A Knowledge Management Support Tool: Visualizing Design Activities

Author(s):  
Kamran Sedig

As organizations try to become more competitive, their success depends on how they capture the strategies and activities that are embedded in their work processes. Some companies capture this knowledge in the form of narrative-based case studies and success stories. Computer-based visualization tools can assist this process. This paper presents and discusses a knowledge management support tool, UCD_Vis.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-235
Author(s):  
Marian Dörk ◽  
Boris Müller ◽  
Jan-Erik Stange ◽  
Johannes Herseni ◽  
Katja Dittrich

AbstractCreativity is a crucial factor in finding novel and useful visualization and interaction techniques, but its emergence is contingent on the right conditions. The focus of visualization research has traditionally been on techniques, and to a lesser degree on the process of creating them with domain experts and end users. This paper focuses on the collaborative design of visualizations for information seeking and knowledge management. The difficult, yet common challenge in any visualization project is to find meaningful visual representations and useful interaction techniques to carry out complex analysis tasks. The unique difficulty for preparing co-design activities for visualization lies in the gap between the abstract nature of data and the concrete form of visual representations. To bridge this gap, our co-design framework for visualization places particular emphasis on actors, activities, and artifacts as categories that expand the focus of visualization design beyond the traditional triad of users, tasks, and data. Drawing from general co-design principles, the framework is developed and validated during the course of two case studies in the context of information management systems and library collection databases. Based on observed patterns during the case studies, practical tactics provide advice on carrying out co-design in information visualization.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (03) ◽  
pp. 1350019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin K. Patil ◽  
R. Kant

In globalisation of business, Knowledge Management (KM) plays an important role in Supply Chain (SC) to create, build and maintain competitive advantage through utilisation of knowledge and through collaborative practices. Literature review have suggested the performance of KM adoption in SC may be affected by various influencing factors but it is always difficult for the practitioners to improve all aspects at the same time. The aim of this study is to identify Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of KM adoption in SC. This study presents a favourable method combining fuzzy set theory and the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method to segment the critical factors for successful KM adoption in SC. The empirical case study analysis of an Indian hydraulic valve manufacturing organisation is conducted to illustrate the use of the proposed framework for identifying the CSFs of KM adoption in SC. According to the results of the empirical study, six CSFs of KM adoption in SC are identified out of 25 influencing factors, these are top management support, communication and collaboration techniques, employee involvement, employee training and education, communication among the SC members and trustworthy teamwork to exchange knowledge within SC which will help to improve effectiveness and efficiency of KM adoption in SC. The decision makers can apply a phased implementation of these CSFs to ensure the effective KM adoption in SC under the constraints of available resources. This proposed method provides a more accurate, effective and systematic decision support tool for identifying CSFs of KM adoption in SC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-168
Author(s):  
Janie Houle ◽  
Stephanie Radziszewski ◽  
Préscilla Labelle ◽  
Simon Coulombe ◽  
Matthew Menear ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-337
Author(s):  
Jan Kunnas

While geologists are still considering whether the Anthropocene should be accepted as a formal geological epoch, it is up to us humanists to search for ways making this human era a good one. In this article, I will examine how we can use historical research to provide such tracks based on past regularities or similarities. Positive success stories from the past can at least provide faith that we can do something about our current environmental problems. This investigation is based on two case studies: the Tesla Model S electric car, and the Swedish pulp and paper industry's transition to chlorine-free bleaching. It argues that the sustainability revolution doesn't just share similarities with the quality movement of the 1970s and 1980s, but is essentially a continuation of it. In concordance with previous megatrends, the major benefit of the sustainability revolution will be reaped by countries and companies running ahead of the curve. A new term, 'trail-blazer dependency' is introduced; by setting an example, the first-movers are opening a trail for late-comers to follow.


