Lil Jackie's 2010 KM Roadmap

I've never been a starfucker.

Forgive the indelicacy, I'm still waking up.

I was reminded of this (in a roundabout way) during a brief conversation with my mom this morning. I mean, I still care enough about being "in the know" to pay attention to pop culture, but I'm just not one of those people who look to celebrities to give meaning to my life or provide me with non-stop entertainment...well, maybe Sarah Palin, I manage to get a chuckle out of everything that involves her (to the dismay of my mother who LOVES her). But, I don't get gaga when I pass famous people on the street (not even Lady Gaga), I'm not impressed to find out someone has more money than the combined GDP of every Latin American country, you'll never see me breakin' down cryin' 'cause some singer waves at me or says "hello", and even if you could ruin my life with a snap of your fingers, I still ain't studdin' you.

And why should I?

For one thing, my life is good - warts and all. For another, it's incredibly interesting (to me) and so unbelievably entertaining (to everyone around me) with equal parts high comedy and salacious drama (truly stuff that only seems to happen on daytime TV) that it's a crime I haven't written my own little "Peyton Place" to share with the rest of the world. (When I'm past the point of caring about what my friends and family will do to me - or simply out of their reach - I just might do it, lol.)

No, I'm not impressed with celebrity or status. What impresses me is realness and authenticity; having values and relationships that are more about being true to oneself (even if they clash with mine) than trying to fit in, be "better than" (whatever the hell that means), and/or impress others. And this is the same mindset I bring to my KM work. I'm not trying to win popularity contests, suck up to anybody, or get embroiled in bullshit office politics. Like hairstylist/salon "guru" Tabatha, I'm there to help organizations address the problems that are preventing them from being successful (though with slightly less colorful language than she uses on her show or I use in my blog). With KM that means improving how critical knowledge is identified, shared, and leveraged across an organization.

Obviously, it helps to develop positive, collaborative, constructive relationships in the workplace and if you're able to do your job well AND have fun, more power to you. But, sometimes, I think we tend to treat the workplace like an elementary school playground or, ugh, high school. Guess what? It's not. It's a place of business. You're paid to be there to do a job - it's not therapy (unless it is) or a dating service (unless it is). And from where I stand, often it's that high school/playground mentality that contributes to a sloppy knowledge sharing ethic and a poor KM environment.

(Note: If this is the first time you're reading one of my posts you should know that one of my biggest pet peeves are organizations that equate themselves to being "one big family". Families don't fire Uncle Earl, even if he does act kinda pervy around the ladies or layoff Nana 'cause she's gettin' up there in age. And when there's a crisis or money gets tight families (are supposed to) close ranks and tighten the belt to come through on the other side together, not distribute pink slips and have security escort you out of the building...I'm just sayin').

Anywaaaaay, that's my soapbox rant for the day.

The real goal of this post is to introduce y'all to Lil Jackie! I'm forever exploring ways of simplifying my KM message to my various audiences and Lil Jackie is going to be my muse and assistant in 2010 ("Lil Jack-ehhh, wants to be-e a staaar...).

About six months ago I challenged myself with the task of re-modeling my KM Roadmap to reflect the intersection of people, process and technology. And then my harddrive crashed (which, honestly, sucked more than getting heart failure from a bronchial virus). Luckily, I'm brilliant enough to be able to re-create my work from scratch and old notes/documents. I really think this roadmap is even better than the last one and Lil Jackie and I would like to share it with the masses!


The graphic displays my six major mile posts. Previously, I had these as five phases (Knowledge Audit, KM Strategy Blueprint, Development, Deployment, and Evaluation) but after plotting things out and looking at the relationships between each phase, I realized it was better to flesh out the design work from development activity. It was also important to represent both the cyclical nature of each mile post as well as the fact that education and/or buy-in should be occuring between each transition. Sometimes you'll be doing one or the other and sometimes both. And, to clarify, although learning is inherent (and effort should be made to document lessons learned) during every mile post, the LEARN mile post is concerned with the formal process of synthesizing all of the information and knowledge acquired throughout the project lifecycle in preparation for the next cycle.

To the left of the cyclical graphic, I've presented examples of the roles that people, process, and technology might play as well examples of possible output or yield. These examples are by no means exhaustive and should serve purely as a starting point for anyone looking to build their KM strategy.

If you have any thoughts, ideas, or criticisms (I'm always looking to improve this thing), please post your feedback, otherwise enjoy!

KM: The First 90 Days

NOTE: Not 10 minutes after publishing this post I hopped over to Green Chameleon to get my weekly 'fix' and sure enough there was a post (from Monday) on Cory Bank's First 180 Days. Now that's synchronicity! Take a moment to check out Cory's 'Corz and Effect' blog. (8/31/08)

Yesterday, I was working on a blog post for another topic, thinking about the process of selling KM, when it came to me (through a series of incidental thoughts) how the thing that would have been most helpful to me with my earlier positions in KM would have been a plan for my first 90 days on the job.

Hindsight is 20/20, unless the alcohol blurs the details or you just don't want to remember, but I do recall, several times, starting out and wishing that I'd had more direction...more strategic objectives...to kick-off my KM efforts (and make me look like less of a bumbling idiot).

