Knowledge Portals with
Knowledge Maps: The “Glue” for
Business Objects and Processes
Dirk Mahling, Ph.D.
Global KM Practice Leader
dmahling@primix.com
617.923.6763
 copyright 1999 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com
What is Knowledge Management?
(official version)
Managing intellectual capital to drive valuegenerating decisions and actions across the
enterprise
•
Marrying processes and information to generate, gather,
store, connect, and apply knowledge where and when
people need it
•
Often an enabler of other domains
•
Objective is to drive business results through conversion of
information into actionable knowledge
•
Metrics include cycle time, quality, customer satisfaction,
employee satisfaction, productivity, etc.
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 2
What is Knowledge Management?
(Unofficial Version)
• Everything that is not “database” or
transaction (unstructured mess)
• Critical facture: culture; Visible part: technology
• KM is:
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 3
So…What is a Portal?
• Basically: A home-page on steroids.
• Provides access to diverse enterprise content
• Provides access to enterprise communities
• Provides links to services within the enterprise
• Provides key links to services and information
outside the enterprise
• Provides "utility services", e.g. personalization,
security
• Channels
• More….
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 4
Two forces join to bring portals about
Corporate Corporate
Home Page Intranets
Supplier
Centric
Buyer Centric Supplier
Procurement Online Malls Catalogs
Narrow Sales and
Casting Marketing
Services
EDI
Portal
Knowledge Management
and Customer Relations
•
Leverage industry, customer, &
product/technical knowledge
– Marketing programs
– Pre-sales efforts
– Sales process
•
Support post-sales support & customer
service
•
Assist in product development &
research
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Transaction Management
and E-Commerce
•
Users
– Marketing people
– Sales people
– VARs and Distributors
– In-house and Contract
technicians
– Customers (purchasing)
– Customers (service depts.)
Page 5
Different Types of Portals
Example
Consumer
Portals
Corporate
Portals
Customer
Portals
Vertical Portals
Commerce
Portals
Yahoo,
Business Portal/EIP
Premier Pages
Industry Web Site,
Energyportal.com,
Digital Marketplace,
Commerce Hub
Business
Professionals in a
single discipline.
Business
Professionals in
any discipline;
Communities of
Interest and
Practice
eMarkets
AOL
Target User
Consumers
Employees
Customers
Purpose
Directory/ Internet
Apps
Leverage Intranet
Resources
Customer Specific
Views
Content, Links, and
Commerce
Online forum for
B2B supply chains
Content
Anything
Intranet Apps/
Internet Content
Catalogs, Manuals,
FAQs, Transactions
Articles, Job
Listings, Catalogs,
Guides
Catalogs, Shopping
Guides,
Transactions
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 6
Major Portal Features
Customers,
Employees,
Partners
Portal
- Knowledge Map for Enterprise
- Alerts, Personalization
- Channels, Profiling
- Security, Login
- Application Launching
Content
- Searching
- Grazing
- Catalogs/
Indices
- Alerts
- Taxonomy
- Pull/Push
- BoKs
eAssist
Communities
- Diagnose
- Discussion
-Solutions
Boards
Chat
eCom
- Alerts
-CallCenter
- Taxonomy -subscribe - CRM
- TeamWare - pay per
view
- Remote
- renew
Collaboration
- TeamArchive subscription
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
eLearning
-skill transfer
- distance ed
- curriculum
- authoring
- performance
- personnel
development.
