This document discusses the need for knowledge auditing and provides guidance on conducting a knowledge audit. It notes that knowledge audits can identify gaps and redundancies in organizational knowledge, assess how well knowledge needs are being met, and determine how to improve knowledge work and processes. The document outlines various methods for a knowledge audit, including interviews, surveys, observations, and testing findings with internal and external audiences. It suggests the audit should identify strengths and deficiencies in employee knowledge, information flows, relationship issues, and planned knowledge management initiatives. The goal of the audit is to inform a knowledge management plan and projects to enhance the organization's knowledge work and processes over time.

1. KM Auditing
©David G. Jones M.A.
Shibumi.management@gmail.com

2. Business Outlook
 The Bottom Line
 Competing Interests for limited resources
 The dreaded ROI
 Adaptability, competition and sustainability
 New customers, new methods
 Tracking (audit and performance measurement
and other related issues)
 Benchmarking and “Best Practices”
 Continually learning organizations of excellence
in a knowledge-based global environment

3. Business-side Challenges
 Unenthused about penetrating the complexity and
dedicating a lot of time to IT issues
 Tends to view whole thing as “plumbing” – not as
business factor
 Leery of costs, high risks (of doing and not doing),
profile, the unknown
 Unable to respond quickly and effectively to
sector defined urgencies

4. Management is troubled by:
Increasing isolation, division, gaps
Decreasing aptitude, commitment and energy
Increasing costs and decreasing returns
And burdened with “solutions”:
How-to tools, methods and processes
Metrics, benchmarks, “best” practices
Information and knowledge as product

5. Why a “Knowledge Audit”?
 Are you sure you know:
 What knowledge is needed
 what is the knowledge work of the
organization
 Where they are gaps and redundancies
 All you need to know about planned and real
work outcomes
 How activity relates to objectives

6. Why a knowledge audit?
 Are you sure you know:
 How things get done and if / how things could
get done better
 Whether you have the responsibility and
accountability right
 Whether you are getting better – or worse – at
what you do
 How your clients / partners really view you
 The employee situation

7. If you have low certainty……….
 An examination is needed of:
 Your organization – mission, mandate,
objectives
 Organizational structure, service distribution
 Business processes and evident (known) work
issues
 Sensitivities
 Communication and decision challenges /
issues
 Knowledge resource strengths and deficiencies.
[Quantify expertise, not number of Web pages].

8. Who is going to deliver it?
 Only a few organizations in the realm, and they
have only limited experience
 Tends to the tech side or to “information auditing”
 Corporate bias may be significant
 Can be expensive
 Control can be a challenge (ref: the alleged
uncertainty of KM)
 Can take a lot of time
 May suffer from a need to meet “standards”
 The answer? That’s right – you have to do it

9. Audit Hints
1. Go
2. Consult, consult, consult
3. Educate as you study
4. Work on your objectivity and
receptivity
5. Bring out your own ideas when the
conversation is stuck
6. Track your consultation
7. Deliver an audit and plan report to
your supervisor

10. Methods, Validity and Reliability
1. Aim for 80%
2. On second thought, aim for 60%
3. Use a mixed methodology:
1. Interviews and focus groups
2. Surveys
3. Observations
4. Develop “findings” and test against various
audiences (internal and external)
5. Develop a draft plan and test
6. Modify and re-legitimize

11. What your findings may look like

12. Personal Knowledge Question
I am confident that I am adequately informed in the
missions and mandates of our partners
Personal Knowledge Question
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5
Low High

13. Personal Knowledge Question
I am sufficiently knowledgeable in finance and budgets
Personal Knowledge Question
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5
Low High

14. Personal Knowledge
 Employees confident of their knowledge levels
(know what to do or know where to find out)
 Less strength in knowledge of gov’t laws and
policies
 Uncertainty in partner missions and mandates
 Training needs in defined activity areas: e.g. how
to operationalize something

15. Sources of Information and
Knowledge (I&K)
 I&K flow varies by direction
 I&K availability and issue
 Info quality a concern
 Tools may be an issue
 Sharing not a universal organization value
 Gaps in policy comprehension

16. Relationship Issues
 Between people doing same function in different
regions
 Between people doing different function in same
region
 Chain of command, delegation, accountability
 Briefing, de-briefing, consultation, collaboration
 General communications (anecdotes around “now-
hear-this e-mailing”
 Poor meeting practices

17. Planned Initiatives
 Knowledge Transfer and  Leveraging
Retention
 Deployment de-brief
Infrastructure
 Internal Web
 Words of Wisdom
(retirements,  Employee Profiles
departures)
 Knowledge Centre
 Just In Time KM
 Directories  Interactive Forums
 Governance processes
 Info Management
(shredding)

18. Planned Initiatives (2)
 Scope Determination  Relationships
(What it is)  Internally -
 Conference
between related
feedback system functions
 Best or good
 Externally - with
practices
 Web Portals and
key communities
interfaces

19. Final Words [Audit to plan to
project(s)]
 Use the language of  Keep people informed –
business of both successes and
 Speak of objectives and failures
outcomes and leave the  Work with an annual
methods in the annex plan in your hand and a
 Be realistic – don’t make three year plan in your
rash promises (culture head
change takes time)  Build bridges – including
 Believe in what you are and especially with the
doing and communicate IT and IM support shops
that  Network with KM
colleagues