Chapter 12 Knowledge Management

SAIC's KM Methodology

Implementing an Effective KM Solution

Based on a methodology pioneered in British Petroleum, SAIC's approach to capturing and reusing knowledge has been refined through successful application in many FORTUNE 500® companies and government organizations over the last several years. SAIC focuses on delivering performance improvement where a business or operational imperative exists and where knowledge can make a difference to the desired performance outcome. Our approach distinguishes itself from other approaches in the following ways:

• You and SAIC design, develop, and implement the KM solution as one team enabling you to understand in depth what is done and how to do it so that you can sustain and maintain the investment you have made, creating internal ownership for the outcomes.
• You and SAIC devote an equal amount of attention to
  1. delivering specific, tangible, business or operationally driven performance improvements and
  2. embedding core KM practices and skills in the people impacted by the new practices.
• You and SAIC ensure the approach meets your people and teams "where they are" in terms of culture, process and technology.
• You and SAIC integrate the SAIC Learning and Performing Processes model, a common, set of people-facing, forward-looking, core KM practices which are easily understood, supported, and performed on the job, resulting in an embedded, sustainable way of working.
• You and SAIC leverage existing investments in your technology base while deploying only when necessary, new, scalable enabling processes and technologies at minimum risk within controlled pilot environments.

A proven pilot project approach is followed. Opportunities are assessed and prioritized against a set of proven criteria. A specific business or operational improvement is then targeted for delivery by applying the following phased approach:

• Phase 0 - Identify and Select Pilot Projects
• Phase 1 - Customize Pilot Process and Create Stakeholder Alignment
• Phase 2 - Capture Key Learnings and Good Practices
• Phase 3 - Establish and Leverage Communities of Practice
• Phase 4 - Adapt and Apply Best Practices in Pilot Operations
• Phase 5 - Train and Coach Internal KM Practitioners
• Phase 6 - Monitor, Review and Optimize Pilot Learning and Impact

Phase 0 - Identify and Select Pilot Projects

The focus of this phase is to create awareness of the possibilities of KM-based performance improvement among business or operational leaders and stakeholders, identify potential pilots, and then assess and select a pilot for delivery. You will use a set of standard KM project selection criteria customized for your context and used to rank pilots based on their potential knowledge-based business or operational benefits, leadership advocacy, transferability of learning and results, and overall project feasibility.

Phase 1 - Customize Pilot Process and Create Stakeholder Alignment

The focus of this phase is to engage key pilot project stakeholders, including the relevant leadership team, staff and other contributors to customize the KM methodology to fit the specific business improvement needs of the pilot. Necessary buy-in is created and a plan is developed and agreed to that fits both the operational tempo and needs of the participants.

Phase 2 - Capture Key Learnings and Good Practices

The focus of this phase is to elicit and capture your operational know-how to fill the knowledge gaps needed to meet the pilot performance improvement targets. The majority of knowledge generation and capture will be performed using Learning and Performing activities comprising on-the-job team learning processes before, during, and after major activities and supplemented when relevant through a series of individual interviews:

• "Learning before doing" is supported through the Peer Assist process which targets specific challenge, imports knowledge from people outside the team, identifies possible approaches and new lines of inquiry, and promotes sharing of learning with each other through a facilitated meeting.
• A U.S. Army technique called Action Reviews aims to get people to "learn while doing" by answering four questions immediately afterwards:
  1. What was supposed to happen?
  2. What actually happened?
  3. Why are they different? and
  4. What can we learn to do about it today?
• At the end of the project a process called a Retrospect encourages team members to look back at the project to discover what went well and why, with a view to helping a different team repeat their success and avoid any pitfalls-"learning after doing".
• In parallel with these learning sessions, KM support staff will perform Interviews to elicit additional know-how from key knowledge sources within, and sometimes outside, the work activities.

As part of the project team, you will capture, distill, and codify the key learnings, experience and good practices from these facilitated sessions and interviews, and package them in the form of a re-usable Knowledge Asset. This Knowledge Asset will be highly accessible and visible to others on your organization's intranet.

Phase 3 - Establish and Leverage Communities of Practice

The focus of this phase is to engage and enable relevant practitioners inside and outside your local pilot business or operational target areas to share and transfer know-how and good practices to your work teams involved in the pilot. At least one Community of Practice (CoP) will be established for subject area practitioners contributing knowledge to the pilot.

In the course of capturing this knowledge, you and SAIC will facilitate the development of a Community of Practice (CoP), a cross-organizational group of people who share common skills and practices in the business or operational processes being applied in the pilot. The initial members of this community will be the practitioners interviewed in the learning processes mentioned above, along with others applying this knowledge on the job in the pilot. You will learn the skills necessary to coach and support this Community to take on the responsibility to keep the Knowledge Asset current to help ensure the transferability of their collective know-how throughout the organization.

Phase 4 - Adapt and Apply Best Practices in Pilot Operations

The focus of this phase is to enable and ensure the know-how gained from your pilot work teams, CoP interactions, and other sources are applied on the job to improve existing processes and deliver the agreed to performance targets.

Relevant good practices and lessons learned will often be found in other practice areas. Those involved in the pilot will be coached and encouraged to take immediate advantage of this know-how and experience from outside their team and adapt and apply it to their work activities.

Phase 5 - Train and Coach Internal KM Practitioners

The focus of this phase is to transfer and embed KM competencies and techniques in your co-delivery team members participating in the delivery of the pilot effort. The lead responsibility for delivery of KM practices is purposefully shifted from the SAIC KM consultant to your team members over the duration of the pilot.

Phase 6 - Monitor, Review and Optimize Pilot Learning and Impact

The focus of this phase is to manage efficient tracking and completion of the pilot deliverables. Our results will be documented in a report and presentation that includes a review of the benefits achieved versus planned, KM strategy recommendations for broader implementation based on KM pilot learnings and practices.

Throughout the pilot process, local KM support staff participating in the delivery of the pilot will be trained and coached in the KM practices and skills used by the KM consultants. Using a phased approach combining modular training courses for each KM practice and skill-set and on-the-job coaching, the lead responsibility and delivery of KM practices is purposefully shifted from the KM consultants to local KM staff over the duration of each pilot.

A Steering Team comprised of the lead KM consultant, the local KM support team leader and the business leader for the pilot area (and business leaders of other KM pilots underway) will be established to help guide and steer the pilot effort. Critical issues and cross-pilot learning will be summarized for the Steering Team to facilitate their guidance and any decision-making required at their level.

The knowledge management experience gained from the pilot(s) will be captured in the form of another Knowledge Asset, and local KM staff will be encouraged to continuously update and maintain the organizations collective knowledge in KM. This knowledge will be used as input to support the organizations development of a broader KM strategy for post-pilot consideration and implementation.

At the conclusion of the project, performance will be assessed against the initial objectives and targets in the performance agreement. The KM pilot delivery team may also identify steps to extend the learning process into follow-on projects, ongoing activities, and other parts of the organization. This assessment will become part of a final pilot project report to the Steering Team.

The following diagram illustrates how the SAIC Learning and Performing Model delivers the performance goals of a specific operational or business team.

 

 

 

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