In one position, I remember receiving my 90-day evaluation and, despite having completed all of the documented goals that had been set, being taken to task for not acheiving a bunch of unspoken expectations (both of me and KM). Following this experience, I came to realize...okay, immediately following this experience I was looking crazy as hell, but several months down the road what I came to realize was the importance of truly owning a project - being thorough and ambitious in setting goals beyond, even, what might be formally agreed upon; reading between the lines and intuiting as much information as you can from what isn't said; and, most importantly, establishing yourself as the expert.

Nowadays, whenever I begin a KM project, I go in with two things (three, if you count my quirky personality): a KM roadmap, which I pass out like candy to everyone in the organization with even a passing interest, and my 90-Day Plan Checklist, which I keep taped (and hidden) inside the cover of my little notebook/planner. Regardless of what goals I may set with the person or people to which I report (these tend to be a bit on the conservative side), my checklist is on and poppin' and focused on the following goals:

Goals For The First 90 Days

• Market KM - Create a 'buzz' around the organization and build some interest, excitement...or both!
• Demonstrate your value to the organization - Reaffirm the organization's investment in and commitment to you!
• Develop a strategy - One that spells out both short-term and long-term KM goals!
• Produce a deliverable - At least one, but the more the better!

90-Day Checklist

1. Complete your Knowledge Audit
It's basic business sense that every good project begins with a good evaluation of the situation. A comprehensive knowledge audit provides all of the information needed for creating a KM strategy. Components of the audit include:

• Auditing existing knowledge assets, learning systems, organizational practices and behaviors
• Identifying and evaluating organizational needs and challenges
• Mapping knowledge flows (how information is shared across the organization)
• Understanding and setting expectations of KM
• Defining and documenting the scope and vision of/for KM
• Aligning KM strategy with business strategy; and,
• Achieving buy-in of the KM vision/scope

2. Know the political landscape and confirm at least 3-5 allies
Understanding the environment and the culture in which you are working is critical! There are so many 'X-Factors' that can jack up your KM efforts and a lot of them have to do with political forces that existed long before you came on board. Add to that any lingering change fatigue and the geneal uneasiness of either a new or resurrected strategy that might be perceived as a distraction from getting work done or a stab at someone's power base and you've got a potential hot potato on your hands.

By confirming at least 3-5 allies - people who understand and believe in what you're doing - you're beginning the process of building your own power base. And trust me, eventually you're gonna need it!

3. Convert 1 Skeptic
It's extremely rare not to have any naysayers. These are people who either don't believe in the utility or credibility of KM or who simply don't think you're up to the task. When faced with these folks resist the urge to tune them out. There's no better marketing tactic than turning your haters into supporters (even if it's begruding support). Just remember not to be to ambitious on this point. The deeper the cynicism, the more time involved in conversion; save your biggest critic for the next 90 days!

4. Complete your strategy blueprint
I tend to take a consultative approach to the interview process, so if and when I get a job it's usually based on the high-level strategy overview that I present to prospective employers (the result of early interviews and some deft research into the organization, its industry, and competitors). Because of this, I always have the shell of a strategy just waiting for the results of the knowledge audit. However, even if you're starting from scratch, after 90-Days (depending on the size of the organization) you should be ready to present a detailed strategy blueprint for review. You KM strategy blueprint should:

• Document and outline the KM/Change strategy
• Set goals and establish pre-implementation ROI metrics (e.g., Potential for improved performance, Estimated implementation costs, Worth analysis - verifies the worth of implementing KM/Change initiatives by comparing costs against potential outcomes)
• Define critical success factors and key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Identify, prioritize, and estimate functional requirements
• Document and outline branding strategy (Comprehensive marketing and training plans to support deployment)
• Design the KM team
• Identify the tools and resources needed to implement strategy
• Determine “build (internal) vs. buy (outsource)” with regards to KM applications/tools
• Evaluate availability and efficacy of both internal and external resources/tools

5. Market KM
If you ask me what I think are the three keys to a successful KM strategy I'll tell you this: (1) a knowledgeable, assertive, dedicated KM professional, (2) a committed, supportive, and invested organizational leadership, and (3) a rock-solid marketing plan.

KM has to be managed like a product - one that know one really understands and which folks are prematurely led to believe they won't like. Think about a movie that you are dead-set against going to see (maybe the reviews were bad, maybe the previews weren't flattering or appealing), but then someone drags you to see it and, surprise, you love it! That's exactly what you're dealing with and, with a kick-ass marketing plan and a smokin' KM strategy, hopefully the end results will be the same. (Note: All of the marketing in the world can't fix a bad strategy. Your marketing efforst will be for naught if, as author, entrepreneur and consulting guru Rob Ryan says, "the dogs will not eat the dog food.")

How do you market KM?

