Knowledge Asset Road Maps

A Knowledge Asset Road Map is built by carefully relating knowledge management actions upwards to business objectives and strategy, and downwards to specific knowledge assets. The first step in establishing a Road Map for a programme is to set up a number of Facets which will be helpful for the programme. Some examples of general facets are given below. In practice the facets need tailoring to the specific needs of the programme and may require further revision as the Road Map is developed.
1. business objectives and business drivers with threads such as:
more effective capture and use of business knowledge
more effective product innovation
a more efficient research process
objectives relating to new products or services

2. lead projects and knowledge management actions
the threads could relate the chosen projects to the major types of task or major challenges that the programme needs to address.

3. knowledge management enablers with threads relating to:
skill building
insertion of technology
use of external skills

4. knowledge related processes

5. knowledge assets

An example of a Knowledge Asset Road Map is shown in Figure. The development approach needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the programme. An example of such an approach is:
1. Examine the strategic business plans and taking each business objective in turn.

2. Determine which knowledge assets and processes will have to be in place to support this objective. The knowledge assets need to be described in sufficient detail so that current knowledge assets can be
evaluated and subsequently knowledge gaps can be addressed.

3. Analyse the status of the knowledge assets and processes.

4. Identify which knowledge management enablers (e.g. technologies, processes, organisational changes) are required to achieve the objective along with the timescales for their insertion.

5. Add any necessary intermediate developments of assets, processes and technologies

6. Agree Knowledge Asset Road ties and linkages and sort out time-line dependencies.

Having established a Knowledge Asset Road Map it should be communicated as widely as possible within the organisation. Thereafter, any new knowledge management enabler entries on the Road Map could be justified in a number of ways. One reason might be that they are in support of, or allow reaching of, an objective or entry already on the Road Map. In general well justified knowledge management enabler Road Map entries would:

relate to identified existing business objectives.
open the opportunity for future business prospects.
be based on current knowledge assets.
lead to the development of future knowledge assets.

The process of developing the Road Map and the completed document provide a framework that allows:
individual knowledge management actions to be defined and justified in terms of their contribution to overall objectives.
setting of time-scales for development of new assets.
identification of key assets that support many objectives.
identification of opportunities to "pull through" new assets ready for exploitation.
identification of opportunities for strategically competitive products and services that combine a set of assets unique to the organisation.
identification of knowledge gaps that need to be filled.
identification of critical paths from asset developments to meeting business objectives.
more effective communication between participants and observers of the programme (e.g. users,researchers, technicians, managers and directors involved in the various aspects of the programme).
management aids for those involved in carrying out the programme and measuring its progress.
reduction of investment risk through better prioritisation of projects.
sensible decisions to be taken on the opportunities for further exploiting the results of the programme.

The Road Map reflects the current state of the interrelationships between work in progress and proposed for the future and the overall milestones and aims of the programme. Hence it can serve as a framework for monitoring the progress of the programme against overall objectives.

Knowledge Asset Road Maps are evolutionary and as such need to be actively maintained and updated atProgramme Reviews, when business objectives change, when there is a shift in knowledge asset focus and as new assets mature. An owner of the Road Map should be identified, for example, the organisation’s Knowledge Manager and a process for maintaining and managing the Road Map should be defined to suit the organisational structure within the business and type and size of the knowledge management programme.

The Road Map is not an alternative to individual project plans and more detailed management aids to control the programme. It is a high level overall co-ordination and communication aid. As such, it cannot be expected to show all knowledge assets and relevant ties. Special versions of the Road Map can be developed for specific audiences or showing relevant facets, threads and ties for a specific purpose.