Building a KM Foundation at Microsoft Consulting Services

A knowledge management (KM) system is the technology platform and infrastructure that an organization employs to share its knowledge. A successful KM system is one that is easily accessible by all knowledge workers in the organization. It should fit seamlessly into current (or proposed) workflow processes of the end users and is based on a sound understanding of the organization’s culture and technology infrastructure. The knowledge assets (KAs) held by the system need to be readily accessible to the user at anytime and any place. The most important measure of success for a KM system is use. The return on investment for KM is derived through the behaviors of the knowledge workers. The KM system’s value is in the enablement of those behaviors. This chapter focuses on technological aspects of a KM system, particularly the one built and used by Microsoft Consulting Services.