Managing Knowledge-Based Initiatives

Managing Knowledge-Based Initiatives from Pilot to Enterprise Deployment shows practitioners how to take their successful knowledge management pilot programs and to successfully expand them throughout the organization. Keeping the unique challenges of knowledge-based work in mind, Stacy Land explores what knowledge managers/project managers must know to effectively navigate within their organizations, position their work in a value-based framework, and publicize their work to increase buy-in. Topics include avoiding common sand traps, working with committees and multiple departments, compliance, entering a new world of politics and funding, achieving organizational alignment, developing and executing on a value proposition, negotiating executive sponsorship, and more.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Preface Meet Our Panel of Experts Section I: Laying the Groundwork Chapter 1: Baseline Points of Understanding Gates and Paths Framing Your Work Overlaying a Technology and Support Context Framing: Easier or More Difficult for Knowledge Practitioners? Engaging First is Key How You’ll Benefit From Engaging First Knowledge, Organizational, or Project Management? Funding Factors The PMO Factor The Organizational Design/Alignment Factor Terms and Definitions in TITLE Committees Firm, Corporation, Organization, Company Friendly Faces Knowledge Management How This Book is Organized Seize the Day Section II: Ready, Set, Go Chapter 2: Before You Get Started Common Misconceptions Understanding Your Momentum Isolating Change Factors Participation Standards Scope Shared Responsibility Evaluating Your Company From the Outside Expert Q&A: Joe McGhee Questions You Should Be Able to Answer Broad Strokes: Where to Find What You Need Financial Performance Evaluating the State of KM Inside Your Company Where Do You Live? What Is Your Work Considered? How Mature is Knowledge Management in Your Firm? Perception of Knowledge-Based Work in Your Firm Section III: Organizational Alignment Chapter 3: Understanding and Mapping Organizational Alignment Do You See the Big Picture? What an Aligned Organization Looks Like Why Firms Care About Organizational Alignment Alignment Artifacts Demonstrable Alignment Increases Buy In The Mission Statement The Vision Statement The Values and Beliefs Statement Example: Ten Things Google Has Found to be True Operating Imperatives, Goals and Activities Mapping from Top-Down, or Bottom-Up Example: Acme Medical Supplies Why It Pays to Map Backwards Likely Candidates for Alignment with Knowledge-Based Initiatives Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing Reduced Administrative Expense Efficiency Protection of Firm Assets Disaster Recovery Increased Project Governance Merging of Cultures Enhancing the Customer Experience Competitive Intelligence When Organizational Alignment is a Challenge How Aligned is Your Organization? Seeking Alignment in the Unaligned Organization Do You Need Alternative Alignment? Identifying Centers of Power at Your Firm If Your Alignment Isn’t Clear When Non-Alignment May be Acceptable Executive Point of View: Michael Jackman Section IV: Support: Who is on Your Side? Chapter 4: Executive Sponsorship and Network Building Cooperative Executive or Executive Sponsor'Telling the Difference Degrees of Sponsorship Reaching Up and Out to a Remote Executive Sponsor What Do You Know About Your Executive Sponsor? Why Your Sponsor Fills That Role Resources and Influence The Buzz Negotiating Executive Give and Take Which Areas Will Your Executive Sponsor Help With? Concept Development Funding Politics Referral Mentorship What Does Your Executive Sponsor Expect of You? Just Ask What Success Means Administrative Minutia Metrics Your Turn to Support Five Questions to Ask Your Executive Sponsor Other Supporters Executive Advice on Building a Network Your Own Network Survey Chapter 5: Executive Sponsorship from the Executive Point of View Approaching an Executive Sponsor The Value of Channels What Sponsorship Means The Sponsorship World According to McGhee The Nuts and Bolts of Sponsorship from Michael Jackman Jane Niederberger’s Rules of the Road The