Modelling knowledge through user focused design in knowledge management applications

Cunningham, JA

Abstract

Knowledge management, as an organisational management technique, aims to capture
the knowledge of the members of an organisation and to distribute it among those members
in a way which encourages new knowledge to emerge. Software, explicitly designed
to aid these goals, is seen as a useful tool for knowledge management. The core focus
in the design of such software is in creating structures which allow the knowledge being
captured to be represented in the software. However this ability to represent knowledge,
on its own, will only serve to make explicit what is already there and will not provide the
ability to capture new knowledge in different forms to the knowledge already represented.
This thesis examines the question of how best to resolve this apparent conflict through
the construction of an argument that rethinks the role of the end user and their relationship
to software design in knowledge management, along with the development of a knowledge
management-specific software development methodology. Through an in-depth analysis
of the 'eCognos' project, which aimed to provide knowledge management software for
the construction domain, the notion that a key aspect of knowledge management software
design must be the realisation that modelling specifically against a single domain will
lead to the development of software artefacts which fundamentally constrain their goal of
enabling knowledge management is explored.

Citation

Cunningham, J. Modelling knowledge through user focused design in knowledge management applications. (Thesis). Salford : University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2009