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What's a K-Log?

A K-Log is a tool for an expert or employee to publish insight, a point of view (POV), links to resources, important documents and e-mails with annotation, and other thinking to an intranet where it can be archived, searched, and browsed. Unlike a simple weblog tool, K-Logs also include functionality for creating long-term connections (RSS news as knowledge streams from specific K-Logs), and for fostering interchange between contributors (community tools to encourage discourse). The result is a low-cost, knowledge-sharing network based on Internet standards.

• How do K-Logs differ from general weblogs?
• Do K-Logs have a place in an organization?
• Where are the benefits of using K-Logs in the enterprise?
• Where are the drawbacks? Risks?
• How could someone go about setting up K-Logs in their organization?
• How do you get people to keep a K-Log or participate in it?
• What would an organization look like?
• What would it cost to get?
• Is there any way to measure the impact of K-Logs on the bottom line?

How do K-Logs differ from general weblog's? Back to Index

A K-Log is a tool that leverages an intranet of an organization. It's private. It deals with information that is specific to the organization that sponsors it. The tools and functionality differ. Here are some attributes of K-Logs that weblog's don't generally share:

• Subscriptions and aggregated news
• The ability to forward e-mail or add documents to a K-Log
• Structured corporate-specific community tools (to generate interaction and provide managers with a means of monitoring knowledge transfer)
• The ability to post from anywhere [access to an internet connection is required], and post to multiple role-specific K-Logs in different locations anywhere [a CMS tool like that provided by IT-Expert on Call dose this]
• In the longer term: The ability to connect to Web services to extract data that can be analyzed and posted to a K-Log with annotation.

Do K-Logs have a place in an organization that's already implemented a formal knowledge management process? Back to Index

Almost all knowledge management systems in place today center on one of two things: document management or discussions. Both have serious flaws. Document management systems are exceedingly complex and difficult to use. As a result, few people use them. K-Logs are easy-to-use for both the publisher and the reader. Additionally, K-Logs recognize the fact that knowledge is usually tied to a specific person and isn't something that exists on its own. Knowledge is a continuous process of learning and analysis - it isn't static. By providing a means of publishing the process an expert goes through to build knowledge, K-Logs provide much more value than a relatively static, taxonomy-based document system. Furthermore, K-Logs provide organizations a way to identify, grow, and showcase experts.

Many organizations use discussion groups. Unfortunately, as most have found, discussion groups are typically dominated by a few talkative individuals that drown out people that actually have value to contribute. K-Logs change that dynamic by providing every contributor with a forum. Through subscriptions and community-monitored traffic, the valuable contributions and contributors can be identified. Additionally, discussions groups usually are topic-based. One thing that we have found (and this is universally applicable) is that "my" method of organizing topics is different than everybody else's. We all structure the world differently. K-Logs organize information around individuals and time, both of which are universally understood.

Where are the benefits of using K-Logs in the enterprise? Where does the potential lie? Back to Index

Numerous benefits emerge. Here are a few:

• Better documentation of process - shorter audit cycles.
• An archive of contributions - when an employee leaves, an archive of their contributions still remains.
• Shorter training time - a team could easily ramp up a new team member or new employee by saying, "read our K-Logs, all the documents, thinking, important e-mails, discussions, and process are there."
• Better responsiveness to customer inquiries - help desks can easily find answers to customer questions by searching an intranet K-Log network.
• Easier management of decentralized employees - K-Logs make it easy to find out what a specific employee in a remote office is doing right now.
• Shorter decision cycles - need an answer to a problem, find an expert that can answer it for you. How? Search for people that write about the keywords you are interested in, read what they have written to qualify their expertise, and contact them directly.

It's important to remember that a K-Log is a horizontal tool. It isn't limited to specific functions. Like a word processor, what you do with it is limited by your creativity

Where are the drawbacks? Risks? Back to Index

There are some risks; however, standard management practice can handle these problems. Also, because K-Logging is organic in its growth, the "build it and they will use it" dictum actually works.

• People won't want to share. Solution: Immediate benefits are provided by K-Logs to contributors; peer pressure; competitive instinct.
• People will publish things they shouldn't. Solution: Standard management practice will correct this.
• Management won't accept the new ideas. Solution: Management that doesn't accept idea flow won't deploy the tool until forced to do it by competitive pressure; most K-Logging won't be as revolutionary as many suspect, but rather dull, evolutionary knowledge transfer (the essence and the heartbeat of life in an organization).

How could someone go about setting up K-Logs in their organization? Back to Index

K-Logs need to be powered by software that can be installed inside the organization's firewall. To set one up, you can either get IT support to build out a network location for K-Logging, or buy a CMS tool that can get your publishing via FTP to a standard Web server immediately. CMS tools are now available that allow a K-Log network to be built entirely without a central publishing location or getting IT support. IT-Expert on Call Content Management System [CMS] is ideally suited for this purpose.

How do you get people to keep a K-Log or participate in it? Is this something that needs a formal mandate from on high? Back to Index

This can be done without a formal mandate. IT-Expert on Call CMS tool make it possible to sneak in the capability without getting formal approval. Like the rise of the PC in the workplace, it will grow because people see the benefits of doing it well before management does.

What would an organization look like if people were actively using K-Logs. Back to Index

Flat, fast, and responsive. Experts on a variety of topics core to the organization's success will be clearly known. Information from projects will be readily available to all team members and management. The ability to find specific people, information, and resources - regardless of geographic location - will be easier. Employees will be more knowledgeable, more considered in the opinions they voice, and more active in respect to identifying resources useful for the organization.

What would it cost to get something like this implemented in a company of 100 people? Back to Index

Is there any way to measure the impact of K-Logs on the bottom line? Is it possible to establish any sort of return on investment (ROI)? Back to Index

1. Time to train - shaving a month off of training time for a new employee equals money.
2. Time to response - cutting the time of getting a response to a customer equals money.
3. Customer satisfaction - improving the quality of information provided to customers (which will help retain them or close sales) equals money.
4. Decision time reduction and quality of decisions made - audit this and compare it to past performance.
5. Better command and control - a better way to identify people who contribute and those who don't. All organizations find this to be a difficult task. Getting rid of a poor employee sooner than later equals savings. Rewarding a great employee earlier than later equals money through better retention and utilization.

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