the organisation and its clients.

1b) understanding knowledge: characteristics and principles

To start consciously working with knowledge in an organisation, we need to understand

some of its inherent characteristics and develop some principles about its value to us.

„Knowledge‟ has the following characteristics:

It is found in people

At the core, knowledge is a social process - people together make knowledge happen

You can „capture‟ data and information; but not knowledge

The best way to transfer knowledge is people to people

Knowledge can only be volunteered, never conscripted

Trust is an essential pre-requisite for effective knowledge sharing

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Knowledge accumulates over time, but can be lost through constant change

Knowledge is „sticky‟: it does not flow easily across organisational boundaries

We know more than we can tell; and those „untold‟ (or tacit) aspects of knowledge can

be the most valuable

Knowledge management involves a change in behaviours and organisational culture

Knowledge principles provide us with a guide to action. Some of these will become key

agency communication messages.

Skills are required to do the job. Knowledge is required to meet the future.

Our knowledge is one of our most valuable assets – it sets us apart as an agency.

It is important to share knowledge with our colleagues to deliver professional excellence

to our clients.

Who else needs to know? Think outside the project. Take responsibility.

Don‟t reinvent the wheel. It is important to learn before, during and after our projects.

Learning is not copying.

Knowledge environments are improved through gradual improvement. Think big, start

small, build incrementally.

Knowledge keeps changing - there is no final solution.

1c) managing knowledge: processes and assets

Some say that you can only begin to manage knowledge when you understand that it is

essentially unmanageable... Notwithstanding that, knowledge can be enhanced, facilitated and

built upon - which is our aim. To do this we need to understand some of the common

processes that knowledge uses and some of the most important knowledge assets.

knowledge ‘processes’

There are four key knowledge „processes’ – learning, finding, using and sharing knowledge.

Through our km initiatives (in section 3), and in our day-to-day work, we want to enhance

each of these processes in all areas of the agency, as outlined below.

1. Learning

In DEDT we aim to establish a culture of learning – this will involve initiatives such as

„lessons learned‟, after-action reviews and project reviews.

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2. Finding

We aim to make accessing the knowledge we have in the agency as easy as possible –

this will involve harnessing experience, building expertise and improving information-

capturing and accessing capabilities.

3. Using

We aim to allow the best possible use of knowledge in the agency by empowering

people in problem solving, decision making, business improvement and innovation.

4. Sharing

We aim to encourage and facilitate the sharing of knowledge through communities and

networks, activities, shared information repositories and collaborative technologies.

knowledge ‘assets’

There are several types of knowledge „asset‟ (thing or quality of value) in an organisation.

They include artefacts, skills, heuristics (know-how), experience and talent – more detail is

provided below. All of these assets are present to varying degrees in the agency. Our km

initiatives aim to build on what we have.

Artefacts: Documents, databases, processes

Skills: Measurable, competencies, skill registers

Heuristics: Often implicit (or „tacit‟) knowledge, stuff people „just know‟, „ways of

knowing‟ or finding out things in the agency, rules of thumb

Experience: Collective or individual - a difficult asset to manage

Natural talent: People can be naturally proficient in particular activities. Practically

unmanageable – we need to identify talent, nurture and provide

opportunities where we can.

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2. our knowledge environment

Moving on from the conceptually-based knowledge framework, in a slightly more practical

sense, we work on a day-to-day basis within a „knowledge environment‟.

The knowledge environment is the work environment around us in which we learn, find, use

and share knowledge; and where the organisation uses its knowledge assets in the pursuit of

business outcomes. There may be multiple knowledge environments in an organisation. This

section provides an overview of our knowledge environment/s in DEDT.

