Presentation
on
Knowledge Audit
By
B.Girish, Sr. Deputy Director
NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL, RPMG, CHENNAI.
THE MAP-BUILD-OPERATIONALISE CYCLE
THE MAP-BUILD-OPERATIONALISE CYCLE

Mapping – The mapping phase of the cycle focuses on
charting the context for knowledge management. This phase
encourages you to investigate and analyse the knowledge eco
system.

Building – The building phase is to experiment with new ideas
and pilot knowledge interventions. This phase focusses on
building experiences and linkages between people, process,
technology and content.

Operationalising – The operationalising phase is for moving
discrete pilots into the wider operational environment. The
focus is on effective and efficient implementation.
THE MAPPING PHASE
The mapping phase should answer the following questions;

What is the current state of the organisation, the
organisational context and starategic intent?

What is the current state of the knowledge ecosystem?

What is the desired state of the organisation and its
knowledge ecosystem?

What is the gap between the existing and desired states?

What is the best way to move forward?
THE MAPPING PHASE
The gap between your desired state and the existing state of the
knowledge ecosystem allows you to set priorities for
knowledge and identify critical actions for building and
operationalising knowledge management.
THE BUILDING PHASE
The building phase examines how you can encourage your
organisation to be increasingly innovative, work with new
ideas and pilot knowledge interventions. It is a pivotal phase
for:

Taking action on the knowledge priorities identified in
the Mapping Phase.

Encouraging an organisation to explore and experiment.

Identifying the boundaries between what knowledge
interventions work and those that do not;

Creating knowledge champions and advocates; and

Using pilots and prototypes.
THE OPERATIONALISING PHASE
The operationalising phase is for:
o
Rolling out interventions already proven in the building phase
across the wider knowledge ecosystem.
o
Strengthening and modifying existing Enablers;
o
Working collaboratively with related areas of practice
o
Coordinating knowledge interventions;
o
Commercialising knowledge products; and
o
Extending acceptance of knowledge management.
THE OPERATIONALISING PHASE
Key decisions to be made in the operationalising phase are:

Whether the scale of interventions need to be reviewed?

Phasing the interventions to ensure that they build
cohesively and complement each other.

Effective and appropriate enabler selection
THE OPERATIONALISING PHASE
Success indicators for an operating environment typically take three
forms:

Artefact-centered indicators can indicate success by the
increased creation and use of documents, video/sound files,
images, web pages etc;

Activity-centered indicators can indicate improvements in
consulting, coaching, mentoring, facilitating, training; and

Cultural or behavioural change indicators can indicate results
from implementing the knowledge initiative and / or its
accompanying change interventions.
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 AUDIT OBJECTIVES
 To understand the knowledge ecosystem
 To evaluate knowledge structure, use, flow,
assets and resources
 To determine knowledge gaps in the system.
 Investigate the flow of tacit and explicit
information
 Provides an analysis of knowledge use and
practice in the organisation
 Covers people, process, technology and
content.
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 BENEFITS OF AUDITS
 Helps develop an effective KM system
 Assists in optimum allocation of resources
 Helps avoid potential problems
 Allows timely corrective actions
 Improves management decision-making process
 Can be used in both the mapping phase and the
operationalising phase
 Used in the operationalising phase for maintaining
the KM system
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 METHODS
 Horizontal
 Examining each functional area of an organisation
to verify adequacy and implementation of the
system requirements
E.G. Production dept, purchase dept. Etc.
 Vertical
 Examining across functional areas the work done
with respect to a specific work package, work
order or contractual requirement
E.G. Work order no.
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 METHODS
 Random
 Examining aspects of an
organisation’s operations at
random as determined by the
auditor
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
BANBURY
DIP UNIT
A
A
CURING
A
WASTE HEAT
PLANT
A
ATMOSPHERIC
EMISSION
A
C
B
A = HORIZONTAL AUDIT
B = VERTICAL AUDIT
C = RANDOM AUDIT
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 METHODS
 Forward and Backward Tracing
 The auditor follows a logical
sequence of process steps from
input end to output end (forward)
or output end to input end
(backward)
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 METHODS
FORWARD TRACE
BANBURY
DIP UNIT
CALENDERING
BACKWARD TRACE
CURING
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
 METHODS
 Trail Following
 During the course of an audit, if
the auditor uncovers something
worthy of further investigation, he
should investigate further even if
it is a deviation from the initial
plan.
KNOWLEDGE AUDITS
• Knowledge Audits during the Mapping
Phase need to be conduted specifically for
that purpose
• However Knowledge Audits during the
Operationalisation Phase can be part of any
other system audit like QMS audit, EMS
audit, etc., as a part of that system.