Knowledge Sharing Pattern Language

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Problem

An organization wanting to make work more effective through improved knowledge sharing.

Initial Context

An organization in software project business.

Roles

All roles in the organization.

Forces

Software engineering uses knowledge as the raw material and requires several people to work together. New knowledge is gained at an individual level and to succeed an organization must have ways to utilize and share this knowledge as effectively as possible.

A project team has several connections outside the project team and also the individuals have much knowledge that could benefit the other project team members. Very often, however, people ether do not understand the need for knowledge sharing or they do not have a willingness for it.

A Software engineering organization in the project business consists of a base organization and of projects in different phases in their lifecycles. In addition to having proper knowledge sharing in single projects the knowledge sharing between projects and between projects and the base organization must work well, to have both successful project implementations and an organization achieving its objectives.

To execute a successful customer project the customer’s requirements must be clearly understood, communicated and further developed to requirements for the project. Fluent and well established customer communications are critical for the project success which includes getting continuous feedback from the customer.

Unofficial knowledge sharing is a powerful "tool" for achieving the goals of an organization. Unofficial knowledge sharing, however, is fully based on people voluntarily implementing it. It can not be directed very much. The direction comes mostly from restrictions (e.g. confidentiality) and support to right kind of motivation of people. In the worst case, unofficial knowledge sharing can share messages/knowledge that is defective to an organization.

Solution

Knowledge sharing and better knowledge utilization must be implemented at several levels/ways in an organization. Knowledge sharing here is approached from two viewpoints: knowledge sharing interfaces and target knowledge streams.

To improve knowledge sharing establish/initiate:

Knowledge Sharing Interfaces

Target Knowledge Streams

Resulting Context

An organization having a culture of sharing knowledge and assuring that correct knowledge reaches the right people. Also, effective utilization of knowledge.

Instances

This pattern is utilized once to arrange knowledge sharing support in an organization and after that always when it needs to be redefined.

Process Connection

All processes of an organization, but especially project management and software development related processes.