The DuPont Experience: Strategic Planning for Information Design and Development Organizations  

This is a reprint of an article first published in Technical Communication. It explains the strategic planning experience of the Information Design and Development organization in DuPont's External Affairs division. The author describes why they undertook a strategic planning initiative, the process used, the logistics involved in preparing for and carrying out the process, and the results of their work. Their experience can be applied by technical communication work groups seeking to define and communicate their mission and value proposition within their organization. Original publication: Breuninger, Charles L. 1997. “The DuPont Experience: Strategic Planning for Information Design and Development Organizations.” Technical communication 44:394–400.

Breuninger, Charles L. ComTech Services (1997). Articles>Knowledge Management>Organizations>Case Studies

The Knowledge Crunch

The Frito-Lay portal has also been an invaluable tool for helping him assess employee skill sets, because each salesperson is required to catalog his or her strengths and areas of expertise.

Shein, Esther. CIO Magazine (2001). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies

Knowledge Roles in the Workplace: an Example from HVAC

The following paper discusses my experiences with knowledge management at a large pharmaceutical company. I will begin with a brief description of the operation of my department. Then I will go into some detail about the knowledge market at my job. I will continue with a discussion on knowledge mapping and finally the importance of a common language.

STC NJIT Student Chapter (2005). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies>Biomedical

Law in Order

One law firm strives to transform scattered file cabinets into an online knowledge-management system.

Mitchell, Meg. CIO Magazine (2000). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies

Managing Information in a Manufacturing Environment: A Case Study in Knowledge Management  

The authors were invited to evaluate the communication and information flow in a large manufacturing company that wanted to implement a knowledge management effort. They studied sample documents, analyzed communication processes, conducted two site visits, and produced a detailed report on their analysis of the communication flow. The paper covers how to conduct a site visit, how to structure on-site interviews, how to collect data, and how to analyze the data using well-established techniques and tools for communication optimization. We believe the results of our analyses are generalizable to other technical communicators involved in knowledge management efforts in manufacturing and industrial settings.

Grady, Helen M. and Marjorie T. Davis. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies

Methods of Knowledge Transfer: an Example from the Pharmaceutical Industry

Knowledge management plays a very critical role in the day-to-day operations of my organization. The transfer of knowledge is shared verbally through casual conversations, meetings, conference calls, brainstorming sessions, and voice mail. Written communication appears daily in the form of memos, sticky notes, and e-mail. Documents such as records, change control forms, policies and standard operating procedures must be retained by my company. These papers often contain business critical data that needs to be stored and referenced at a later time. In order to manage this extensive list of documents, there are several management systems implemented throughout the corporation. Areas such as Human Resources, Finance, Clinical Research and Content Management utilize these systems to support their business activities. As a content specialist in the Pharmaceutical industry, I am responsible for supporting some of these systems. Some of the content that I support can be considered simply data. This type of material includes image files, such as GIFs and JPEGs, javascripts and customized ASP or JAVA files. These files are not referenced by employees and are used to support the functionality of the management systems. The primary system used throughout the organization for managing content is Documentum.

Green, Eugene. STC NJIT Student Chapter (2005). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies>Biomedical

Navy Knowledge in Action: The Global Distance Support Center

While helping sailors at sea remain paramount, GDSC’s delivery of additional attributes demonstrated that knowledge could be used and reused to advantage. In a true knowledge organization, roles evolve and new knowledge customers may be served just as we did in the GDSC.

King, Kendall. STC NJIT Student Chapter (2005). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies

Staying Competitive Through Continuous Improvement: The Business Information Service at ABN AMRO    

Case study describing the realignment of the Business Information Service (BIS) in ABN AMRO. Explains the reasons for change and the plans to incorporate the concept of continuous improvement, helping to ensure the service constantly evolves to meet demands of the organization. Includes a description of the bank and its operations and explains the role of the BIS within it. Explains how the service will be realigned to embrace the principles of continuous improvement, covering changes in both the Research and Support Services sections, and outlines how these changes will be achieved. Concludes that to make a difference, such change must be a constant.

Beattie, Jacqueline. Business Information Review (2007). Articles>Knowledge Management>Databases>Case Studies

Untying the Knot of Knowledge Management Measurement: A Study of Six Public Service Agencies in Singapore    

This paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing research in knowledge management (KM) by presenting a study conducted in six public service agencies in Singapore. The study was guided by three research foci, namely, (1) to elucidate the nebulous nature of KM initiatives, (2) to uncover the motivation behind KM measurement and (3) to identify the various elements of a KM initiative that can be measured. Data collected from the public service agencies revealed that KM initiatives were generally top-down and technology-focused. Project management and the need to quantify the value of KM initiatives drove KM measurement. The measurement indicators adopted by the agencies encompassed four elements of measurement: activities, knowledge assets, organizational processes and business outcomes. In conclusion, this paper highlights two practical implications for the design of a KM measurement regime and suggests a number of possible directions for further research.

Chua, Alton Y.K. and Dion H. Goh. Journal of Information Science (2008). Articles>Knowledge Management>Case Studies>Asia