Expedient Knowledge Inventory

ex  pe  di  ent adj. 1. useful for effecting a desired result; suited to the circumstances or the occasion; advantageous; convenient

The Expedient Knowledge Inventory is a methodology for the identification, classification, and enhancement of business knowledge and processes. Unlike many structured analysis methodologies the Expedient Knowledge Inventory (EKI) is meant to be adapted to fit the purposes of the organization.

EKI can help an organization with the following:

Structured Analysis

EKI assumes the basics of structured analysis tailored to knowledge assets and processes.

A knowledge asset is organizational understanding that can be described or derived. An asset does not need to be a permanent tangible item. The ability to fabricate an item when needed is sufficient to support the definition of knowledge asset. Assets may be in found in four different forms: raw, simple, inferred, and experiential. Assets in raw form include data and databases. Simple forms of assets are most tangible and identifiable such as documents, forms, reports, or recordings. Assets that are inferred required analysis, computation, translation, combination or some other operation to derive the desired results. Experiential assets are results that are known to be available but are in uncertain or indefinite condition or may required special resources (people, time & money) to generate.

A process is a series of actions or operations leading to a desirable end. EKI seeks to track knowledge assets across an organization following transfers and transformations of the information.

Components

The Expedient Knowledge Inventory includes many components that define and refine knowledge assets, processes and interactions. The level of detail each component is used will be varied for each project.

1. Environment Definition – The project scope including goals, objectives, out-of-scope, impacted business areas, impacted business processes, impacted knowledge assets
2. Business Area Information – Function/Purpose, Alignment, Staffing, Location, Strength, Weakness, Business Processes, Knowledge Assets
3. Business Process Information – Description, Value, Process Diagram, Knowledge Assets, Business Areas
4. Knowledge Asset Information – Description, Purpose, Transition & Transformation Diagram, Attributes, Business Areas, Business Processes
5. Process Actions – Details of Business Processes
6. Process Skills – Details of Business Skills
7. Knowledge Attributes – Defining characteristics of knowledge
8. Knowledge Lifecycle – Knowledge assets compared to 12 component lifecycle
9. Process & Action Revisions
10. Knowledge Classification & Access Revisions
11. And more…

Starting the Inventory

A set of Business Areas, Business Processes or Knowledge Assets form the basis of the project depending upon the desired scope or constraints. One of the components 2) Business Area Information, 3) Business Process Information or 4) Knowledge Asset Information is used as a starting point to identify in-scope information.  Discovery continues to either of the other components (2,3 or 4) and finishing with the remaining component.

For example, a EKI project could begin with the identification of a Knowledge Asset, (Product Specification), proceeding to identify the corresponding Business Processes (R&D Budget Process, Marketing Review, PR Review, Legal Review, etc) and complete with the recognition of Business Areas involved (Product Team, Finance, Product Management, Marketing, Communications Documentation, PR, Legal, etc.)

Inventory Results

Knowledge Inventory components are expected to be customized and shaped to the specific application.    Remarkably different results can be acheived by combining the components in different ways.  Two examples are the Knowledge Taxonomy and Business Process Improvements.  

Knowledge Taxonomy

Knowledge Taxonomy with standardized attributes could be created through the following path of components: 1) Environment Definition, 4) Knowledge Asset Information, 6) Knowledge Attributes and/or 8) Knowledge Lifecycle, and 10) Knowledge Classification & Access Revisions.

Business Process Improvement Map

A Business Process Improvement Map can be created by following the components 1) Environment Definition, 3) Business Process Information, 5) Process Actions, 6) Process Skills and 9) Process & Action Revisions.

Contact Strategy 1st LLC for additional information.

Trademarks - Knowventory™, Expedient Knowledge Inventory™