DECISION MAKING SUPPORT THROUGH A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR COMPLEX IT SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Recent research reveals a narrow, rational model of problem- solving and decision-making in complex IT systems development projects. This creates problems that are identified in the thesis. The aim of this study is to develop a novel decision-making framework to support the decision-making process of managers of complex IT systems development projects by focusing on knowledge management frameworks. The objectives for the research were determined through a critical review of the existing research on decision-making in IT projects, primarily to discover how project managers’ decision-making can be supported through project-specific knowledge management. A qualitative research approach was then designed to investigate the phenomenon in its context by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews. This study used qualitative data, through expert participants’ observations and opinions on IT systems development, particularly by understanding project management issues. The expert participants expressed their experiences through in-depth interviews. The collected data was then analysed using the thematic analysis technique and the findings were used to develop the IT Systems Development Decision-Making Support Framework. The Framework was then validated through focus group interviews. The main contribution of this research is based on the application of knowledge creation and knowledge management theories to decision-making frameworks for IT systems projects through the IT Systems Development Decision-Making Support Framework. The Framework is expected to enable decision evaluation and project-specific knowledge generation and sharing in IT systems development projects. This is vital for the type of contextual knowledge required for project-specific knowledge creation and management. Since IT systems development projects tend to be unique and their development process is complex, it is contended that an effective novel approach for modelling the expert decision-making process and assessing the defined model through project-specific knowledge activities is essential. This approach should help to deal with high level of complexity that is normally found in IT systems development projects

Understanding agility in software development through a complex adaptive systems perspective

This paper examines dimensions of social capital in the distributed collaborative development of the UK particle physics Grid. It is shown that the GridPP project effectively draws upon social capital rooted in the tradition and culture of particle physics experiments, characterized with trust, equality, shared vision, collaboration, and pragmatism. These factors contribute to overcoming the challenges in the creation and sharing of knowledge in the development of the Grid, a cutting-edge technology that has to be delivered as a working system with limited time and resources. This case sheds lights on, and provides a good example of, the importance of social capital in distributed systems development

Knowledge Management Strategies to Support Operational Security Requirements of Transmission System Operators of Electricity: the case of MAVIR

The Operational Security Network Code will provide the basis on European Union level for the power system to function with a satisfactory level of security and quality of supply, as well as efficient utilization of infrastructure and resources. It requires each TSO to launch knowledge sharing and knowledge management initiatives with emphasis on Transmission System elements, the operation of the Transmission System, use of the on-the-job systems and processes, as well as inter-TSO operations and market arrangements   In order to analyse the organizational context for successful knowledge management strategies, we completed both quantitative and qualitative research at MAVIR Hungarian Independent Transmission Operator Company. We undertook a knowledge management survey among 580 employees, and performed 15 semi-structure interviews with senior management.   Based on our research findings, knowledge management strategies to support operational security requirements of TSOs should focus on: Knowledge-sharing technology development, that is able to integrate within one single platform all knowledge management needs, supported by an intelligent search engine.Knowledge content development, focused on informal/tacit knowledge, as well as knowledge gaps. Companywide involvement of senior experts and knowledge worker is essential within the content development projects.Transparent knowledge management processes and well-defined roles and responsibilities within the knowledge creation, sharing and application.Cultural change / change management project to support the whole organization in realizing its knowledge management strategy. Individual incentives should also be included to encourage active involvement within knowledge sharing. Keywords Knowledge management, knowledge sharing, strategy, TSO, operational security, network code, MAVI

The (New) roles of prototypes during the co-development of digital product service systems

This paper investigates different roles that prototypes play during the development of digital Product Service Systems (PSSs). A literature review reveals that prototyping supports designers during the design process, as well as during knowledge sharing processes with stakeholders. To create a better understanding of these two co-existing roles of prototyping, we executed a research-through-design project in the healthcare domain. This design project was centred around the development of four different prototypes that the designer sequentially developed. A major input into the design process was co-reflection sessions between the designer and different stakeholders. We analysed the prototyping process and the co-reflection sessions. Moreover, we executed a conversational analysis to understand the actual knowledge sharing processes between the designer and the different stakeholders. The results present a detailed overview of the different (co-existing) roles of the prototypes. We distinguished two new types of prototypes which were both related to the development of the intangible aspects of the digital PSS: (1) service interface prototrial aimed at exploring several options for detailing the different intangible aspects of the digital PSS, and (2) service provotype to stimulate collaborative creation of the intangible aspects of the digital PSS in an early stage

