Organizations desiring to implement or improve on their knowledge management processes must invest in people and process as well as technology. A common mistake organizations make is focusing on the tools more than the processes and people. That practice has consistently led to failure, as technology is an enabler of knowledge management, not a critical success factor.
Over the past twenty years, the Consortium for Service Innovation has evolved Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS) into a proven best practice that complements the ITIL® framework and a methodology that defines how to successfully implement knowledge management with service management. In 2003, responding to requests from its members for knowledge management best practices, HDI partnered with the Consortium to promote KCS in the technical service and support industry. This partnership resulted in the Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles course, which has continued to evolve, going through several updates over the past ten years.
Invest in Your People
One of the things I have learned from Consortium members who’ve successfully implemented KCS is that the investment in people is critical to the successful adoption and ongoing success of this type of initiative.
There are many stakeholders who require training before, during, and after a KCS implementation. Some of this training must be developed internally, based on the tools implemented and processes defined by the organization, while some training is best provided by third parties. But where do you start?
The following people or roles will require an investment in training:
- Professionals investigating knowledge management methodologies to adopt or enhance an existing implementation
- The KCS ADOPTION TEAM (i.e., program team) responsible for implementing KCS
- The KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPERS (i.e., support analysts) responsible for reactive knowledge management; that is, the capture, structure, reuse, and improvement of knowledge articles within the problem-solving process, including incident management and request management
- The KCS COACHES responsible for quality assurance and improving the skills of knowledge developers
- The MANAGERS or LEADERS who must support the KCS processes and the people involved in KCS
- The KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN EXPERTS responsible for analyzing knowledge reuse and gaps, participating in problem management activities, and developing proactive knowledge
About the Author
Rick Joslin is the executive director of certification & training for HDI. He is also a certified Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS) instructor and has guided organizations through the implementation of KCS. Rick has served as VP of Customer Care, VP of RightAnswers.com, and VP of Knowledge Engineering for ServiceWare. He is the author of the HDI Focus Book on Knowledge Management, the Knowledge Management Maturity Model, and the “Knowledge Management” chapter in the HDI Service and Support Handbook. Rick is a regular speaker at industry events, a member of the Consortium for Service Innovation, and an evangelist for KCS.
HDI Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles
ITIL Foundation