Knowledge management road map released

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Knowledge management road map released


Organisations wishing to explore the possibilities of knowledge management (KM) now have a road map - the newly released Interim Australian Standard for Knowledge Management developed by Standards Australia. The interim standard, the first such document on KM to be published worldwide, was developed by a committee chaired by Senior Lecturer in Knowledge Management at the University of Technology, Sydney, Sue Halbwirth. "It's what you might call a small 's' standard - it's not meant to be prescriptive, but descriptive," Ms Halbwirth said. "The aim was to encapsulate what is a rapidly developing and still rather fluid multi-disciplinary field - one that brings together concepts from strategic planning, human resources management, information technology and information management under a single brand. "The document maps out a pathway for organisations wishing to have a knowledge focus - to capture an approach an experienced knowledge manager might have implemented in their first year on the job. "It defines the tools and techniques and lays out the methodology for deciding what tools or techniques to use." Standards Australia's Director - Business Standards, Mark Bezzina, said: "The task of producing a knowledge management standard has been a complex process and hence it is vital to obtain feedback from the end users of the interim standard to ensure that the final standard has broad acceptance." The committee for the interim standard included representation from organisations such as the Australian Society of Archivists, Computer Human Interaction Group, Institute for Information Management, Australian Human Resources Institute, Australian Library and Information Association, CSIRO, Law Council of Australia and the National Office for the Information Economy. "There were many different viewpoints represented, and pulling the concepts together was a bit like bottling fog, but we now have a platform on which to build," Ms Halbwirth said. Standards Australia will circulate the interim KM standard for a year, during which time comment will be invited from people and organizations concerned with the field. The standard will be revised and finalised in the light of public comment. Ms Halbwirth said it was not the first time Australia has lead the development of standards in the information disciplines - the international standard in records management had been derived from the Australian standard. She said the UTS Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences had been asked to participate in the development of the KM standard because of its leadership role in the field. Standards Australia and UTS will present a series of workshops on the Interim Australian Standard for Knowledge Management, beginning in Sydney on 28 March, and then Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. For information about the workshops telephone 1300 65 6529. For more information on the interim standard visit: www.standards.com.au Wednesday 19 March 2003