2a) how we explored

In developing this strategy, our knowledge environment/s were explored by:

1. DED business unit presentations on knowledge management (March-August 2008)

2. DEDT knowledge mapping processes (June-September 2008)

3. self-assessment tools: (i) Knowledge Management Capability Maturity Model completed by

the KM reference group and (ii) the Australian Standard for Knowledge Management (AS

5037-2005) knowledge management „continuum‟ completed by the KM steering

committee

4. DED Pulse Check and Hewitt surveys 2005- 2008

2b) what we found

1. Feedback from business unit presentations indicated that:

Economic Development employees rely heavily on personal skills, networks and

relationships to get their work done

working in a good team and knowing who to ask for help is important

there is much less reliance on process, procedure and systems

people are concerned when knowledge „walks out the door‟

re-inventing the wheel happens too often

people are frustrated by a lack of rules and procedure

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2. The knowledge mapping exercises indicated that:

many business units interact with external clients – often the same ones

the main exchanges between business units (and between units and clients) are

„tangible‟ exchanges such as advice and information, reports and formal communication

however these are followed by „intangible‟ exchanges such as experience, expertise

and knowledge; trust, goodwill, influence and commitment; responsiveness,

transparency, understanding and flexibility; and informal communication

this reflects the value of relationships to people in the agency - although „networks‟

does not appear in the top ten (possibly due to survey methodology), transfers of

intangibles like trust and responsiveness are more likely in an environment of high-

quality relationships

most business units interact more with other units within their division - this may

indicate the existence of information / communication / knowledge silos

some units have significantly more exchanges than others, and some are „light on‟.

Possible reasons were physical location, differing reporting arrangements and different

jurisdictions of work. In some cases, reasons were not easy to identify

support service exchanges tend to be reactive rather than proactive.

3. The self assessment tools showed the following:

I. The knowledge management reference group used a tool that assessed five

knowledge-management related behaviours: KM strategy, leadership, networking,

learning, and capturing knowledge. They rated these from 1-5, with level 1 being the

base level. According to the Reference Group, DEDT is at:

level 2-3 for „strategy‟: „sharing know-how is important to organisational

success‟, and „people are using some tools to help with learning and sharing‟

around level 2 for „leadership behaviours‟: „knowledge is power‟ at some levels,

and while „some leaders talk the talk, they don‟t always walk the walk‟

around 3-4 for „networking‟: „people network to get results‟ and „networks are

organised around business need‟

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variable levels for „learning‟: „sharing is for the benefit of the team‟, people are

„conscious of the need to learn from what they do but rarely get the time‟, they

„routinely find out who knows and talk with them‟

around 1-2 for „capturing knowledge‟: if lessons are captured, „they are rarely

refreshed, few contribute and fewer search‟ but on the up side, „teams look for

knowledge before starting a project‟.

II. The Steering Committee used a tool that focussed on knowledge-related behaviours

in four areas: people, process, technology and content (these are the AS 5037/2005

categories and are used later for our initiatives). They are rated as „standalone‟,

„connected‟, „networked‟ or „adaptive‟. „Standalone‟ is the base level. According to the

steering committee:

„people‟ in the agency tend to be connected and moving towards networked,

however „standalone‟ behaviours happen regularly

„process‟ in the agency is very patchy

„content‟ is connected, moving towards networked - but „standalone‟

behaviours happen

„technology‟ is connected, moving towards networked.

4. Surveys indicated that:

I. According to Pulse Check2, perceptions of communication from the AEC improved

through the years 2005-2007 but deteriorated slightly in 2008. Communication from

Senior Management followed the same pattern. Perceptions of management of

change also improved through 2005–2007 and reduced in 2008. Opportunities for

career and personal development improved through 2005-2008. Cooperation with

other business units and teams improved through 2005-2008.

In 2007, the knowledge-related areas people would have most liked to see improved

were:

i. cooperation between units and divisions (22 comments)

ii. communication (17 comments)

iii. career pathways (14 comments)

2 Pulse Check Surveys 2005-2008

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iv. technology – particularly Lucid (8 comments)

v. other responses included more scope for new ideas, strategic planning that

engages, explicit across-the-board policies and streamlining of processes.

