The Knowledge Backbone (SM) - - A
Summary
The Knowledge Backbone (SM) - - A
Summary There is a significant difference between information and knowledge. Information is an accumulation of data from multiple individuals and organizations. Knowledge, on the other hand, is the cumulative experience of these individuals and organizations. To be useful to the entire organization, data requires a predefined data model be accessible. Knowledge, on the other hand, is immediately useful. At the very least, knowledge is useful if it is accessible.
There are gaps that keep us all from getting access to knowledge. These include: (1) making available experience accessible to knowledge workers located in different parts of the world; (2) implementing workable technology transfer problems to provide knowledge to all of the technical staff; and (3) having access to industry costs, best practices, benchmarks, and lookbacks to help us understand how competitive we really are. There has been an evolution of the knowledge based worker from "hands" to "brains." The future is tied to creating a learning organization, which accumulates knowledge in teams with a with a shared vision.
Capturing experience and extracting knowledge provides a competitive advantage and adds value to every organization's intellectual capital. This is the basis of the learning organization. To quote Peter Senge, et al, in The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: "Learning in organizations means the continuous testing of experience, and the transformation of that experience into knowledge - accessible to the whole organization, and relevant to its core purpose."
To create a learning environment the Knowledge Backbone(SM) maps core purpose to objectives, and experience to a Knowledge Map (SM). These Knowledge Maps (SM) provides an easy way, ideally an automatic way, to link experience to core purpose. Linking experience gives information context and turns it into knowledge. The captured and linked experience is tied to the functional tasks that must be performed within each discipline in order for projects to be successful.
These discipline specific tasks are described by a workflow template, or a hierarchial Knowledge Template (SM). These templates can be easily customized and extended for a specific or a unique project. A series of these Knowledge Maps (SM) create the Knowledge Backbone (SM) for an individual or an enterprise. The results span the entire organization. Analysis and decisions improve when these indexes and the linked experience, knowledge, information, and data are are tied to intelligent search agents and made available through hypermedia browsers like NetScape (TM).
As a specific example, think of an exploration or production problem tied to porosity. Porosity is measured in many different ways by many different disciplines. Knowledge and experience thrives within specific disciplines and must be captured within these disciplines. For instance, the seismic interpreter might calibrate seismic amplitides to porosity in a well and use horizon amplitude maps to extrapolate that porosity information across a study area. The reservoir engineer will derive porosity from pressure tests. While the geologist will use logs and physical samples to measure porosity. The Knowledge Backbone (SM) provides a common language, allowing decision analysis to be based on all available information about porosity across all relevant fuctional disciplines. This kind of n-dimensional communication is the basis of real integration.
The Knowledge Backbone (SM) uses a knowledge server to combine Knowledge Templates (SM), with Knowledge Maps (SM) or task based indexes to link documents and to do query and analysis. The input data can be structured or unstructured and can be output to a document management system. The knowledge base is searchable using a simple point and click browser. All of the component technology is available "off the shelf" and typically already exists in most organizations.
The Knowledge Backbone (SM) can be implemented in a variety of ways. It closes knowledge gaps by enhancing the organization and accessiblity of both personal and enterprise-wide knowledge. The individual components can be developed in-house or remotely. The Knowledge Templates (SM)and Knowledge Maps (SM) can be industry generic or tied to a specific project or organization. The knowledge server can be located on-site or at an off-site 'tax center.' The Knowledge Backbone (SM) can be integrated with the corporate IMS system, or kept separate and secured. As projects progress experience is accumulated. Tieing this accumulated experience and knowledge to core purpose creates shared knowledge in a learning organization. Implementation changes your organization forever, for the better.
One of the first question asked is "Where do I start building my Knowledge Backbone?" The most obvious "place" is where you can take advantage of automatic processes for embedded knowledge capture. If places can be identified where decisions occur and the associated data, information, or knowledge can be electronically siphoned off, then the knowledge base is automatically added to with every decision cycle. The next most obvious "place" is where capturing and having knowledge instantly available can help to avoid expensive mistakes. Deep water drilling programs are a classic example.
The result of implementing a Knowledge Backbone (SM) will serve your whole organization. It makes the management perspective instantly available to each employee, allowing them to tie their individual work to corporate vision, strategy, value drives, and key performance indicators. It allows end-user needs to be reviewed by managment. For instance, what is planned to meet customer requirements and how the workers expect to be evaluated and in what areas. Having more knowledge available to more people creates synergy and significantly improves decision making across the entire enterprise. In fact, implementation results in empowering knowledge workers, creating a shared vision, and insuring the corporate mission is achieved.
Thank you for taking time to look at this introduction to the Knowledge Backbone (SM). We would appreciate your comments on this product and the associated services. To make commenting easy, we have prepared a brief market research questionaire. Thank you in advance for your help in telling us how your organization might use the technology and any changes to our approach that you have to recommend.
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