Question of Money Sponsorship Tips Thoughts From the Top Entrepreneurship, Big Champions and Small Victories Entrepreneurship, Big Champions and Small Victories Communication Style and Choice are Key Corporate Code, No. Acronyms, Yes. Cultures and Subcultures Thoughts on Resistance When People Want to Shut You Down It’s Not Personal Relationships and Behavior Count Section V: The Value of a Value Prop Chapter 6: Value Prop 101 Value Proposition Interdependencies What is a Value Proposition? Executive Points of View: Jane Niederberger and Santi Kumar General and Targeted Value Props Matchmaker, Matchmaker Looking at the Value in Value Proposition Value Prop: Public or Private? Before You Begin Conducting a Cultural Landscape Analysis Moving From Generic Value to Targeted Value Planning and Tracking Your Activities: How Value Props Can Help Developing a Targeted Value Proposition Step 1: Know Your Constituents Direct Constituents Indirect Constituents Identify Friendly Faces Step 2: Identify Your Constituents’ Value Hot Buttons The Formal Route: Alignment Artifacts The Informal Route: What’s Really Going On Step 3: Engage Your Executive Sponsor Step 4: Assemble Additional PMO Artifacts Step 5: Synthesize Value Prop Components Into Value Docs Understanding Value Docs Step 6: Engage Constituents Timing is Everything Example: Customer Intimacy at Acme Corporation Mapping Bidirectional Streams Chapter 7: Using Your Value Props Sharing Value Propositions Nurturing a Value Proposition Leveraging Value Propositions Protecting Value Propositions An Incorrect Value Prop Finding the Source A Rebalanced Value Prop A Diluted Value Prop A Minimized Value Prop An Appropriated Value Prop Knowledge-Based Work Needs to Remain Autonomous Not Today, Buddy My Executive Sponsor is Bigger… I’m Not Sure I Understand A Repositioned Value Prop A Rebuked Value Prop Honoring a Value Proposition Section VI: Executing on the Groundwork Chapter 8: Committees, Committees, Committees Committee Tips Committees are Just Human, After All Search Proactively Help is (Hopefully) Nearby Engaging Your Legal Department Your Committee Scavenger Hunt Follow the Headcount and the Money Sign-Off in Your Work Area Committees That Govern the Activities of Your Prime Customers Supporting Resources Technology Related Committees Non-IT Compliance Funding Escalation Committees Ongoing Initiatives Making Sense of the Committees Grouping Committees Independent or Defined by Process Crucial, Procedural, Optional, Irrelevant The Working Mechanics Administrative Details Fishing for Details Who is Who? The Importance of Timing Post-Committee Engagement Chapter 9: Working with PMOs More Knowledge, Less Paperwork Accountability, Sarbanes-Oxley, and PMOs What is the History of Your PMO Natural Affinities Between PMOs and Knowledge-Based Work Making It To Your Corporate Project Roadmap A Strong Business Case Increases Odds of Longevity The Importance of a Comprehensive Cost-Benefit Analysis ROI Figures in Prioritization Juggling Multiple PMOs What to Think About First Can You Just Ignore the PMO? Barter, Trade, Delay Funding Creativity: Not a Bad Thing The Early Bird Relationships as Key How Much About Project Management Do You Need to Know? Triple Constraint: The Questions You Should Always Be Able to Answer Get On Board: The Customer Experience Chapter 10: Making Sense of Dollars and Cents Finance, Procurement and ROI Before You Begin Locate Support in Your Network Locate Pre-existing Staff Get Organized Finance and Budgets: How do You Get Money? High Level Guiding Principles Questions You Must Be Able to Answer Unwritten Rules Use of Surplus Funds Surplus Consequences Intentional Overestimation Intentional Underestimation Procurement: How Do You Spend Money? What Procurement Does Typical Procurement Areas of Influence Preferred Vendors Subcontracting Relationships RFP/RFQ Process and Timelines Single Sourcing Supporting Documentation Procurement as a Supporter Vendor Relations Purchase Order Process Details ROI: What was the Return on the Money You Spent? Executive Point of View: Jane Niederberger and ROI ROI Standards Creativity in ROI? What ROI Means at Your Firm Who Cares About ROI at Your