In 2008, the knowledge-related areas that people would have most liked to see

improve were:

i. communication (17 comments)

ii. training and career development (15 comments)

iii. removal of silos – sharing knowledge (13 comments)

iv. recruitment and selection (8 comments)

v. also a very strong response across many areas of reward and recognition

initiatives

II. According to the Hewitt Surveys3, in 2007 eighty-one percent of respondents

supported the agency‟s goals and objectives (knowledge-related initiatives should be

aligned with these). Sixty-two percent thought that senior leadership was

trustworthy (a pre-requisite for the sharing of knowledge). Fifty-six percent thought

they had the tools and resources required to allow them to be as productive as

possible. Forty-six percent thought that senior management treats employees as the

organisation‟s most valued assets (knowledge is what people know). Thirty-one

percent thought that senior leadership removes barriers to create an effective cross-

department team. Worryingly, only twenty-six percent thought that their future

opportunities in the agency „look good‟ (a lot of knowledge could walk out the door).

Thirty-one percent thought that Human Resources provides programs and processes

that make internal job movements easy (this is one way to gain, build on and share

knowledge across the agency).

In 2008, seventy-one percent of respondents supported the agency‟s goals and

objectives (down 10%). Forty-eight percent thought senior management was worthy

of their trust (down 14%). Sixty-two percent had the tools and resources required

for them to be as productive as possible (up 3%). Sixty-five percent thought that

senior managers treat people as the organisation‟s most valuable asset (up 19%).

Thirty-four percent thought that senior managers remove barriers to create effective

cross-department teams (up 3%). Forty-one percent thought their future career

3 Hewitt Surveys 2007 and 2008

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prospects looked good (up 15%). New questions in 2008 indicated that seventy-two

percent of respondents thought that learning and development opportunities are

available at the organisation to help build valuable skills, forty-five percent thought

that the agency provides the support they need to develop ideas that will help make

it more successful, but only twenty-seven percent thought that the agency is retaining

the people it wants to keep.

2c) knowledge ‘enablers’ in the agency

Enablers determine the effectiveness of an organisation‟s knowledge environment. They

facilitate knowledge management. Enablers include:

technologies such as software, helpdesk tools, document management, knowledge bases

and other IT support systems. Also Internet technologies such as e-learning, web

conferencing, collaborative software, email lists, wikis and blogs

organisational practices such as leadership, coaching, mentoring, peer assists, action

reviews, incentives, sanctions and communities / networks of practice

people (attitudes and abilities) and culture

organisational structure, workplace design, roles and responsibilities

information taxonomies and information content

budget

enablers can also include intangibles like trust and reputation

In this section we examine each of these in turn.

Technologies

In DEDT, standard technology is provided for staff to do their work and communicate. The

agency has begun to implement software such as Office Communicator System (OCS)

providing instant messaging, voicemail on PC etc - which allows further development of

communication channels - and is further advanced in the use of Microsoft SharePoint (Eddie)

to provide Intranet functionality and collaborative electronic workspaces. The uptake of the

OCS is limited within the agency. Full adoption by senior executives would encourage the

agency to become better connected with more extensive networks, as well as positioning it

to be federated with other agencies who are also implementing the technology. IT Services is

providing training and awareness sessions in its use and will seek to raise its profile through

planned account-management functions with business unit leaders in the future.

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In addition, IT supports the standard set of file share, printing, web, and infrastructure for

various corporate systems, and is looking to develop Eddie as a portal to corporate

information including linkages to client relationship and records management applications.

In 2007, the DED client relationship management system (Lucid) rated highly on areas people

would like to see improved4. This was reiterated in 2008 in business unit presentations and

KM strategy consultations. There was also a strong desire expressed for an integrated grants

management system.

Organisational practices

(Including leadership, coaching, mentoring, peer assists, action reviews, incentives, sanctions

and motivation and communities of practice)

In 2007, „leadership‟ in Economic Development (DED) received an average agreement score5

of 74. In 2008, leadership training was implemented, with all management participating. In

2008, „leadership‟ received a score of 736. The leadership training continues into 2009.

With regard to „learning‟, employees tend to be conscious of the need to learn from what

they do, but find it hard to get the time. There seems to be a high incidence of „reinventing

the wheel‟ and there is concern that knowledge walks out the door when people leave.

In 2007, there was a level of concern in DED with regard to job selection processes and a

view that there was little incentive to remain in the agency7. There was also a need

expressed for better succession-planning. Good news in 2008 was that 41% of respondents

thought their career opportunities „looked good‟, up from 26% in 2007.

While communities of practice have existed in the past, none were in existence in mid 2008.

