The Company Domain

In every organization that manages knowledge, they discover (and very quickly) that knowledge has different formats, according to its type and nature. An engineering information management system contains documented knowledge; an insights repository contains documented knowledge; a document management system contains documented knowledge; Outlook and its Public Folders contain documented knowledge; application systems that include text and documents contain documented knowledge; network libraries contain much documented knowledge; and so on.

If we look at all these knowledge areas, they are all part of the organization's knowledge assets. Hence, the term Company Domain (a term coined by the knowledge manager of IAI in a project dealing with the appropriation of this knowledge).

First insight

We must recognize the existence of the organizational knowledge repository.

Second insight

We must recognize that it is a distributed repository.

We must recognize that it's not possible to transfer all knowledge to a uniform format and uniform location without losing much of its capabilities and without enormous effort (which is usually also not feasible).

Third insight

Defined actions must be taken to realize the existing company domain within the organization.

To realize the Company Domain (beyond recognizing its existence), several actions can be taken:

Fencing: Defining and marking potential areas as shared areas:

Including:

• Defining different types of information (Public Folders, specific network areas, defined application systems, etc.).

• Educating people that information is shared knowledge already at its creation (and not only upon approval/delivery to the client). For this purpose, it must be decided whether to include network areas associated with individual employees in the above definition, or to teach them to save documented information and knowledge in a shared area from the outset.

• Educating people to classify at high classification levels only what is truly required and to allow expansion of the Company Domain to its proper content.

Uniform Documentation: Defining a shared documentation methodology:

Including:

• Uniform documentation rules for hierarchical trees (to be used for Public Folders and network areas). Documentation rules refer to tree construction methods, desired tree depth, optimal width, etc.

• Proposal for shared trees for activities that repeat in different locations within the organization.

• Proposal for attributes and categories that will accompany information retrieved in dedicated information systems and various document management systems (as accompanying fields in the application, in document categories, and profiles). Obviously, there is a connection between tree content and categories.

Reuse: Defining shared search tools:

Including:

• Operating a federated search engine that will enable the retrieval and reuse of knowledge wherever it is. Using attributes and tree contents (by the tool) to enable pre-filtering (Pre-Search) and/or late cataloging (Post-Search) that will help focus the user on the relevant knowledge they need.

• Where possible, define menus that include hierarchical navigation, allowing access to shared information.

By the way, federated search is already in use in several knowledge-management organizations in Israel, including Rafael, IAI, and Comverse.

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