Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Setting Objectives
Connecting the Dots
Building the Foundation
Growing a Knowledge Network
Becoming a Change Agent
After completion of the planning stage of a KM strategy or initiative, attention should be
focused on preparing the Utility and the project team or individuals for implementation. A plan
cannot succeed just because someone orders it to be done. Careful consideration needs to be
given to the current state of the Utility, its culture, workload, competencies and outside demands
on its time. Also, it is useful to get some key workers involved so that the purpose, nature and
value of the project is made visible in a way that gives the Utility time to digest and understand
its goals and impacts.
Setting Objectives
The project requirements must be made explicit for all personnel involved in the project.
Project objectives are often defined in terms of being SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Realistic (and Relevant) and Time-based. While this approach works well for complicated
systems such as building information systems or developing KM Desk Guides, parts of SMART
may have to be dropped or modified in a KM project where the desired outcome is an emergent
phenomenon of a complex system (a community or team). See the MQI paper on systems and
complexity.
Closely linked to setting objectives are setting targets and developing milestones. Set
targets which create direction and opportunities for high performance. These targets are
sometimes referred to as “stretch” goals. They are challenging but not so challenging that they
are viewed as non-achievable. Develop milestones to evaluate performance by comparing
planned results at a point in time to actual results. Milestones are usually significant events in
the project, such as completion of on-time deliverables or successful completion of phases of
the project. Milestone deviations should be monitored and carefully managed throughout the life
of the project. There is little point of being informed of a major cost overrun at the end of a
project, or of ignoring a counter intuitive result that creates unintended and harmful
consequences to the project outcome. While knowledge projects are usually aimed at long-term
results and may be difficult to evaluate in the short-term, activity toward the anticipated outcome
and emergent indicators can be reviewed and assessed.
Connecting the Dots
Any forward movement requires both a starting point and a direction in which to move. A
good way to understand the knowledge currently available in the Utility is through conducting a
knowledge audit and creating a knowledge map. A knowledge audit moves beyond identifying
and mapping knowledge sources to evaluating the state of an organization’s technology, how
well the organization’s processes support knowledge sharing, and the work styles and culture of
the people within the organization. See Case Example #1 and Case Example #2. What is
learned from the knowledge audit can now be compared to what knowledge is needed in order
to identify knowledge gaps. These gaps could be related to current knowledge, or potential
gaps as identified employees move toward retirement or as demands of the environment
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