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A Taxonomy and Survey of Experience Bases and their Use Torgeir Dingsøyr Department of Computer and Information Science Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) E-mail: [email protected] Presentation at the ISERN 2001 meeting, 20-22 1 2 Why is this interesting to us? • Software engineering is knowledge-intensive work! • Many companies have invested in knowledge management tools, or developed their own. • Making use of past experience is a natural task in quality improvement. Plan Act Do Check 3 What is the purpose of the study? Common problems with computer systems for knowledge management: Usage Time Why is this? • No culture or environment for sharing knowledge? • Tools are • Not useful • Not taylored 4 Knowledge Management • What is Knowledge? • Tacit: hard to express. • Explicit: can be expressed in words or writing. • What is knowledge management? • Different strategies for knowledge management • An example 5 Tacit Explicit Tacit Socialization Externalization Explicit Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Internalization Combination Nonaka & Takeuchi: The Knowledge Creating Company, Oxford University Press, 1995 6 What is Knowledge Management? ”to describe, organise, share and develop knowledge” ”systematic management of knowledge-related processes to create, build, collect, organise, package, use and protect knowledge” ”a systematic process to achieve organisational goals by collecting, creating and synthesising and share information, insights and experience” Bjørn Emil Madsen in Monica Rolfsen (ed.) Trendens Tyranni, Fagbokforlaget, 2000. (From researchers on the KUNNE project (www.kunne.no) at Sintef Industrial Management) 7 Knowledge Management Strategy Goals and a way to achieve them Processes + Methods to manage tacit and explicit knowledge Tools + Infrastructure for explicit knowledge 8 9 An Example Intranet of a medium-sized Company • From a medium-sized company that develops software. • Approximately 150 employees. • Consulting work is mostly done in-house. • Internally developed Intranet-based ”corporate memory” from 1997. 10 Overview of Intranet • • • • • • • • • • • • Knowledge Marked Project Guide Competence Blocks Skills Manager WoX Product Idea Café Software Tools Employees Processes Projects Finance Fun and reference - Overview of knowledge resources. - Process guide. - Overview and adm. of internal courses. - Profiles of employee skills. - Knowledge repository - Discussion forum to promote innovation. - Lists of available tools. - List of employees with location, phone #... - List of processes in the company. - Profiles of ongoing and finished projects. - Financial reports - Web museum, quiz... 11 12 Case Studies What was done? • Found 8 articles on knowledge management initiatives, mostly ”lessons learned” • Literature study! What the companies did: • Strategy – Codification? (increase externalization) • Quantitative? • Qualitative? – Personalization? (increase socialization) • Processes – Reorganise? • Tools 13 Case Studies What the claimed benefits were: • Lower development costs? • Higher software quality? • Better work environment? 14 Strategy Knowledge Management Approach Company What did they do? Personalization? Quantitative? Qualitative? NASA SEL Set up a separate organisation which collected and distributed experience. Yes Yes Daimler Chrysler Created three experience factories in three different company departments. Yes Yes Yes Telenor Telecom Software Made an expert system based on own empirical data for effort estimation and risk management, and modified roles. Yes Yes Yes Ericsson Software Technology Set up new organisational roles to increase oral communication of experience. Yes Australian Telecom Company Collected existing explicit information regarding software development and made it searchable. Yes Yes ICL High Performance Introduced an Intranet-based system with an "engineering Systems knowledge database" Yes ICL Finland Made an Intranet-based system with three structural layers. Yes Yes sd&m Set up a knowledge management group and Intranet system. Yes Yes 15 Processes • Developers should actively participate in collecting, refining and distributing knowledge. • Separate roles for knowledge management in five companies. • New activities like kick-off and touch-down meetings in one company. 16 Tools • Intranet systems for knowledge repositories: – Daimler Chrysler, both ICL departments, sd&m and also at the Australian Telecom company. • Profiles of skills, projects and customers: – sd&m and ICL Finland • Expert Systems: – Telenor Telecom Software • Guides to company work processes: – ICL and Telenor Telecom Softwvare 17 18 Reported Benefits Reported benefit Company What was the effect? NASA SEL Reduced number of defects, reduced software production costs, increased use. Daimler Chrysler The case gives no information on the effect for the company. Telenor Telecom Software The company indicates that estimation accuracy has improved, and focus on risk management has increased. Ericsson Software Technology The company claims that the initiative was "more valuable" than a database and measurement-approach. Australian Telecom Company Good acceptance of product amongst users. Developer satisfaction? Lower cost? Higher quality? Yes Yes Yes Yes ICL High Performance A perception that it has facilitated a "new mode of working" Systems Yes ICL Finland Saved time, because it is easier to find documents. Easier to learn new project members about project work. Yes sd&m Previous problems due to rapid growth have diminished. Yes Yes 19 Conclusions • Theory – Most companies have a codification strategy, but many also focus on personalization. – Companies focus more on qualitative knowledge than quantitative knowledge. • Technology – Low-tech Intranets are most widely used. – High-tech tools not much in use. • Practice – Difficult to determine benefits! 20 Appendix: How sure can we be? • • • • • • NASA SEL Daimler Chrysler Telenor Telecom Software Ericsson An Australian Telecom Company ICL High Performance Systems learned • ICL Finland • Sd&m Lessons learned Lessons learned Lessons learned Lessons learned Assertion Lessons Lessons learned Lessons learned Most of the studies are done just after introducing a new ”program” 21 What is Explicit Knowledge? Information use type Example/ explanation Enlightment Company-internal news. Problem understanding To develop a better comprehension of a particular problem. Instrumental Guidelines, templates Factual Billing rate, travel exprense rates Confirmational To verify other information Projective Forecasts, scenarios, estimates Motivational To sustain personal involvement. Personal or Political Develop relationships 22