Page 7
Best
Practices
- Workflow
- Tasks
- Profiling
- Taxonomy
- Capture
- Store
- ReUse
Case: BW Energy’s Vision
Develop a vertical portal that:
 Optimizes facility operation, equipment & maintenance
 Aggregates and optimizes load among many users
 Acts as a sophisticated exchange for the purchase of energy, passing volume
and efficiency savings to our clients
 Determines if and how to lower ongoing costs and improve efficiency
 Identifies cost anomalies, develop solutions and takes both corrective and
preventative action
 Provides continuous, real-time monitoring and evaluation of your entire
portfolio
 Utilizes advanced forecasting techniques, direct weather info and real time
utility rates to reduce consumption & minimize/avoid peak loads
 Automatically implements optimizing solutions once approved
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 8
Case: First Creative Alternative
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 9
Case: Third Alternative
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 10
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 11
What the Portal
Accomplished for WebGen
Increased sales
New channels, New Customers, New offerings
Reduced cost, increased productivity for clients
Automate processes, Streamline workflows
Clients leveraged assets better
Focus most valuable assets on most valuable functions
Promoted loyalty
Change economics of business relationships
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 12
Steps and Tools in Content Generation
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 13
The Knowledge Challenge
“I Know It’s Out There,
I Just Can’t Find It”
- Merrill Lynch, Enterprise Information Portals
In-depth Report November 1998
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 14
How to Address the Information
Need Problem
Info
Access
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 15
Information needs differ
• Users have different information needs
– Some users knows exactly what they need
– Some users can formulate the query but do not know whether a
specific target document/object exists
– Some users have a vague need that can not be verbalized yet
• Users come with different degrees of
knowledge at time of asking
– Some users know the subject matter space well
– Some users understand the problem at hand intricately
– Some users know the collections and resources well
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 16
Cater to Individual Cognitive Styles
• Different people prefer different cognitive
styles
– framed vs. unframed (internal vs. external frame of reference)
– peripheral vs. focused (broad vs. narrow)
– visual vs. textual (presentation and selection modes)
• example: amazon.com
– allows on portal page to search by
• author, title
• asking general NL questions
• browsing subject areas
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 17
Human Search Behavior
Search for information
Retrieve information from:
• Browse/Graze
• Databases
– Be educated while looking
– Iteratively refine information need
• Inquire
• Documents/Reports
• Internet or intranet
– Ask an intelligent agent
• e-mail
– User able to articulate information
need
• External feeds
– User unaware of type of document
• Discussion groups
• Pinpoint
• Best practices libraries
– Locate a document or object; User
knows that document exists
– User has experience with catalog
searches
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 18
Novices have more success with browsing;
Experts prefer more sophisticated search
mechanisms
User
Expert
Expert
Expert
Novice
Novice
Novice
Issue
Retrieval
Time
Retrieval
Relev.
Iteration Retrieval
(Learning) Time
Retrieval
Relev.
Iteration
(Learning)
Browsing
slow
low
yes
slow
high
yes
Inquire in
English
mid
high
yes
mid
high
yes
Inquire in
Boolean
fast
high
some
fast
no
Pinpoint
w/ Cat.
very
fast
very
high
no
very
fast
very
low
low
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 19
no
Beyond Content: Communities
•
Bringing knowledge and knowledge workers together
•
Continually developing knowledge that drives business performance
•
Gathering and using business intelligence in support of strategy
•
Always having the best knowledge available for decision making
Your Company
Suppliers/Vendors
Knowledge
Workers
K1
K2
Regulatory Entity
K3
K6
K4
K8
K5
Channel
Partners
K7
K = source of knowledge
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
K9
Page 20
Customers
Communities
Communities and hierarchies exist side-by-side in every
organization, communities provide a solution to the problem
Community =
Two or more individuals who interact because of common
interests or task requirements.
Contain connections between individuals that may not be
identified by any organization chart
Communities are unique structures for connecting individuals,
coordinating human action and generating knowledge
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 21
Understand Community Type
• Communities vary
significantly, and it
is critical to
understand the
appropriateness of
each type
Organizational Reach
Local
Tacit Knowledge
Work Team
Community -ofPractice
High
Low
Best Practice
Community
Community -ofInterest
Economic-Web
Global
Explicit Knowledge
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 22
Member
Cohesiveness
Which community is right for you?
Organizational Reach
Local
Tacit Knowledge
Generally better for:
Work Team
• Rapid, incremental innovation
• Improved efficiency (cost, time)
• Improved task quality
Community -ofPractice
High
Low
Best Practice
Community
Member
Cohesiveness
Generally better for:
• Slow, revolutionary innovation
• Improved average performance (less variance)
• Improved error rate
Community -ofInterest
Economic-Web
Global
Explicit Knowledge
Community selection should be driven by business goals and needs
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 23
Which task
needs this?
K-Maps connect Content,
Community, and Process
Document
Document
K-Map
Process
Where is the
policy manual?
Process
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 24
Taxonomies
• Taxonomies are ways to structure vast amounts of information, e.g.
– Dewey system, SIC, animal kingdom
• Multiple parallel taxonomies can co-exist, e.g.
– from a product point of view
– from a process point of view
– from a R&D point of view
• The “first cut” at a taxonomy should be done by a domain expert
and KM expert
• Taxonomies can be living entities (updateable)
• Content that is mapped by the taxonomies can be automatically
“refreshed” and sorted
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 25
Types of K-Maps
• Hierarchical Taxonomies
– Tree structures
– Single path to target
– Documents just on leaves or also above?
