32. Governance
Do we have a governance
model and framework in
place?
Where are the organisation’s
KM policy and objectives?
Do we have a group
responsible for governance?
Does the approach follow the
quality standards of the
organisation?
KM Policy, Objectives, ToR for
Steering Group/Board.
Enablers: Roles
Do people know what their KM
roles and responsibilities are?
How do we know this?
Do people know how to use the
KM system and tools?
How do we know this?
Competencies, Team and Org
Structures, KM Champions.
Strategic Context
How well is KM aligned with
the organisation’s strategy
and objectives?
Do we know who our internal
stakeholders are?
Do we know who our external
stakeholders are?
Do we know what the key
knowledge areas for the
organisation are?
Does the scope of our KM
system address our
knowledge life cycle and
consider the appropriate
elements of our organization?
Stakeholder maps,
KM strategy/framework/plan.
Evaluation
How do we know our KM
system is working?
How would we know what
good looks like?
What measures do we have
for KM?
Are we measuring the right
things in KM? How do we
know?
Have we checked with our
customers/stakeholders on
how we are doing?
Do we have a plan to
address KM risks?
How do we identify KM
opportunities?
Maturity models, KPIs,
scorecards, charters, risk
registers.
Support
Are existing resources effective in supporting KM objectives?
Are we providing people with the tools, training and support
so they can do their jobs, including KM?
How do we know?
Do people know how KM impacts the business?
Are we meeting the KM needs of our staff?
Training plans, Guides, Promotion/Communication artefacts
Interaction &
Internalization
What exists to encourage people
to collaborate and share
knowledge?
How would people know?
Is critical expertise identified and
readily available when needed?
Are people competent and
equipped for virtual collaboration?
What exists to help people absorb
knowledge and learning?
Communities of Practice, Learning
Lunches, Groups, Peer Assists, Cafes,
Internal conferences, Virtual meetings,
Knowledge retention and Induction
Collaborative workspace design,
Simulation and e-learning.
Enablers: Processes
Do we have defined,
documented and approved KM
processes & methods?
What resources do we use to
support KM?
Do we get stakeholder input on
the effectiveness of our KM
processes?
KM Toolkits, guidance, workflows
Enablers: Technology
& Infrastructure
How well do our technology
infrastructure and physical architecture
support KM needs?
Do we ask for and listen to stakeholder
input about KM tools?
Are KM objectives and issues
considered in ICT strategy decisions?
How?
KM Technology Architecture
Codification & Curation
What processes are in place for curating
and updating our critical knowledge?
Do people know how to locate and
access our core documents and data
resources? How do we know?
Do we have a consistent documented
way of classifying, tagging and
navigating knowledge?
Do our information assets and
knowledge bases signpost people
towards originators and how they might
be contacted?
Content curation, Content curation, Tagging,
Structuring and Summarising, Good Practice
attribution, Documents, Databases, Content,
Artefacts, References, Taxonomies, Lessons,
Case studies.
Improvement
How do we know when
something is going wrong or
could be improved?
Do we seek and listen to
stakeholder input of
feedback on how to improve
processes and or tools?
What mechanisms do we
have to continuously review
and improve the KM
approach, procedures &
methods?
Do we ‘fail fast and learn’?
How willing are we to adapt
and change the KM system?
How do we know we are a
learning organisation?
Staff Surveys, Action logs.
Culture
Do we understand how KM fits
with our existing culture and
values?
Do we know and address the
barriers to knowledge sharing
and reuse?
How do we celebrate and
recognise the right behaviours?
To what extent is KM seen as ‘a
natural part of how we do
things here’?
To what extent is KM involved
with strategic transformations
and the HR/OD agenda?
Leadership
How does top management demonstrate
commitment to KM?
How well do leaders communicate the importance
of effective knowledge management?
Do leaders actively support KM and clearly define
expectations for staff in non-KM roles?
Does management provide proper planning and
support for KM?
KM Chef’s Canvas 1.0
Taken from ‘The KM Cookbook’ Chris Collison, Paul Corney and Patricia Lee Eng, Facet Publishing, 2019.
36. Handout for To ISO or Not to ISO? By Patricia L. Eng
Abstract: To ISO or not to ISO?
ISO published ISO 30401: “Knowledge management systems requirements in 2018. Who is ISO
and what does the ISO standard for KM do? Is it worth adopting? What does it take to adopt the
standard be and what are the benefits of getting certified to the ISO standard? This session will
answer all these questions and more. Led by the first certified ISO 30401 auditor, Patricia L. Eng,
P.E., this session will go over the history and development of the standard, what it does and does
not do, what you can use it for – whether or not you adopt the standard - and what it takes to
get certified to ISO 30401.
Speaker Bio:
An engineer by trade, Patricia Lee Eng first learned about Knowledge Management at NASA
when engineers discovered the loss of vital information from the Apollo program. On her return
to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), she was appointed Senior Advisor for
Knowledge Management (2008-2013) where she created and managed NRC’s first KM program
saving the agency 57 million dollars in its first two years of operation. A frequent speaker at KM
conferences, Patricia is co-author of two books: “Navigating the Minefield – a Practical KM
Companion,” published by the American Society for Quality and “The KM Cookbook – Stories and
Strategies for Organizations exploring KM Standard ISO 30401,” published by Facet
Publishing. She is a certified ISO Quality Management Systems Auditor and the first certified ISO
30401 KM auditor. She teaches an Introduction to ISO 30401 class, and Training for ISO 30401
Auditors. Details of these courses may be found at: https://www.kmhrsystemsauditors.com
References:
• ISO Members: https://www.iso.org/members.html
• ISO membership and benefits in the ISO Membership Manual.
• Stan Garfield article on Maturity Models: https://stangarfield.medium.com/knowledge-
management-maturity-models-fd094ed49e48
• Real KM: “What does the research say about maturity models?”
https://realkm.com/2019/09/13/what-does-the-research-say-about-knowledge-
management-maturity-models/
• Nick Milton SIKM talk on ISO 30401: https://sikm.groups.io/g/main/message/6687
• Chris Collison talk on the KM Cookbook and ISO:
https://groups.io/g/SIKM/message/7414
• Israeli KM standard: https://www.sii.org.il/en/25006
• German KM standards home page:
https://www.din.de/en/meta/search/61764!search?query=Wissensmanagement&submit
-btn=Submit
• Australian KM standard:
https://www.saiglobal.com/pdftemp/previews/osh/as/as5000/5000/5037-2005.pdf