Divining Processes

So if I want to improve knowledge transfer within the organization. What kind of workshop would I do?

1. Get some participants from a workgroup or department.
2. They review their calendars.
3. We brainstorm a list of activities using their calendars/schedules as a basis.
4. Perhaps use the APQC models as a top-down control to detail the list.
5. Review the list to determine "suppliers" (i.e., who provides the inputs to their processes). We really want to use a SIPOC process.
6. Now determine the actual customers. They might be non-intuitive.
7. Prioritize the processes to determine where there might be value due to either process pain, frequency, or strategic value.
8. For the most valuable processes, determine inputs and outputs.
9. Use applicable practice models as a control (e.g., PMBOK, etc.)

This is good. But there are a few other pieces that we have to put around the edges like why we would want to do this, etc. Here's some logic:

• White collar productivity is important
• But it's very hard to measure
• So we have to focus on those things that have some degree of repeatability within the business
• But we need to know what those things are
• So we analyze the processes
• But we also need to know about the inputs and the outputs because they represent the "genres" of communication
• So we can determine genres and make comments about how to improve those genres for ongoing use
• But there might be missing genres (i.e., a complete lack of documentation)
• So we need to introduce those documents and templates
• But documents aren't everything, right?
• Absolutely. So we need to also focus on community of practice and socialization ideas.
• But how do we socialize?
• So we need to have shared stories, shared culture, face-to-face communication, etc.
• But shouldn't some of these things be documentary in nature?
• Sure. So we can actually capture stories, etc. provided that we have decent soft skills and individuals skilled in doing the capture.
• But those documents still have to live somewhere.
• So we still need the focus on Information Governance.
• But we already have all sorts of documents, most of which are PowerPoint presentations.
• Zoinks! PowerPoint!?!?
• But are there other ways to socialize? What are some of the best practices in actually situating employees?