There was little evidence of initiatives such as peer assists, action reviews or mentoring being

formally implemented.

Overall, leadership has improved since 2005. However, there is still room for improvement

around coaching, mentoring, action reviews, incentives and communities. This might help the

agency retain the people it needs – only 27% of respondents to the Hewitt Survey 2008

believed that the agency does that.

4 Pulse Check 2007

5 Pulse Check 2007. Not a percentage, but an ‘average agreement score’ across five options.

6 Pulse Check 2008

7 Pulse Check and Hewitt Surveys 2007

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People - attitudes and abilities - and culture

Economic Development employees tend to rely on personal skills, networks and teams to

get their work done, and there is a strong exchange of intangibles like trust, goodwill,

influence and commitment, which should provide a good basis for many knowledge-sharing

initiatives.

Importantly, levels of trust in the AEC increased through 2005-2007, deteriorating slightly to

an average agreement score of 70 in 20088. Trust in Senior Management also improved

through 2005-2007, remaining the same at 74 in 2008.

People‟s perceptions around opportunities for career and personal development in DED

improved throughout 2005-2008. Perceptions of management of change improved through

2005–2007 but reduced in 2008.

A significant amount of work has been undertaken over the past few years to build the

culture in what was the Department of Economic Development. Overall, employee

satisfaction increased through 2005-2007, and remained the same at an average agreement

score of 77 in 20089. This should provide a reasonable basis for knowledge management

initiatives.

Organisational structure, workplace design, roles and responsibilities

In the knowledge-mapping processes evidence emerged of potential silo-ing of knowledge in

the agency, and some business units displayed low levels of interaction with other units and

divisions. In 2007 and 2008, one of the areas DED employees would have liked to see

improved (along with communication) was cooperation between units and divisions10.

Against this background though, cooperation with other business units and teams did

improve from a low average agreement score of 59 in 2006 to 76 in 200811.

There seems to be low reliance on organisational process, procedure and systems in

Economic Development – possibly due to a lack of recorded and enforced procedures and

policies. There is also a level of frustration with a perceived lack of guidance and consistency.

There is a strong level of agreement at all levels that „process‟ - and therefore the ability to

capture knowledge across the agency - is very patchy. It seems that a significant amount of

work could be done in this area.

8 Pulse Check 2007 and 2008

9 ibid

10 ibid

11 ibid

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There was some thought that the design of the organisation may no longer reflect its

strategic directions.

Information taxonomies and content

Along with the concern that the structure of the agency may no longer reflect its strategic

focus, it is possible that the data currently collected may no longer be the most relevant.

We may need to focus more on information governance across DEDT – i.e. what we know,

what we don‟t know and what we need to know. This would include identifying trends and

the corresponding data that the agency should be collecting – in accordance with the

agency‟s strategic priorities.

There is a strong desire for clear and consistent rules around information and document

management and storage - particularly for electronic documents – for example, agency share

drives (s:drive), SharePoint (Eddie), records database (TRIM) and/or client management

system (Lucid). Rules around the use of and integration of these systems would allow „a

single version of the truth‟ to be available to operational and strategic decision makers.

Knowledge Management Budget

At the time of writing, no ongoing budget has been allocated to the knowledge management

project other than to support the project director and part-time project manager. In terms

of project initiatives, approximately $30,000 had been allocated and spent on the knowledge

mapping process.

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3. our knowledge initiatives

This section provides some steps to the future. The initiatives are designed to grow our

knowledge assets and enhance our knowledge environment. They have two target objectives.

They must:

1. provide immediate business value and/or

2. develop capability that enhances the knowledge environment

The initiatives are sorted into the four main categories of knowledge management, in

accordance with AS 5037/2005. This allows a quick view of the overall „balance‟ of initiatives:

organisational culture (people)

organisational practices (process)

knowledge resources (content)

collaborative technology (technology)

In the following sections, the initiatives are further broken down into:

„short term‟ (already in process or can be implemented relatively quickly and easily)

„medium term‟ (can be implemented in the near future)

„longer term‟ (may take a while to commence, may be a longer-term initiative, and may be

more costly)