Firm When and What is Actually Used? Playing Both Ends Get Help From the Outside The KM Community at Large Vendor Assistance What the Joneses are Up To Chapter 11: IT – Friend or Foe? But My Solution Isn’t About Technology Why You Need IT in Your Court Learning to Speak IT’s Language Your Company Standards Discovering Standard Commonly Confused Terms and Definitions Key Areas to Investigate Perception of Your Work Consultants – Can They Help? Operation How Much Do You Have to Understand? Methodologies Service Level Agreements Your Role in SLAs Violated SLAs May Trigger Other Inquiries SLAs as a Compensation Factor Typical Relevant SLAs Change Control Change Control as a Committee Change Control as an Activity or Artifact When Change Control is Violated Typical Change Control Areas Your Role in Change Control Archiving: A Compliance and IT Interdependency The Offsite Component Determining the Cost of Archiving Outputs: What Could Be Archived? How Do Things Get Archived? How Do Things Get Restored? How Do Things Stay Safe? Mediums and Associated Costs Understanding Offsite Storage Cost Chapter 12: Expert Q&A With Brandon Goldfedder Dealing with IT Staff Personality Traits, Strengths and Weaknesses Management Tips for the Non-IT Perso Changes in the World of IT That May Affect You Communications Basics Organizational Knowledge What to Avoid In Conclusion Chapter 13: Engaging the Help Desk Would You Want Their Job Defining Support What Type of Support Will Your Work Require? The Organizational Landscape of Your Help Desk Who Does the Help Desk Work For? Blended Modes of Support Keeping a Strong Relationship with the Help Desk Why the Help Desk Must Be a Fan What You Can Learn From the Help Desk Help Desk and Knowledge Synergies Engaging Help Desk Leadership Who, Exactly, is Leadership? High Level Leadership Must-Knows Hidden Activities Planning Support Communicating: Who, Why, When, and How? Training: Yours, Mine and Ours Is There Help Available? General Use Training Compared to Troubleshooting Training How Much Do You Need to Know? General Use Training Compared to Help Desk Process Issues Understanding Tiers Training Details Your Role in Support Process Tips for Ensuring a Helpful Help Desk Relationship Section VII: Communications, Salesmanship and Publicity Chapter 14: The Corporate Red Carpet Communications and Selling – the Same or Different? What Does the Red Carpet Mean? Focus on Communications Why More Structure is Necessary Now Why Communicate? Communications Guidelines Before You Begin Resources at Your Fingertips Beg or Borrow Your Sponsor’s Resources The Source Matters Understanding Communications Vehicles Available to You Building a Communications Plan Who Do You Need to Reach? Messages and ThemesDetails One or Many? Sample Communication Plans Elements Mapping Audiences by Value Prop Elements Mapping Audience as Primary Dividing by Responsibility A Phase-Based Approach Selling Events Why Publicity Should Start Early Ways to Generate Pre-Publicity The Executive Factor What Are You Asking For? Preparing for an Executive Meeting Before the Meeting During the Meeting After the Meeting Your Selling and Communication Content Toolkit Baseline Ingredients The Elevator Pitch The Power of Multimedia Charting the Red Carpet at Your Firm Speaking Opportunities Road Shows What Road Show Participation Means Road Show Expense Ensuring Your Continued Success Communicate Constantly Get Organized Develop Your Own Scorecard Network Extensively Keep a Clipping Folder Let Your Story Evolve – and Then Publicize It Chapter 15: Selling Knowledge-Based Work in Real Life Everyone Sells – and That Means You The Executive Point of View Dave Snowden’s Guiding Sales Principles Do You Understand and Believe What You’re Selling? The One True Path Language Matters Engage Interpreters to Enhance Credibility Sell the Journey, Not the Destination Fail-safe or Safe-Fail? Basic Sales Skills Are Key Don’t Expect Credit (Even if It’s Due) Selling Knowledge-Based Work in Australia Public Sector: Pressing on a Pain Point for Results Private Sector: Enlisting Superiors at Strategic Junctures Show and Tell in High Tech Defense Starting Small Can Increase Sales Leverage