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Auerbach Publications
© 1999 CRC Press LLC
08/99
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: STRATEGY, SYSTEMS, AND TECHNOLOGY
THE ROLE OF PROJECT
MANAGEMENT IN
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Ralph L. Kliem
INSIDE
Basics of Knowledge Management and Project Management; Work Breakdown Structure;
Controlling and Leading Projects
INTRODUCTION
Knowledge management (KM) involves collecting, organizing, and dis-
tributing knowledge that is accumulated over a period of time for the pur-
poses of improving and increasing a company’s competitive edge. This
knowledge is more than mere facts and data. It is information and expe-
rience collected and applied to achieve the overall goals of a company.
Surveys by IT research firms reveal the popularity of KM. For exam-
ple, a survey of 500 professionals by the Delphi Group revealed that
more than 50 percent of the respondents have begun implementing KM,
and more than 80 percent saw it as a major contribution to their compa-
nies.1 Dataquest Inc. estimates that KM will grow from a $2.7 billion mar-
ket in 1997 to a $5 billion one in the year 2000.2
Several advantages have
been attributed to KM, and include:
• dealing with “gray” situations
with greater confidence
• encouraging greater collabora-
tion among employees
• identifying best practices
• improving the capacity for prod-
uct and process innovation
• increasing the competencies of
existing employees
• minimizing the negative impacts
of employee turnover
• responding cost-effectively to
rapidly changing environments
PA YOFF IDEA
A KM project is implementing knowledge man-
agement disciplines, tools, and techniques to
build a system that will achieve specific goals and
objectives. The challenge, of course, is to collect,
organize, and distribute knowledge to achieve
the goals and objectives that are often as vague
as the definition of KM. This can lead to scope
creep and overlooking customer wants and, ulti-
mately, wreak havoc on cost, quality, or schedule
performance. The challenge, then, is to ensure
that KM projects are completed in a timely, effi-
cient, and effective manner. Project manage-
ment is the way for doing just that.
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