In practice, staff directory details will be drawn from a number of different systems and sources. This will generally require the integration of a number of existing systems, as well …

Knowledge management has been around for some time, and while it hasn't gone away, it has yet to really prosper. There is no question that there are very real issues to be solved in organisations, and that these issues are getting only larger. As a whole, however, the KM community (and industry) is fairly stagnant. The fundamental problem is that we haven't really convinced organisations that we (as KM consultants) should get paid to help them solve their problems. Why is this? My take on this is that we haven't bridged the gap of understanding that stands between our concepts

The second CM Briefing for April has been written by Iain Barker, and it introduces paired interviews. To quote: A paired interview is a method of collecting information from several people at the same time who represent the target audience. The paired interview is not two interviews being conducted simultaneously. The emphasis of the paired interview is to create a dynamic in which the participants interact with each other. In so doing, they validate or clearly identify differences in working practices and terminology.

The first CM Briefing for April has been written by Donna Maurer, and it asks: why are intranets structured like the organisational chart? To quote: Many intranets are structured around the organisational chart. It is well known that this method of grouping content is difficult for staff

My KM Column article for this month explores the topic of CMS interoperability. To quote: While the goal of interoperability between content management systems (CMS) is an important one, it is limited by the lack of standards relating to content management. At present, there are a range of narrowly-focused specifications in the marketplace, but these address only specific aspects of system interoperability. A number of initiatives are under way to address CMS interoperability, but these are in their formative stages, and it is expected that at least several years will be required before widely-accepted CMS standards are developed.

What's the Big Idea?Thomas H. Davenport, Laurence Prusak The concept of this book is a fascinating one. Rather than just looking at a single "great idea", it explores the "marketplace of great ideas", investigating what makes a good idea, how to select these ideas, and how best to put them into practice. In an age when gurus are all too commonplace, this is a topic of considerable interest. The book promises to cover a number of important topics, including: distinguishing promising ideas from rhetoric refining ideas to suite an organisation's particular needs packaging and selling the idea internally ensuring successful

I've been involved in a number of interesting projects recently, so I'm going to make more of an effort to blog a little about these. One recent engagement was with a Federal Government agency, to help them determine a KM strategy. They had been discussing KM internally for some time, and while these conversations were very interesting there was no progress being made towards working out a concrete approach. To attempt to kick-start things, I was brought in to run a half-day facilitated session with the KM working group. The goal: determine the start of a concrete and practical KM

The second CM Briefing for March looks at how to create an upwards spiral for your intranet. To quote: Many intranets are trapped in a 'downwards spiral': process and resources issues lead to poor-quality content, which reduces trust, which leads to more problems, and so on. If intranets (and intranet teams) are to succeed, this must be turned around to become an 'upwards spiral', where each success (no matter how small) leads onto further improvements. This briefing explores the nature of the problem, and outlines some approaches to reshaping the intranet into something that grows and prospers.

The first of my CM Briefings for March looks at the three levels of information management that exist within organisations. To quote: When developing an information management strategy within an organisation, it is useful to consider information needs on three levels: corporate team, division, business unit, etc individual The needs of each of these three levels must be met if a coordinated and effective solution is to be maintained in the long-term.

My KM Column article for March explores online staff directories, presenting the results of a survey conducted last year, along with the key findings from additional research. The list of key findings: Include more than just phone numbers Provide an effective quick search Deliver a dynamic organisational chart Provide self-service capability Usability test the staff directory Ensure the staff directory can be printed Include all staff Provide extensive cross-linking