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To effectively resolve incidents and help end-users remain productive, analysts must quickly diagnose IT incidents and problems and provide solutions to address customers’ needs. Unfortunately, unless knowledge management is a formalized process within support, the know-how of support personnel is often under utilized. Such deficiency is manifested in a number of ways: Pockets of expertise among Service Desk staff and clusters of experience in given areas may limit the capacity of the support organization to respond rapidly, especially in areas of high demand. The staff may waste time researching a technical challenge which has already been solved many times before. Depending on the incident, the solution may be known but inaccessible or poorly defined. In some cases the solution may not have been documented at all.
In the face of increasing service volumes, evolving IT environments, and a growing dependence on IT, the goal of identifying ways to control IT costs and do the same — or do more — with limited resources has become much more daunting.
When IT support professionals capture and share skills and knowledge, they substantially enhance the services they provide to the organization. By having direct access to the right knowledge, agents can respond in a faster and more reliable manner. Furthermore, when the knowledge is made available to customers directly through self-service, further benefits accrue. Knowledge sharing is therefore a key part of the answer. Creating a formalized knowledge management process which effectively captures and harnesses the IT organization’s collective knowledge is a major opportunity for any IT support organization to evolve to a higher level of capability and become more effective.
The answer, then, is a knowledge management system. But that begs another question: How to set one up?
Knowledge Management is a multi-faceted initiative involving a degree of cultural change for the organization. It requires a change in processes, a reevaluation of how knowledge is captured and represented, and the use of technology to manage, retrieve and monitor the knowledge.
Many books exist on Knowledge Management within organizations which discuss a wide range of subjects. The scope for this paper on Knowledge Management is more manageable as follows:
- The creation and sharing of useful and reusable knowledge which helps IT provide effective technical support.
There are two ways this is typically accomplished:
- Allowing IT staff to create and retrieve knowledge content from a knowledge base
- Providing knowledge content to non-IT end-users via web-based self-service Merely facilitating knowledge management does not mean it will be done, let alone done well.
To be successful, the three pillars of people, process and technology must be brought into alignment and utilized effectively.
The knowledge program needs to be managed in a way that encompasses these critical elements. A well-managed program with adequate breadth and a strong integrated technology base allows users to willingly and easily contribute, retrieve, utilize, manage and measure their collective knowledge.
To avoid time-consuming and costly mistakes in launching a knowledge management initiative, here are some factors to consider to help ensure the success of your initiative:
GET BUY-IN AND SUPPORT FROM THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL Ensuring executive involvement and buy-in will extend beyond merely approving the budget for the Knowledge Management initiative. To make the initiative successful, it is important to have a senior executive champion who realizes the value to the greater organization at the outset, drives the adoption of the program among different groups, supports it through its initial steps, and helps publicize and promote its successes
DEFINE ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED Ensure all relevant members of IT support have a clear understanding of their roles. Set responsibilities and expectations, and develop these, incorporating them as needed into Human Resources and performance systems
MANAGE THE CHANGE IN THE ORGANIZATION’S THINKING Educate and communicate the need to capture and harness knowledge for the overall benefit of the organization. This can be communicated in a variety of ways including through management emphasis, existing communication channels, informal mentoring and training and revised compensation plans. Collaboration with representative stakeholders from affected groups is essential to demonstrate the collective nature of the initiative and to garner the support of various groups. Providing recognition and incentives for good results is often the most tangible means of effectuating change.
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