Process Approach to Knowledge Management

The article points out the limited availability of practical implementation guidelines, methods and tools as one of the core issues in the widespread usage of knowledge management (KM) in organizations. The process approach is proposed as an efficient way to understand the scope of knowledge management and to plan its development or improvement, in line with organizational strategy. The role of information technology (IT) in supporting knowledge management is emphasized and key functional groups of IT systems are listed. A sample section of the detailed process model is presented for the KM resource identification master process, with a BPMN graphical visualization. Both the process model and the detailed specification of IT systems supporting knowledge management are considered by the author as complex structures that require to be hosted in a dedicated support environment. Key assumptions of a tool, named KMBoost, are outlined to show how a simple, but interactive toolset can foster the understanding and usage of the KM process model. In the concluding remarks a high level SWOT analysis of the KM process model and the KMBoost tool is conducted.