1. Ray Rudd/Mary McDonagh/Christina Rye Stuart Rosenberg/Roxanne McClain January 2008 Re-energizing iConnect Current and Projected Activities KMChicago iConnect: Expertise Location at Deloitte Stuart M. Rosenberg Deloitte Services, LP [email_address] February 12, 2008
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5. A Structured Path to Enable People Connections iConnect (Phase 1) Focus: Person-to-Expertise Phase 2: Talent Networking Focus: Person-to-Colleagues Focus: Person-to-Affiliated Groups Phase 3: Social Networking Analysis Focus: Powerful Tools & Analytics to Enhance & Optimize Personal Networks
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7. iConnect: Shotgun or rifle? Business Issue: Is there a better way to connect suppliers and customers of knowledge?
15. iConnect: User composes an e-mail via form. Request and replies are managed directly in Outlook. Note: User does not know the identities of those to whom the e-mail will be sent.
16. Step 4: Outbound email requests are received in Outlook in the same manner as any other message. No other application need be invoked.
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20. Visits, Unique Users and Outbound eMails and Replies * Deployed to Senior Managers and Managers
21. Why isn’t iConnect a success yet? Hypotheses People don’t trust the process Discomfort using a tool that’s not fully understood Ineffective communications Culture not as collaborative as assumed Right tool, wrong users iConnect not yet integrated into business processes Analysis has relied on anecdotes due to reporting challenges
When we talk about connecting people-to-people, we can look at the evolution of approaches this has entailed. (Elaborate.)
Here’s an example of an issue our professionals face and that KM wanted to address – an “ask the network” example from the previous evolution slide. In our complex organization, finding the right person or subject matter specialist can be challenging. You know there’s someone out there who can help, but how do you connect with them? Practitioners used various methods such as “blanket” or “shotgun” emails fishing for assistance. The results of this method were unpredictable – you were often restrained by your current connections, or you loaded up the Inbox of people who are completely unfamiliar with a topic and couldn't possibly help. It prompted us to question – what’s a better way to help our employees tap into the vast firm knowledge? We knew we wanted to automate and simplify a process to connect people. We didn’t want to create and/or maintain another cumbersome skills profile tool. Many attempts at skills profiles collapse under their own weight because they have to be kept up manually. We found an innovative software application that leveraged something Deloitte employees excel at - email. The application is a product of Tacit Software, Inc., an entity based in Palo Alto, CA, which markets it under the name ActiveNet. We call it iConnect.
iConnect is an automated system that utilizes sent email messages to build up an individual’s knowledge profile. We liked the idea of using e-mail because it is current, dynamic, and a rich source of information about the changing focus, knowledge, and experience of our personnel. If you are talking frequently about a subject, you are probably knowledgeable about it. iConnect identifies and extracts noun phrases from sent emails and attachments to create topic portfolios. In this way, topic portfolios reflect a person’s knowledge base. Over time, the collection of noun phrases from sent e-mails builds a private , personal portfolio of topical expertise of the individual. Topics receive a strength rating within the individual’s portfolio based on factors such as how recently used (i.e., term strength decays over time), context of use (i.e., header vs. body, e-mail vs. attachment), frequency of use, among others. When someone seeks information, they query iConnect using keywords related to the area of interest. In response, iConnect confirms that there are specialists whose base of knowledge matches the request. The system returns multiple topics to choose from based on the terms entered. Users select the topics that best represents what they are interested in, and compose an e-mail requesting assistance. iConnect then forwards the e-mail to the people behind the topics identified. Recipients of the request may choose to reply or not, with no disclosure of their action noted anywhere in the system. This "blind brokering" approach protects privacy while allowing individuals to reach out to others who may possess valuable information related to their work. When you receive a response from a specialist, his or her identity is made known -- and your collaboration can begin.
If you want to implement an expertise locator capability, you need to be comfortable with these issues. Existing policies and practices