Eric Mack On-Line

Don McAlister, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is talking about the intimate connection and relationship between Program Management, Knowledge Management, and Process Synergy.

Program Management doesn't use Knowledge Management Processes, it IS A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS.

The CONVENTIONAL WISDOM OF HOW A BUSINESS REALLY RUNS IS WRING or at least INCOMPLETE.

Premise. We already know that the KM & PM are Critically Interdependent. (See slide to review phases of each)

Insight #1 - Program Management is actually a Knowledge Management Process

Insight #2 - The "Material Transformation" Business Model is Incomplete
Businesses are also "knowledge transformation" machines. Example: A rocket manufacturer is in the business of selling knowledge; the rocket motors are simply the containers in which we provide that knowledge.

So, as Gartner proposed, knowledge management is about management; it's leadership.

Consider the importance of a knoweldge broker (or "information broker" or connector" to help bridge the gap between silos of knowledge need and existing knowledge. At the same time, be careful to take knowledge in context - knoweldge that worked well last year may not be relevant (in the same way) to the problem today.

What does this means to business executives?
Understand the powerful implications of the knoweldge Transofrmation (KX) business model.
Treat PM/KM as an enterprise level process
Invest in KX improvement initiatives

Develop KX focused tool-suite to support PM/KM Integration
      - Enterprise critical Thinking tools for knowledge flow.
      - Process tools
      (See slide)

Consider a new model for integration PM & KM and their enterprise support tools.