Author(s):  
Sultan Alyahya ◽  
Ohoud Almughram

Abstract The integration of user-centered design (UCD) activities into agile information systems development has become more popular recently. Despite the fact that there are many ways the merging of UCD activities into agile development can be carried out, it has been widely recognized that coordinating design activities with development activities is one of the most common problems, especially in distributed environments where designers, developers and users are spread over several sites. The main approach to coordinate UCD activities with distributed agile development is the use of informal methods (e.g. communication through using video conference tools). In addition to the temporal, geographical and socio-cultural barriers associated with this type of methods, a major limitation is a lack of awareness of how UCD activities and development activities affect each other. Furthermore, some agile project management tools are integrated with design platforms but fail to provide the necessary coordination that helps team members understand how the design and development activities affect their daily work. This research aims to support the effective management of integrating UCD activities into distributed agile development by (i) identifying the key activity dependencies between UX design teams and development teams during distributed UCD/agile development and (ii) designing a computer-based system to provide coordination support through managing these activity dependencies. In order to achieve these objectives, two case studies are carried out. Our findings revealed 10 main dependencies between UCD design teams and development teams as shown by six types of activity. In addition, the participatory design approach shows that developing a computer-based system to manage seven of these selected dependencies is achievable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Cáceres Sepúlveda ◽  
Silvia Ochoa ◽  
Jules Thibault

AbstractDue to the highly competitive market and increasingly stringent environmental regulations, it is paramount to operate chemical processes at their optimal point. In a typical process, there are usually many process variables (decision variables) that need to be selected in order to achieve a set of optimal objectives for which the process will be considered to operate optimally. Because some of the objectives are often contradictory, Multi-objective optimization (MOO) can be used to find a suitable trade-off among all objectives that will satisfy the decision maker. The first step is to circumscribe a well-defined Pareto domain, corresponding to the portion of the solution domain comprised of a large number of non-dominated solutions. The second step is to rank all Pareto-optimal solutions based on some preferences of an expert of the process, this step being performed using visualization tools and/or a ranking algorithm. The last step is to implement the best solution to operate the process optimally. In this paper, after reviewing the main methods to solve MOO problems and to select the best Pareto-optimal solution, four simple MOO problems will be solved to clearly demonstrate the wealth of information on a given process that can be obtained from the MOO instead of a single aggregate objective. The four optimization case studies are the design of a PI controller, an SO2 to SO3 reactor, a distillation column and an acrolein reactor. Results of these optimization case studies show the benefit of generating and using the Pareto domain to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying relationships between the various process variables and performance objectives.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 1550015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saori Ohkubo ◽  
Sarah V. Harlan ◽  
Naheed Ahmed ◽  
Ruwaida M. Salem

Over the past few decades, knowledge management (KM) has become well-established in many fields, particularly in business. Several KM models have been at the forefront of promoting KM in businesses and organisations. However, the applicability of these traditional KM models to the global health field is limited by their focus on KM processes and activities with few linkages to intended outcomes. This paper presents the new Knowledge Management for Global Health (KM4GH) Logic Model, a practical tool that helps global health professionals plan ways in which resources and specific KM activities can work together to achieve desired health program outcomes. We test the validity of this model through three case studies of global and field-level health initiatives: an SMS-based mobile phone network among community health workers (CHWs) and their supervisors in Malawi, a global electronic Toolkits platform that provides health professionals access to health information resources, and a netbook-based eHealth pilot among CHWs and their clients in Bangladesh. The case studies demonstrate the flexibility of the KM4GH Logic Model in designing various KM activities while defining a common set of metrics to measure their outcomes, providing global health organisations with a tool to select the most appropriate KM activities to meet specific knowledge needs of an audience. The three levels of outcomes depicted in the model, which are grounded in behavioural theory, show the progression in the behaviour change process, or in this case, the knowledge use process, from raising awareness of and using the new knowledge to contributing to better health systems and behaviours of the public, and ultimately to improving the health status of communities and individuals. The KM4GH Logic Model makes a unique contribution to the global health field by helping health professionals plan KM activities with the end goal in mind.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morteza Shokri-Ghasabeh ◽  
Nicholas Chileshe

