Knowledge Maps An Intellectual Infrastructure for KM Tom Reamy Knowledge Architect Intranet Consultant

Knowledge Maps An Intellectual Infrastructure for KM

Tom Reamy

Knowledge Architect

Intranet Consultant

Knowledge Maps

What is a knowledge map? The Foundation: Knowledge

Architecture Strategic Role of a Knowledge Map Creating, Applying, Growing a

Knowledge Map

What is a Knowledge Map?

Multiple & Dynamic Taxonomies– Content Repositories– People– Activities

Living, Breathing, Evolving– The human operators

Intellectual infrastructure


Content Repositories: Intranet Content & External Content Structured and unstructured Best Practices Database, Library of Stories

Key Features: Multiplicity of authors, size and types of documents Multiplicity of formats, uses. Design for dynamic fluxuating content


Personal Contexts Individuals – explicit and implicit

personalization Formal Communities Informal Communities Hidden and temporary Communities

Key Features: Tacit Knowledge, Expertise


Taxonomies of Tasks Information + rules about types of related

content Basic task: Find Information

Key Features: Least Developed Taxonomy Most Dynamic & Most Local Variation


The Human operators K Managers K Analysts K Engineers

What is a Knowledge Map?The Human Operators

Knowledge Managers Project Management+ Capture the knowledge generated in a

project Develop knowledge sharing practices Capture Best Practices Provide training and leadership on projects


Knowledge Analysts Research, catalog, categorize, search Corporate Librarians+ Work with SME’s to create a semantic

network of the enterprise Work with KM support technology,

especially search and categorization


Knowledge Engineers Collect, analyze, organize tacit knowledge Establish connections between individuals

to facilitate knowledge transfer Facilitate explicit knowledge transfer (K

Base) Provide input and feedback to Knowledge

analysts Train people to incorporate KM

What is a Knowledge Map?Format

Format of Knowledge Map It doesn’t matter – Any old thing will do. Database, intranet, shared files Excel Spreadsheets & macros Need Federated search and ability to

categorize all content Content Management

Knowledge Architecture:Foundation for a Knowledge Map

Knowledge Architecture is the foundation for a Knowledge map

Information Architecture is the foundation for Knowledge Architecture

Knowledge is Information + Contexts Intellectual, Personal, Practical Contexts Knowledge Architecture: Integration of

Multiple Contexts

Information Architecture

Organization Navigation Labeling Search

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web- Lou Rosenfield and Peter Morville


Organization - Taxonomy “Believe it or not, we’re all becoming

librarians.” Support categorization, casual browsing, and

directed searching Typical Schemas: Alphabetical,

chronological, location, hierarchical, hypertext

Controlled Vocabularies


Navigation - Browse Good Design provides context to enable

users to make smart choices Present the structure of the information

hierarchy Table of contents, Index, site map


Labeling systems Supports navigation Textual, iconic, index terms, link labels,

Headings Controlled Vocabularies & Thesauri


Search Not a substitute for poorly designed

browsing system. Support variety of search strategies -

known item, exploration Search and Browse Advanced Search?

Knowledge Architecture

Knowledge is information + contexts Context is what gives meaning and

depth to information Let me tell you a story.

Knowledge Architecture

Intellectual, Personal, Practical Contexts Integration of Contexts Knowledge network mapped to network

of actors mapped to a network of tasks.

Intellectual Context

Dynamic– Model a historical dimension– KA for Stories - temporal and experiential

Multi-dimensional– Information + precedent– Policy - topical + why its important

Rich Structure– Controlled Vocabularies, not just keywords– Hierarchical semantic net

Personal Context

Audience based categorization Smart and Dynamic Personalization

Adapt to user’s activities Tacit Knowledge Connecting People and People

People and Agents

Social Contexts

Personal Newspaper - useless– “To say it simply, newspapers should get out of

the information business and into the knowledge business….information that is embedded in some context, …has a purpose, …leads one to seek.

– Buidling a Bridge to the Eighteenth Century

Community Newspapers - Yes!

Communities

Variety of Activity Types– Communication and Collaboration

Variety of Interest Types– Stock Market, Java Programming, Scuba

Variety of Channels– Project / document collaboration– Discussion Groups, Real Time Video Conf.– Chat, Water Cooler Mtg’s, Email

Social Context

KA must support all those social activities

Model and support the communities Model, capture, and retrieve the tacit

and explicit knowledge expressed inside.

Model and match personal profiles

Practical Contexts

Find Information on Product X– What information is important depends on why

you want the information.

Contact a person who knows Y– Know when to contact them

Understand my educational options– Personal and historical filter of information

Integration of Contexts

Consistent Categorization Collaboration, Expertise Locators, Search

Rules for mapping categories Thesaurus

Rules for applying categories Relative weighting of filters

Strategic Role of Knowledge MapHistory of KM

Phase I – KM as technology - CIO “We are a technology company in the X

services industry.” Phase II – “It’s the culture, Stupid!” -

CKO. Phase III – “It’s the Knowledge, Stupid!”

– CKO + CKA

Strategic Role of Knowledge Map

3 Essential Infrastructures: Technology: $Millions and 1,000’s of

people Organizational: Recognized Value,

fundamental to enterprise Intellectual: a couple of librarians, no

budget, and first to be laid off.

Strategic Role of Knowledge Map

Establish legitimacy, value of the third infrastructure

Create the proper context for projects– Expertise locators, search, etc.– Overcome the Tyranny of the technologists

Align KM approach with business goals Codification and Personalization

Creating a Knowledge Map

Key Features Its an evergreen project Based on multiple Taxonomies Active field work with SME’s Soft Methods (Day in the Life) Hard Methods (Auto-categorization) Self-Referential Project


Content Repositories– Meta Data – Dublin Core +– Extensions: XML, RDF– Controlled Vocabularies

Browse Taxonomy– Early Application (Pay the Rent)– Build it to destroy itself– Categorization - Cyborg


Categorization of People, Communities Knowledge Engineers

– Knowledge Interviews Personal Contexts: Expertise, interests Communities: formal and informal Activities

Map to Content Repositories Expertise Locators


Historical Dimension Feedback into all aspects of the map Track how people are using the

applications built on the map– Search, Browse, Content Creation

Collaborative Filtering– Ranking the importance of elements of the

system

Applying a Knowledge Map

Infrastructure Application Consistent categorization across all KM

initiatives. Integration of birth/death cycle

– Content Creation: Innovation– Collaboration– Knowledge Retrieval– Distributed Content Management

Taxonomic Publishing, not Web site


Smart Technical Support E-Learning and Best Practices Expertise Locators Support formal and informal

communities Knowledge Retrieval


Information Retrieval: ProductName– List of Documents, ranked by frequency of

keyword– You will only look at the first three.– You will probably not find what you want.– Or it will take you a long time to find it.


Knowledge Retrieval: ProductName– List of Documents – about product– Categorized list:

Features of Product Comparisons of Products Legal / Policy documents Activities associated with product

– List of Experts and types of questions – Background Resources

Glossaries Communities


Knowledge Retrieval: ProductName Filters:

– Admin in retail tech support– Belong to a discussion group - resource– The last time you looked up ProductName, you

selected documents x, y, z– You don’t want legal information emphasized– You are not an expert on product – general

abastracts


Knowledge Retrieval: ProductName Filters:

– You have read documents a-c– You are having money problems– You are open to a bribe– You’re not doing anything Saturday night– You like red wine– It knows just the place!