Managing a knowledgebase (KB) can seem like a scary undertaking at first, but luckily, there are a lot of fantastic resources available for any KB initiative, and I'm always happy to share what I've learned through my KB experiences. Following are a few of the tips I give to most KB managers when they are first getting started:
- Make sure managing knowledge fits into your corporation's KPIs before you ever get started
- Communicate direction with the middle managers. Make sure they understand the KB direction and what’s in it for them.
- Become familiar with the Consortium for Service Innovation and their Knowledge Centered Support (KCS) methodologies
- Be careful what you measure. Encourage activities and measure outcomes. For example, if you measure the activity of creating articles, your KB will end up with a lot of duplication. Instead you want to measure KB success. For more information around measuring for success, see the KCS Practices Guide.
- The Knowledge Manager should work with your company'sKB Council team to make decisions and create the vision and objectives.
- Do not do a dump of old information into the new KB. This information is not structured for findablility or most likely out of date. (garbage in – garbage out)
- Building a knowledgebase is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, patience and perseverance to make a KB initiative the best it can be for your company.
Following are a few additional resources I really like, that might be of help to you and your KB manager:
- My blog entries -https://www.niceincontact.com/blog/author/jan-young
- Consortium for Service Innovation (CSI) - https://www.serviceinnovation.org/
- KCS v5 Reference documents – https://www.serviceinnovation.org/knowledge_centered_support/kcs_resources.php
- KCS Academy (industry certifications) – https://www.thekcsacademy.net/
- Linkedin – www.linkedin.com/groups/Knowledge-Centered-Support-KCS-2066490?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr
- DBKay & Associates – Strategic Consulting for Sustainable Knowledge Programs – www.dbkay.com