6 success factors for KM implementation

Here are 6 success factors for Knowledge Management, from one of the discipline’s most experienced practitioners

Success Story, by Animated Heaven, on Flickr

I blogged last week about an article on Knowledge Management by Rob Koene of Fluor. Rob’s overview of KM is full of good practical experience and bullet point lists, and here is his list of KM success factors.

According to Rob, Knowledge Management Implementation will succeed best when:

1. Top Management understands the need for it (no need to convince them)
2. Top Management supports it by promoting it and recognising the benefits.
3. Top Management provides sufficient funds on a continuous basis.
4. It is being run by a dedicated, strong and enthusiastic team who do this as part of their career. (meaning: they take on this job for a longer period of time)
5. Subject Matter Experts are identified and are active and visible.
6. Unless your company is only about IT or HR, do not allow IT or HR to run the show. Although they mean well and they really try with the best of intentions: IT is usually about automation and will drive to automate the management (while) HR may be focused on training which certainly is an item in KM, but it is only part of the package.