One Step at a Time

Now that you've asked the question "When should i start my KM initiative?" its time to start putting together a small plan.



The first step is to demystify the term KM.



Do not use complicated terms and strategies to define what it is, instead use simple definitions and examples that provide a clear picture of what its all about. Story telling is one of the more successful means of demonstrating benefits of KM and can be a powerful tool to get your message across.



At the end of the day its about having a discussion on how this is going to help your  people. They need to buy into the idea of the exercise, it shouldn't be just another process that they are expected to follow.



The second step involves finding people who are really interested in pursuing and promoting KM activities.



Launching an initiative amongst this group of people will most definitely ensure a much higher success rate. Recruiting well respected and influential people in your company is a very smart way to promote the value of the initiative to the rest of your organization.



This is an idea that works within project teams as well. identify enthusiastic members of your team and groom them to become Evangelists of the initiative. Try to instill a sense of ownership, the benefits will be almost immediately noticeable with people working a lot harder to achieve goals.



The third step involves  looking for opportunities to implement KM.
 

 
•  
•  
• Use groups you feel can benefit with an KM initiative.





 
•  
•  
• Target low hanging fruit





 
•  
•  
• Market any win you have with the initiative however small , as it can be used as a platform to promote other initiatives as well.





 
•  
•  
• Don't try juggling too many things at the same time, focus on one or two areas where you see immediate benefit and then work your way up.





 
•  
•  
• Remember bigger is not always better.





 
•  
•  

The last step involves leveraging a technology framework that can support you.



While KM is not about technology it is an enabler. Without the technology infrastructure it might be difficult to sustain many initiatives. As a project manager you will be expected to use project tools. While you do this you should keep an eye out for collaboration tools that whlle not mandated just might make collaboration a lot easier for your team.