A Knowledge-Engine Architecture for a Competence Management Information System

This paper describes the ongoing project to develop a knowledge-engine architecture that is being specified and developed by a Portuguese software development company called Shortcut. The primary goal of this work is create an architecture suitable for use, initially, in a Competence Management System (CMS) but also scalable for later use in more generic forms of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS). In general, Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives promote the management, i.e. the creation, storage and sharing, of knowledge assets within an organization. The practical focus of our work is to support the management of employees’ competencies through using a KM approach to create a web based CMS based on a structured content management infrastructure. The system is designed using an ontology-driven framework that incorporates expert annotations which integrate aspects of less tangible knowledge, such as contextual information with more structured knowledge such as that stored in databases, procedures, manuals, books and reports. The theoretical focus of the work is on the representation of competence-based knowledge resources, such as human capital, skills, heuristics acquired during project development, best practices and lessons-learned. This work should contribute for improving the understanding and analysis of the collective knowledge, skills and competencies that are created through problem solving in day-to-day activities and could act as a meeting point for issues around problem solving in complex organizations and context-based information retrieval

Knowledge management in development projects

The effective management of knowledge is now recognised as a vehicle through which the construction industry can address its need for innovation and improved business performance. The failure to capture and transfer project knowledge, which is usually buried in unread reports and arcane filing systems, or lost because people move on, leads to the increased risk of ‘reinventing the wheel’, wasted activity, and impaired project performance. Knowledge is therefore considered vital in creating competitive advantage in the new economy. Much of the growth in many global firms has been credited to knowledge, as new technologies and innovations are applied to the market and workplace. Knowledge management is therefore increasingly seen as an integral part of an organization’s competitive strategy as it facilitates continuous improvement through learning and innovation. This is now increasingly recognised by most sectors of industry, with many organisations appointing a Knowledge Manager or Business Improvement Manager, with responsibility for articulating and implementing the organisation’s knowledge management strategy. This paper argues that knowledge management is equally important in development projects and advocates the application of knowledge management practices to these projects. It introduces the key phases in knowledge management (creation, storage, sharing, modification, etc.) and explores how these can be implemented in development projects. The application of knowledge management to development projects is expected to result in numerous benefits including the transfer of lessons learned from one project to another, improved transfer of knowledge between developed countries and developing countries, and better management of human resources. This paper starts with a review of key knowledge management concepts, and outlines some of the characteristics of development projects. It then discusses the potential for knowledge management in development projects and concludes with a summary of the practical benefits to be gained

Decision support approaches in adaptive forest management

Climate and social changes place strong demands on forest managers. Forest managers need powerful approaches and tools, which could help them to be able to react to the rapidly changing conditions. However, the complexity of quantifying forest ecosystems services as well as the complexity of current decision theories, technologies and operation research methods, complicate the creation of one general tool. The continuous research and development in this area is an indispensable part of the success of adaptive management as well as the sharing of knowledge and information between research teams around the world. The Community of Practice of Forest Management Decision Support Systems provides a platform for broad discussion among scientists, researchers as well as forest professionals. This special issue provides papers which resulted from a conference session of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations’ (IUFRO) 125th Anniversary Congress in Freiburg, Germany in 2017. The joint sessions and other meetings (and resulting publications) are appropriate opportunities for knowledge sharing on these important methods and systems for protecting and managing forest ecosystems in the future.This special issue was supported by the project “Advanced research supporting the forestry and wood-processing sector’s adaptation to global change and the 4th industrial revolution”, reg. No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803

Managing knowledge transfer partnership for a rural community: the outcomes at Wirksworth, UK

