paulplatt

After writing my last post I have been thinking some more about the internal sharing of corporate knowledge. I want to add a few more somewhat random thoughts. First, noting can completely replace personal contact. Having people get to know each other is valuable. It breaks down barriers. Next, there is a lot of software that can help but, unless fully supported from the top down, it will fail. Sales side software seems to be more advanced than the engineering side with lots of products out there aimed at sharing knowledge about customers. Compendian CKX is one such product. I am sure there are many others. Microsoft Sharepoint and many other products can be configured to give project and production status. However, these programs are more about improving the visibility of information and sharing internal corporate facts (project status, sales numbers, etc.) than about how things are best accomplished. Unless data entry is a normal part of the work flow, it won’t get done. Similarly, just because data is accessible doesn’t mean it will get accessed. Put another way, placing information into a repository is different from sharing information. Software can be an adjunct but only if part of a structure and culture which makes its use natural.