• Within your first week have HR or your boss email an announcement on your appointment with a brief description of your duties and background
• Hold one KM brown bag each month
• Claim some "real estate" on the corporate intranet site for KM messages and announcements
• Host a company 'networking' mixer for employees
• Establish and publish a weekly or bi-weekly e-newsletter highlighting current organizational activity (folks love to talk about themselves even if you have to spend time alternating between being Sherlock Holmes and Lois Lane)
• Establish and publish regular KM 'Impact' Reports which, rather than focusing on organizational activity, provide a brief summary of the economic (impact on the bottom line) and social (influence on the culture) results of KM efforts.

6. Solve a couple of minor problems and pluck some low-hanging fruit!
Lately, I've been hooked on the Facebook application, Mob Wars, the goal of which is to rise up the criminal ranks from petty criminal to head of a mafia empire (none of that Sonny Corinthos bubble-gum mafia for me!) Surprisingly, I'm addicted. The quickest way to make money, build experience, and move up is to complete relatively minor 'jobs' (muggings, burglary, liquor store robberies...that kind of stuff). Tackling 'low-hanging fruit' in your first 90-days is pretty much the same deal. Problems are identified easily during routine "getting to know you" conversations with folks. Even if these problems aren't exactly KM-centric, your ability to satisfy their need is what will win them over and ingratiate you. This is what builds a power base.

And sure, you want to avoid being some kind of corporate 'cleaner' that everyone runs to for all of their miscellaneous needs, but that's a problem for the next 90 days (or the 90 after that), in the first 90 days your goal is simply to be recognized as a problem-solver who adds value to the organization.

Hope this helps someone to avoid some of the mistakes I made starting out.

Cheers!

Christian's Kick-a** KM Roadmap

I recently updated the Knowledge Management Roadmap I use to establish my KM strategy overview. I took some inspiration from the Roadmap created by Amrit Tiwana (formerly of my alma mater, Georgia State) in his book, Knowledge Management Toolkit.

I'm still figuring out how to attach the PDF to this post, but you can email me at youngde1@gmail.com for a copy.

Essentially, this Roadmap breaks-out into five steps the various processes I employ in my approach.

Phase 1: Knowledge Audit
Every KM strategy should begin with a knowledge audit. How elaborate the audit might be is driven by whether or not an existing, documented strategy is in place and/or the level of carte blanche held by the Knowledge Manager. On the one hand, if you're walking into an existing, documented strategy you might have to get by with a very informal knowledge audit while you wrap your hands around what's going on in the organization. On the other hand, if you're starting fresh - and you have the carte blanche and organizational support to do so, you might be able to conduct a wide-scale knowledge audit; it's important to establish how much carte blanche (or "juice") you have at the onset - nothing worse than doing something full-on only to have someone slam on the breaks.

Along with performing the knowledge audit I am usually understanding and setting expectations of KM (by asking - and answering - these questions of the stakeholders, "What does KM mean to you?" and "What do you expect from KM?"); Defining and documenting the scope and vision (What does a fully implemented KM strategy look like the organization?); and, achieving buy-in (something that never ends).

Phase 2: KM Strategy Blueprint
This phase is all about taking the information collected in Phase 1 and building out the KM strategy, establishing metrics (which correlate directly with the intended deliverables!); building out a functional requirements document (what does your KM system/application need to be able to do, as indicated by the information you gathered in your knowledge audit regarding the needs of the various stakeholders in the organization?); determine the human resources needed to make the strategy work; and, yet again, acheive buy-in of the the strategy you've devloped.

This is also the phase where I would be comparing off-the-shelf applications and understanding how each could be customized to suit the needs of the organization.

Phase 3: KMS Development
If you've never had to establish a content classification methodology then consider yourself blessed because this really is a pain in the buh-tocks. Not only is this methodolgy driving how content is captured and organized in your system, it's also driving your search functionality which is huge determinant of how functional your system is (if folks can't find content they won't like your system, and if they don't like it, they won't use it, and if they don't use it, you probably won't be that company's KM for very long).

Never fear, though, you're also doing plenty of QA, UAT, and bug-fixing in this phase before you get to Phase 4.

Phase 4: KMS Deployment

Each phase of this roadmap is critical, but this is really where you put your money where your mouth is! Not only are you rolling out your knowledge management system, you're also having to launch your branding campaign which involves all of the marketing and education around both your system and KM, in general.

More thought definitely needs to go into branding knowledge management. I think the traditional technology focus most folks take when thinking about and implementing KM ill prepares both organizations and knowledge managers for this aspect of KM. Neverthless, "pimpin'" KM is hyper critical to making it successful!

Phase 5: KMS Evaluation
This is both the end of the KM cycle and the beginning, because it will set the stage for the next knowledge audit (which I think should be done on an annual basis, but that's what works for me). Basically, this phase goes back to all of those goals that were set in Phase 2 and evaluates how well they were acheived based on the pre-determined metrics.

I know that at this point, the temptation to add a little gloss to the results might appeal to some depending on what they to work with, but my experience is that the only way to really make KM work is to be as critically honest as possible. Obviously highlight positives, but don't be afraid to emphasize negatives as well; providing reasons for why things did or didn't work along with recommendations for resolving issues and improving outcomes.

Honesty is key not only for professional integrity, but also because you can't truly address critical organizational issues if you're not confronting them - and somebody has to, why not the "knowledge manager".