KM Tools and Techniques

This page gives a list of tools and techniques, categorised roughly according to their position on the knowledge life cycle. Click on a specific technique to take you to a general overview and and links to additional material.

Please note - this section is under development. Links will be added as soon as sufficient material is available for a specific technique.

Category	Specific Tool or Technique
Creation	Creativity Techniques - not just brainstorming but 50+ ways to stimulate creativity Creative abrasion - generating discussion through challenge and opposing views Research / Analysis - new knowledge from experimentation and data analysis Simulation / Modelling - modelling systems to gain better insights Skilful dialogue - a structured way of generating knowledge through discourse
Discovery	Concept mapping - visually linking to concepts to identify their relationships Content Analysis - analysis of key words in documents to reveal issues and trends Data Mining - using AI tools to discern patterns and relationships hidden in Text Mining - similar to above but working with text; often uses statistical analysis
Identification	Expertise profiling - know-who: identifying subject matter experts Knowledge audit - using a combination of methods to identify knowledge assets Needs analysis - identifying core knowledge needed for people to do their job 'Yellow pages' - a directory of people organized by their skills, not name
Capture (tacit knowledge)	Knowledge harvesting - eliciting and capturing knowledge from an expert Entry interview - structured interview to capture knowledge from a new hire Ethnography - a systematic study of people at work Exit interview - capturing knowledge before an employee leaves or retires Observation - recording (e.g. by video) how a set of tasks is carried out
Acquisition (existing knowledge)	Alerting - using emails or 'pop ups' to alert users to new or changed information Browsing - browsing online or offline content in a semi-purposeful way Filtering - using key words or terms to discard less relevant information Searching - purposefully seeking out information on a specific topic
Organizing	Card sorting - using labelled cards to sort topics into categories Classifying - categorizing content according to its various attributes Mapping - showing relationships between items of information Metadata - defining descriptors (title, topic, keywords etc. ) for content Tagging - adding descriptors (metadata) to items of online content Taxonomy - developing a hierarchy of subject categories Thesaurus - a controlled vocabulary, a list of preferred terms for keywords
Sharing (techniques)	Away days - networking events away from the office Communities of Practice - informal knowledge networks focussed around a specific topic Co-location - locating people from different departments together, typically for a project Cross-functional team - bringing together people with different perspectives Facilitated workshops - sessions which bring a variety of perspectives to specific issues Knowledge centre - an enhanced corporate library: a repository of knowledge and know-who OpenSpace - a form of meeting in which participant set the agenda Share Fair - corporate 'trade shows' that show outputs from across the organization Sharing best practices - replicating good practices throughout the organization Storytelling - using narrative to disseminate knowledge in a memorable way Wallcharting - different ways of posting words /pictures on a wall in response to question Workspace design - using office layout to create 'caves and commons'
Sharing (tools)	Blog - personal diary of knowledge experts that allow user comments Audio conferencing - conversation (by phone or online voice) in a group in multiple locations Email - the most widespread form of online knowledge exchange,but often badly mis-used Discussion group (message board, forum) - an online focial point for knowledge conversations Instant messaging (chat) - a real-time dialogue using typed words Intranet (portal) - corporate network holding structured easy-to-find information LinkedIn - an online professional networking tool, giving access to contacts, discussion groups etc. Videoconferencing - online conversation where participants can see each other (e.g. Skype) Wiki - an evolving body of knowledge into which anyone can contribute
Learning	After Action Review (AAR) - a structured post-event review to learn lessons Benchlearning - an extension of benchmarking to take learning into day-to-day work Corporate university - a learning centre that mixes traditional teaching, e-learning and on-the-job training Decision Diary - recording the assumptions and feelings after a decision has been made Lessons Learned - a database of situational lessons, often the synthesis of AARs Learning Networks - knowledge networks specifically focussed to review and learn from events Log Books - routine recording of activity and outcomes, so that later review can enhance learning Post project Review - a formal review of the process and outcomes of a project; could be an AAR Structured Dialogue - a meeting where conversation is structured to a learning outcome
Using/ Applying	Combining - assembling disparate information and knowledge to create new insights Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) - individual methods based on tasks and preferences Sense-making - assimilating knowledge into individual mental models
Exploiting	Commercializing - the end-to-end process of converting knowledge into products and services Licensing - licensing proprietary knowledge to others, including competitors Packaging - restructuring information and knowledge into saleable products Productizing - turning a service or set of competences into a more tangible 'product' Trading - selling knowledge in various forms on knowledge markets
Protecting/ Preserving	Archiving - using different media / locations to preserving knowledge not currently actively used Intellectual Asset Management - pro-active use of intellectual property - trademarks, patents, copyrights etc. Records Management - managing business records in a systematic way for current and future use
Evaluating/ Measuring	Benchmarking - comparing performance across different organizations and learning from the results Benefits tree - assessissing outputs and outcomes in a hierarchy of benefits Intellectual Capital Measurement - measuring various factors in an IC model KM assessment - assessment of the quality and effectiveness of KM initiatives Knowledge audit - identifying sources and uses of knowledge
Governance	KM Accreditation - certifying individuals as competent KM practitioners Knowledge Ethics - applying ewthical standards to the way that knowledge is shared and used KM Governance - the overall framework for effective oversight of KM within an organization KM Leadership - senior indiviiudal or champions that promulgate good KM practices KM Role and Skills - creating career structures and job descriptions for KM practitioners KM Standards - best practice guidelines endorsed by national / international standrds bodies KM Strategy - developing an overall approach that delivers business benefits through KM KM Structures - the way that KM and KM roles are organized within an organization Knowledge audit - identifying sources and uses of knowledge Recognition and Rewards - ways of rewarding indidivuals, teams and networks for good KM

Last updated: 24th November 2011