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) model, using higher education (HE) students researching in the UK. It is focused on community engagement via charitable trusts, New Opportunities Wirksworth (NOW) & Ecclesbourne Valley Rail (EVR). The researchers designed and implemented a pilot study that explored the potential of a small, yet attractive and active, market town to diversify and regenerate using tourism. This project, which has been funded by the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), has been devised to operate and monitor a KTP in the culturally important heritage market town of Wirksworth, in Derbyshire. Design/methodology/approach – A systems-thinking constructivist approach is used and employs problem-based learning (PBL) through engagement of students in research and data collection. The authors identified that skills for sustainable development within the community are dependent on the reintegration of complex, inter-dependent and inter-disciplinary factors. A holistic approach to the learning and knowledge shared within the community underpins UK initiatives to promote capacity development in ways to change knowledge applications across product and service boundaries. Therefore, in addition to encouraging diversification and regeneration through tourism, this project supported the University of Derby's academic agenda to promote experiential and entrepreneurial learning in students working at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This paper accords with the current university initiatives to meet the student employability agenda through the application of PBL and knowledge management. Findings – The creation of outcomes and recommendations for Wirksworth's stakeholders provides sustainability through the knowledge creation and sharing processes. There are seven outcomes that chart a path to development and knowledge transfer (KT) and sharing. The authors simultaneously provided an environment for students to gain skills and a community to acquire new knowledge, and these are the outcomes and output of this project. New learning styles may support inclusive academic practice (see related samples of PBL such as Ineson and Beresford in HLST resources 2001). Implications for building a KT community through the social capital accumulated in the project are explored. Originality/value – In taking PBL from the classroom to the community, the authors have created a new KT environment in which skills can be acquired and a regeneration strategy can be tested in a work-or-practice-related setting. Students recognise that they are building learning for themselves that is unique in that it cannot be recreated in a classroom setting. The authors see this project developing into a robust long-term partnership between communities and institutions with KT benefits to teaching staff in addition to students. These benefits will include new skills for PBL, working collaboratively with partners in the community to develop key skills in HE students, innovation in assessment, inclusive learning and teaching, experiential and entrepreneurial learning in practice

Knowledge Management in Rural Uzbekistan : Peasant, Project and Post-Socialist perspectives in Khorezm

Agricultural knowledge is important in rural Uzbekistan. Presented in this thesis is sociological data from field research in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, illustrating the ways in which knowledge operates in a certain context of power and culture. The way in which this agricultural knowledge is created, shared, stored and used is discussed in this thesis on the basis of three ‘systems’ of knowledge. These knowledge systems; peasant, project and post-Socialist are used to understand how agricultural knowledge is used differently. The peasant system constitutes the local knowledge of the rural community in the Khorezm province of Uzbekistan. Within this province a development research project, through which this research was conducted, also operates and the particular approach to knowledge creation and sharing is discussed here. Finally, both these systems operate within a knowledge ‘governance’ structure which establishes the ‘rules of the game’ for the region. Yet what we find in all three of these systems is that three phenomena of knowledge exist, in varying ways, in agriculture in Khorezm. These three phenomena are: (i) Knowledge dynamics: how knowledge is made, lost and destroyed, (ii) Power and Knowledge: the interplay of knowledge and power, (iii) Knowledge and Culture: why culture matters in knowledge management. Knowledge loss, especially in the post-1991 period is crucial to understanding the economic and ecological challenges in rural Khorezm and the process of knowledge loss (and creation) is prevalent in my research. Specific to the local knowledge system, evidence is presented that whilst specialisation is inherent in any knowledge system; this characteristic of the knowledge system is embedded in the patriarchal and hierarchal nature of Uzbek culture, and the position of power that this entails. Similarly, I examine the modes of knowledge reproduction within Khorezm and find these to be overwhelmingly family based, even in cases where formal education is necessary, although there are examples of external forms of knowledge being accessed and then reproduced within the knowledge system. I find that in all three systems there is a complex interplay of knowledge and power, with a mutually reinforcing of each occurring in social interactions, within and between the knowledge systems. Finally the phenomena of knowledge loss and knowledge/power relations are grounded in a specific cultural context and it is argued that the peculiarities of Khorezm, including the Soviet history and a specific understanding of authority (joshuli), means that knowledge is shaped and informed by the cultural context from which it is drawn. These findings are then discussed in terms of the theoretical implications of this research which argue for a wider appreciation of knowledge loss and deeper analysis of power/knowledge interactions. Finally, practical development advice is given on how foreign projects can better develop local knowledge in Uzbekistan, by seeing agricultural knowledge as it operates in the cultural context of Khorezm and by accessing local knowledge