Purpose – A research study has been undertaken at the University of South Australia to introduce application of lessons learned process in construction contractors ' bidding process in the context of knowledge management. The study aims to identify barriers to effectively capture lessons learned in Australian construction industry and how knowledge management can benefit from lessons learned application. Design/methodology/approach – The research study has been undertaken through conducting a “methodological triangulation” and “interdisciplinary triangulation”. This involved an extensive literature review of knowledge management, organisation learning, lessons learned and associated processes and administration of a questionnaire to a sample of construction contractors operating in Australia to elicit opinions on the main barriers to capturing lessons learned, practices such as existence and retention of documentation procedures. A total of 81 useable responses were received from 450 organisations. Response data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics with correlation analysis to examine the strength of relationship among the barriers. Findings – The top-3 barriers to the effective capturing of lessons learned were “lack of employee time”, “lack of resources” and “lack of clear guidelines”, whereas, “lack of management support” was the least ranked barrier. The study established that despite the majority of the ACCs having formal procedures for recording the tenders submitted and their outcomes, only a minority actually retained the lessons learned documentation for each project. The larger contractors were found to be more aware of the importance of lessons learned documentation. A comparative analysis with previous studies also found a disparity in the ranking of the barriers. Research limitations/implications – The majority of the participants were small construction contractors in Australia. The reason is that the researchers were not aware of the contractors ' size prior to inviting them for participation in the research study. Second the findings may not generalize to other industries or to organisations operating in other countries. Originality/value – The findings of this survey help ACCs to understand the importance of lessons learned documentation as part of lessons learned implementation and identify the barriers to effectively document their lessons learned. The study provides insights on the barriers and proposes advocated solutions in form of drivers and enablers (critical success factors) of organisational learning capturing among the Australian construction contractors. By reviewing the current literature, “post-project reviews” and “lessons learned” as important elements of organisation learning knowledge transfer, are addressed. Finally, contribution of this study to knowledge and practice has been discussed in this paper.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 593-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayçal Boukamcha

Purpose – This paper aims to clarify the impact of the entrepreneurial training on a Tunisian trainee’s entrepreneurial cognitions and intention. An interactive cognitive perspective was adopted to test the interaction effect between the entrepreneurial cognitions: the perceived entrepreneurial self-efficacy, the perceived entrepreneurial feasibility and entrepreneurial desirability. A research model was built showing several relationships between entrepreneurial training, cognitions and intention. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 240 participants in four business incubators. The maximum-likelihood test was used as a structural equation modeling method to test the model. Findings – The results show the importance of the entrepreneurial training in the development of entrepreneurial cognitions. Further, the findings, to some extent, validate the interaction between the entrepreneurial cognitive patterns. However, entrepreneurial intention was only predicted through the entrepreneurial desirability. Several implications are discussed at the end of this paper. Practical implications – The findings seem interesting insofar, as they show the importance of entrepreneurial trainings in the entrepreneurial intention development through the enhancement of desirability. This process can be triggered by a training program that contains case studies, success stories and conferences to make the youth enthusiastic about self-employment. Originality/value – The significant impact of the entrepreneurial training on trainees’ cognitions should encourage governments and incubators to promote entrepreneurial training programs to enhance the youths’ willingness to create their own businesses. The findings in this paper seem interesting insofar as they show the importance of entrepreneurial trainings in the entrepreneurial intention development through the enhancement of desirability. This process can be triggered by a training program that contains case studies, success stories and conferences to make the youth enthusiastic about self-employment.


2005 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 95-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan Yew Wong ◽  
Elaine Aspinwall

To date, very few publications have been found that describe how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are adopting knowledge management (KM). The same is true concerning attempts to develop a framework to help them implement it. To redress this, this paper presents the results of four case studies conducted in UK SMEs to examine their KM implementation effort. In addition, a new integrated framework developed by the authors was evaluated to determine its applicability in this business sector. The methodology employed to conduct the studies is described and each of the cases is then presented. The results are analysed and key lessons or findings gathered from the companies are highlighted. Comments received from the companies with respect to the integrated framework were positive and favourable. It is hoped that the information accrued from the case studies, together with the integrated framework, will help to pave the way for SMEs to accomplish KM.


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