• Lattices
– Multiple paths
• Semantic Networks (similar to lattice)
– Associative
• Predefined and "Word" Folders
• Concept Recognition, Dynamic Categories
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 26
Yahoo: Hierarchical Taxonomy
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 27
TheBrain: Semantic Nets
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 28
Northern Light: "Word" Folders
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 29
Semio: Categories on demand
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 30
Themescape: Word Count and Relation
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 31
Dataware: Concept Identification
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 32
Building a Knowledge Map
• DOs
– build a company specific
taxonomy
• DON’Ts
– start with SIC codes
– build many taxonomies
– make it an exercise in
library science
– involve all stakeholders
– re-invent Dewey
– employ soft methods
such as “day in a life”,
storyboarding
– try to be complete
– try to be overly efficient
– try to be un-ambiguous
– keep the map an
“evergreen” object
– Employ automatic
engines, e.g. Semio or
Dataware
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 33
Comparing Ways to Generate and
Refresh Knowledge Maps
Method
Advantage
Disadvantage
Automatic
Very fast
May be suboptimal
SemiAutomatic
Fast and accurate
Requires human
intervention
Manual
Accurate
Slow
On Demand
High relevance
Sometimes lower
relevance
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 34
Transforming Information into
Business Advantage
Content Scenario
Collaboration Scenario
6/9/96
6/9/96
6/9/96
6/9/96
COMMUNITIES OF
INTEREST NETWORKS
BUSINESS
PROCESSES
Page: 1
Page: 1
Page: 1
Page: 1
Customer
Virtual
Communities
Process Scenario
External
Information
Sources
Time-Sensitive
Internal
Information
Information
(faxes, conversations,
Sources
meetings)
6/9/96
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
LIBRARY
6/9/96
CAPTU
RE
Page: 1
Page: 1
FILTE
R
STORE
KNOWLEDGE SOURCES
TAXONOMY
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Page: 1
Page: 1
BUSINESS
PROCESSES
SUPPORT
TEAM
6/9/96
USE
SHAR
ED
WOR
KSPAC
ES
6/9/96
Document Management
System, Databases, etc...
COMMUNITY B
COMMUNITY A
ENHANCED BUSINESS PROCESSES
Communication, cooperation, control
technology (email, Lotus Notes, WWW, etc.)
Information technology makes knowledge management possible and necessary now in ways it
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com
info@primix.com
Page 35
has not been|in
the past.
Profile of a Knowledge Mapping
Program
KM Roadmap Project
KM Blueprint Project
KM Roadmap
IBA KM
Primix
KMBenchmark
Benchmark
Database
Database
KM Blueprint
KM Solution Integration Project
KM Solution
IBA KM
Primix
KM
Platform
Platform
KM App. Integration
Strategic Assessment
Selection
Customer Knowledge
Risk
Existing Solutions
Long
List
KASP
Know-How
Expertise Carriers
Cost
Return
Feasable
Project
Definition:
KM
Roadmap
Infrastructure
SW Selection
Process/Policy
Business Case
KM Architecture
Blueprint
(Technology,
Business, Policy)
Running
KM
Solution
RelationshipKnowledge
Quick Wins
KM Roadmap
KM Chg. Management
Quick Start Portal
Drill Down Modules
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 36
Resulting Major Potential Features
Customers,
Employees,
Partners
Portal
- Knowledge Map for Enterprise
- Alerts, Personalization
- Channels, Profiling
- Security, Login
- Application Launching
Content
- Searching
- Grazing
- Catalogs/
Indices
- Alerts
- Taxonomy
- Pull/Push
- BoKs
eAssist
Communities
- Diagnose
- Discussion
-Solutions
Boards
Chat
eCom
- Alerts
-CallCenter
- Taxonomy -subscribe - CRM
- TeamWare - pay per
view
- Remote
- renew
Collaboration
- TeamArchive subscription
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
eLearning
-skill transfer
- distance ed
- curriculum
- authoring
- performance
- personnel
development.
Page 37
Best
Practices
- Workflow
- Tasks
- Profiling
- Taxonomy
- Capture
- Store
- ReUse
Functional Convergence of Portals
Internal
Access to
"Mainframe"
Data
Intranet
Extranet
Access for
Channel
Partners
Access for
Customers
Catalogs,
E-Commerce
Communities
External ECommerce
Catalog
Shipping,
Tracking
Access to
Content
(Content
Management)
Customer
Support
Internet
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 38
Portal Vision for Electronic
Business
Unstructured Info
E-BIZ
Structured Info
Knowledge Management
and Customer Relations
Transaction Management
and E-Commerce
• Portal Is Not Just Providing A Vehicle For Making A Transaction Happen
• Providing Knowledge To Support The Buying Process Is Critical
• Facilitating Internal Electronic Information Exchange
• Organizations That Develop Leverage Enterprise Portals for Internal
Knowledge Management and External Relationship Management are
Poised for Success
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 39
www.primix.com
Strategic Internet Services
One Arsenal Mall
Watertown, MA 02472
Dirk Mahling, Ph.D.
Global Practice Leader
dmahling@primix.com
617.923.6763
 copyright 2000 Primix Solutions | www.primix.com | info@primix.com
Page 40