Collaborative Intranets A Sometimes Uneasy Marriage of People

Collaborative Intranets: A (Sometimes Uneasy) Marriage of People and Technology Fredda N. Lerner October 31, 2001

Enterprise Knowledge = Social Capital + Intellectual Capital Components of Social Capital Knowledge Nexus Components of Intellectual Capital

Knowledge Management • Enterprise Knowledge Management (KM) is a collaborative, integrated strategy to create, capture, organize, access, use and reuse enterprise knowledge assets The Intranet provides access and enables use of enterprise knowledge

Agenda • • • Content Managing content Process Managing change The Collaborative Intranet Case study

Enterprise Content Corporate Culture Enterprise Content Tacit 80% Knowledge 100% Explicit 20% Knowledge • Who knows how (expertise and skills) • Acquired through practice and experience • Complex to capture • Qualitative Structured Data 20% • Databases • Spreadsheets • Who knows what • Formalized and specialized • Available for capture • Quantitative Unstructured Data 80% • Documents, images • Audio, video, multimedia • e. Mail

Using Content • KM implementation affects the tacit versus explicit, i. e. , 80: 20, ratio – More tacit knowledge becomes explicit • • Accessible Applicable Usable Reusable • As more tacit knowledge is captured – Enterprise knowledge base and content grow – Tacit versus explicit ratio shifts, i. e. , 80: 20 20: 80

Agenda 4 Content • Managing content • Process • Managing change • The Collaborative Intranet • Case study

Intranet Content Lifecycle Content Management Records Management Corporate controlled Gestation and Authoring Publish and Distribute Content Activity Author controlled Active Usage Time Inactive Archive Usage Destroy Record

Content and an Intranet • Static content, e. g. , documents, records, images • Dynamic content, e. g. , interactive forms • Web pages, modules, and page elements such as text, graphics, controls, multimedia, advertisements, and scripts • Applications, middle-tier components, database procedures, and other programming logic • Database information that directly supports the creation of dynamic Web pages or enables the customer to execute business transactions • Downloadable files of all types

Intranet Content Management • • Design Authoring Review Approval Conversion Storage Testing Staging • Deployment • Maintenance and updates • Retirement and archival • Reporting and analysis • Automated workflow and audit THE GOOD NEWS: Anyone can be a content provider THE BAD NEWS: Anyone can be a content provider

Generic CM Application Functionality Library Services â Library services â Check-in and check-out â Version control â Search and retrieval â Foldering â Security â Indexing Content Development Content Interchange â Product suite â Object middleware â File-format conversion â Neutral interchange formats â Language translators â Workflow management â Navigation â Mark-up tools â Intelligent objects â Messagebased project management

Benefits of Content Management • Provides control • Intranet information is timely, correct, and accessible • Increased responsiveness to the end user • Single point of contact for content management and change management • Minimize retention of out-of-date content • Decrease the business process time • Organize and share information

Agenda 4 Content 4 Managing content • Process • Managing change • The Collaborative Intranet • Case study

Process • Business rules govern all business processes – – Who does what When does it happen What transpires What documents change • Processes naturally evolve over time – Usually manual and paper-driven – Can have as many work-arounds as participants • Automated processes are known as workflows

The Three “Rs” of Workflow • Rules determine which items take which routes at each decision point, and what needs to be done to them in the transformation process. • Roles define what each worker’s specific function(s) in the process of delivering the organization’s goods and services. • Routes are the paths the workitems take in being transformed from inputs to outputs.

Wf. M Features • Wf. M system features include: – ability to set rules and policies governing flow and fulfillment of work tasks – ability to audit, monitor workloads and reallocate resources accordingly – the capability to revise the flow of work after identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks • Workflow Management (Wf. M) enables organizations to define and manage work processes in terms of participants, inputs and outputs, and to route work tasks, and the information required to perform them, automatically throughout the organization. – Workflow can route any type of information, including images, electronic documents, video, email, etc. , coded or uncoded data. • A Wf. M system can manage workflows ranging from small groups through the entire enterprise. • A Wf. M system effectively binds and digitizes enterprise business processes.

Agenda 4 Content 4 Managing content 4 Process • Managing change • The Collaborative Intranet • Case study

Change Management • Change management is the process of helping an organization to operate successfully in a new environment, by optimizing-– The understanding that the workforce has of the new environment – The ability of the workforce to operate effectively in the new environment – The willingness of the workforce to accept and adapt to the new environment

Change Management • Provides traceability • Manages content change as it is published on the Intranet – As close to real time as possible • Business rules based • Auditable • Current and timely content only – Legacy content either deleted or archived (records management) • Incorporates automated workflow management

Change and Culture • Organizational culture varies from rigid to flexible – Larger and older organizations tend to be more rigid • Rigid cultures are slower to change – Individuals within rigid cultures can be much more receptive to change and therefore can serve as catalysts (and champions) for change

Cultural Evolution • Knowledge hoarding – – Little or knowledge base Paper-based Older business models Little automated workflow, usually by e-mail – Client/server applications – Vertical organizational models • Knowledge sharing – – – Large knowledge base Web-based applications Intranet Automated workflows Integrated e-document management systems – Newer business models – Communities

Resistance to Change • Organizations resist change for several reasons – Large-scale change programs require changes in behavior – Change programs often require people to think in new ways (e. g. , learn new skills or tools) – Change will not be sustainable without the support and active participation of those being asked to change • There are numerous issues at play in new system implementation – Changed service offering – Loss of perceived “control” of the source – Changed organizations, processes, reporting relationships, and responsibilities – Displaced IT workers

