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Knowledge Management

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CHAPTER 3
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS LIFE CYCLE

TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Why is it helpful to view the building of a KM system as a life cycle?

It is important to have a life cycle in building knowledge management systems, because the life cycle provides structure and order to the process. Additionally, the life cycle provides a breakdown of the activities into manageable steps, good documentation for possible changes in the future, coordination of the project for a timely completion, and regular management review at each phase of the cycle.

2. In what ways do conventional and KM systems’ development life cycles differ? How are they similar?

There are many differences between the conventional and knowledge management systems’ development life cycle: a. A conventional system is sequential (certain steps are carried out in sequence), while the knowledge management system life cycle is incremental and interactive. b. In the conventional system, testing generally occurs at the end of programming, while the knowledge management development life cycle provides for testing throughout various phases of system development as the system evolves. c. The conventional system is process-driven and documentation-oriented, with emphasis on the flow of data, while the knowledge management development life cycle is result-oriented. d. The conventional system does not support rapid prototyping or advanced languages, while the knowledge management development life cycle promotes rapid prototyping and incorporates changes on the spot.

Along with these differences, however, are many similarities as well: a. Both cycles begin with a problem and end with a solution. b. Both cycles require the initial gathering of information (conventional) or knowledge (KMSDLC) for the process

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