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PEOPLE

Short term

1. Establish and support knowledge, issue and client-focused communities of practice

2. Communicate on the knowledge management project, what knowledge management

is and how it will benefit the agency and staff in their work

3. Conduct foundation integration sessions for Tourism Tasmania staff on DEDT

records, help desk, business information centre and knowledge management

Medium term

4. Trial desk swapping in the knowledge management business unit with possible out-

placements

5. Implement education sessions on the value of knowledge for senior and middle

managers – along the lines of hypothetical „knowledge markets‟

6. Establish a „lessons learnt‟ (or de-briefing) process for staff after implementing

projects or new job tasks

7. Implement high-quality succession planning to capture the „knowledge boat‟ before it

leaves (e.g. explicit succession planning, „apprenticeships‟ or „shadowing‟ – to facilitate

a gradual and incremental transfer of knowledge)

8. Facilitate sharing of tacit knowledge between Tourism Executive and Agency

Executive Committee

9. Improve cross-divisional information-sharing sessions

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Longer term

10. Ensure ongoing knowledge management by establishing a knowledge manager role

11. Identify and nurture existing knowledge „hubs‟ (people who know where to direct

people to gain information and knowledge), „experts‟ (for hidden and under-capitalised

knowledge) and „champions‟ or „entrepreneurs‟ in the agency

12. Investigate and facilitate job-swapping and work experience across business units

13. Coach people in:

what knowledge management is and how it will benefit them in their work

best-practice knowledge-management processes

what information systems and data stores are held by the department, where to

find them and how to use them

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PROCESS

Short term

1. Establish standard project management guidelines and protocols and a centralised

project management site on Eddie

2. Progress an initial automation of a grant application workflow – using the Enterprise

Growth Program as a basis but ensuring a fit for the agency consistent with the

recommendations of the grants review

3. Raise awareness of media release access points, eg email distribution list and clippings

service

Medium term

4. Develop an Internal Communications Strategy with linkages to the Knowledge

Management Strategy

5. Review alignment of knowledge management business units

6. Improve exit interviews to capture feedback about how the agency is doing and why

the person may be leaving

7. Identify and promote best-practice processes e.g. grants administration review,

project management guidelines

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8. Implement mechanisms whereby the Tasmanian Development and Tourism Boards

provide information to staff on issues the boards may be dealing with issues they may

be dealing with

9. Investigate a client-management model for the agency including standardised language

(eg „external client‟, „internal client‟ and „supplier‟) - prior to reviewing client

relationship management systems

10. Establish „handover processes‟ for when people leave – for example overview of

filing, „to-dos‟, contact lists, „must knows‟ – not to be confused with an attempt to

„capture‟ knowledge – by this stage the knowledge boat has sailed

Longer term

11. Review the relationship between organisational structure, corporate strategy and

knowledge management best practice

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CONTENT

Short term

1. Improve information about staff roles and responsibilities on Eddie and improve the

search functionality related to people

2. Make monthly business unit activity statements to the AEC and the Tasmanian

Development Board accessible (and readable) to staff

Medium term

3. Improve the layout and structure of the information stored on Eddie (ongoing)

4. Establish best-practice protocols for managing and storing electronic documents

5. Develop a comprehensive information management strategy

6. Develop an agency-wide web strategy

7. Encourage staff to use „my site‟ on Eddie to enter not just the skills they use at work

but also other useful skills they may have

Longer term

8. Undertake a strategic review of data and information held by the agency in terms of

how well it fits with corporate strategy

9. Establish and make key „master data‟ – for example, clients, staff, products, services,

grants, loans and demographic information – accessible from the one place.

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TECHNOLOGY

Short term

1. Provide agency-wide access to business unit pages on Eddie (Open the Blinds project)

2. Make REDI maps interactive: map geo-code information into a mapping system -

investigate the usefulness of State Infrastructure Planning System (SIPS) developed by

the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources

Medium term

3. Review information technology architecture

4. Assess and progress integration of Intranet (Eddie), Outlook, Lucid, Empower, TRIM,

Finance 1, Onyx and the Office Communicator System (OCS)

Longer term

5. Review client relationship management systems

6. Assess and progress a fully automated grants management system