Incorporating Change • Human nature tends to resist change – Users may (unknowingly) construct their own “barriers” • To integrate and adopt a new system and/or process into the corporate culture, identify and motivate using WIIFM (What’s in it for me? ) • Motivate/reward for knowledge sharing

Change and Technology • Business drives technology – New business opportunities drive new technologies – Intranet content can reflect the enterprise evolution • Embracing change is key for adoption of new technology – Resistance to change is the single biggest deterrent to adoption of technology, a digital knowledge base, and a “living” intranet

Agenda 4 Content 4 Managing content 4 Process 4 Managing change • The Collaborative Intranet • Case Study

Intranet Evolution • The collaborative Intranet is the evolving enterprise operating environment • It has progressed from a static repository where vertical entities post general information to an interactive hub of collaboration, standardization, knowledgesharing, business transactions, training, and document distribution • The Intranet can serve as the corporate/enterprise knowledge base.

Intranet Components • User interface to the enterprise • Content aggregation • Search (Intranet, Internet and document management system) • Communities • Workflow management • Categorization and tagging • Application integration • Enterprise knowledge base • Collaborative project workspaces • Taxonomy (classification of tacit and explicit knowledge) • Personalization • Single sign-on and security • Caching • Uniform user interface • Metadata dictionary

Knowledge Islands

Why Use an Intranet? • Positive motivation – – Personal reward Personal benefit/growth Group/enterprise benefit Excitement • Negative motivation – No other options – Ramifications if new procedures not followed – Fear

Intranet Challenges • Inconsistent Environment – HW/SW configurations – Security – Reliability • • • Inconsistent application support and troubleshooting Reduced portability and scalability Content management Change management User acceptance, adoption and use – Personalization

General Implementation Issues • • • Who has what Who does what Who knows how What is the process l o r t n o La c f o k c • Lack of consistency • Lack of relevant documentation • Lack of reliable accountability • Lack of reliable guidelines and governance • Lack of comprehensive and repeatable processes

Issues and Risks • • Wf. M perceived as policeman Reward systems based on intranet use Intranet content is limited User experience and expectations are different for every user – How can users expectations be met? – Users have different perspectives • User and enterprise perceptions of technology as the problem solver

Risk Mitigation • Initially, the Intranet content can be very focused (see case study) – Potentially initial greater acceptance and adoption – Intranet content and breadth will grow as it gains enterprise-wide acceptance – Pilot application and receive feedback • Include “warm and fuzzy” content • Mimic the “paper” world – Too much change can turn off many potential users • Perform BPR (if needed) on the digital processes when they are more mature and users are more comfortable

A Successful Marriage • Define Intranet value – Users will have a better understanding • Value all content providers – Non-technical users are important, too • Recognize achievement from content providers – Individual or group • Celebrate successes – Seek and integrate quick successes into the Intranet • Create a strong identity and sense of community • Motivate and reward through WIIFM – Reward for knowledge sharing

Agenda 4 Content 4 Managing content 4 Process 4 Managing change 4 The Collaborative Intranet • Case Study

Implementation Methodology Assess Current (As-Is) Models Define Vision and Strategy Phase 1 Phase 3 Conduct Gap Analysis Establish Guidance, Value Proposition Objectives and Goals Implement Pilot Phase 2 Develop Target (To-Be) Models Deploy Maintain

Implementing a KM Intranet • Refine enterprise vision • Define enterprise goals • Subdivide goals into “palatable” KM subprojects – – Define subproject goals Define subproject tasks Develop metrics of success for each subproject Iterate as needed • Incorporate completed project into IT strategy • Redefine enterprise goals

Case Study – Introduction • • The Organization - NIH DCAB 75 Project Managers 3, 000 Construction Projects per Year In-house and contracted services – Large and small projects – Potential (significant) administrative delays • Little collaborative efforts • No effective documentation and use of “lessons learned”

Case Study - The Problem • • • ISO 9000 Certification Existing system paper-based Difficult to easily monitor projects Funding requests/contracts etc. , lost Unable to manage projects collaboratively Auditing very difficult

Case Study - The Solution • Automated workflow system that follows ISO 9000 procedure manual • Electronic forms for all form requirements with integrated workflows • Central repository for all project related documents • Named user access control to prevent casual access • On-line, real time collaboration with threaded discussions

Case Study - The Solution Logon to PIN Enterprise Workspace PIN Personal Workspace DCAB Teams and Other Groups Project Team 3 – Research East Officer Name Project Workspace PO – Lerner, Fredda Active projects Active Projects Specific project HCA 0006 Categories of Work

Case Study - The Solution • Integration with legacy contracting systems for consolidated view of cost information • Ad hoc and standard reporting • Automated download of project from mainframe project initiation system • On-line time cards • Auditable • Completely web-based

Case Study - Technical Details • Solution included customization using three COTS software packages – Open Text - Livelink Intranet – IBI - Web Focus – Pure Edge - XML Forms • During system development, the project team used Livelink to: – Demonstrate and learn capabilities and limitations – Actively use the tool prior to deployment – Practice what we preach • Project duration from requirements analysis to deployment was approximately five months

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For More Information. . . Fredda Lerner Booz-Allen and Hamilton 8283 Greensboro Drive Mc. Lean, VA 22102 703 -377 -1643 lerner_fredda@bah. com