Knowledge management

From TechWriter Wiki

Knowledge Management (KM) refers to the processes and/or tools for collecting, storing, and disseminating/retrieving an organization's intellectual capital. This intellectual capital can include training material, processes, procedures, or any other information required for operation of the business.

Knowledge management grew out of the realization that much of an organization's knowledge exists only in the minds of its employees, or at best in local documentation, and that this information should be made more widely available.

Effective knowledge management involves the implementation of a framework that allows knowledge to be captured and shared. This framework will often be centered around one or two technologies, but the success of the framework relies on processes being put in place to facilitate this knowledge capture, and also the development of a culture within the organization that promotes the sharing of knowledge. This latter point is the most difficult part of knowledge management to achieve.

Tools used to facilitate knowledge management may include a Content Management System or Document Management System but nowadays will typically also include more (perceived) 'informal' communication mediums such as blogs and wikis.