Case Studies in Knowledge Management

Know-CoM 205

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of private and protected knowledge spaces according to the user profiles on the

server.

Information about an employee has to be registered and user profiles created when
the Know-CoM solution is introduced. Person-related information that has to be
collected is, for example, skills, topics of interest, and work experience. Additionally,
roles, organizational tasks and process steps have to be assigned to the employee for
which he/she is responsible or works on. In analogy to the partition of the knowledge
spaces in private, protected, and public, this trisection should also be used for the
employees ́ profiles. Recommendations of interest- or task-related knowledge groups
can occur automatically according to the user profile of the employee. Based on the
analysis of the organizational design, protected knowledge spaces are introduced for
teams, projects, and so forth.

• Evaluation of the KM solution: After the introduction of the solution, there may be
  needs for improvement that lead to the adaptation of the solution. There are a
  number of indicators that allow for a systematic evaluation of the use of the
  solution. In particular, the experiences captured and the dynamics observed in the
  KM-certified processes as well as the establishment and regular use of knowledge
  workspaces give hints for subsequent improvements of the KM-supported core
  processes of the die and mold makers.

Next to the evaluation of the solution aiming at the identification of the needs for
improvement, the measurement of the solution’s success is also a central issue. Based
on the interviews and questionnaires (see section, “Setting the Stage”) the most
important factors for success measurement in the die- and mold-making industry are lead
time from (mold) order to delivery as well as the production time required. A shortened
delivery in general or production time in particular also affects production costs of a mold
or die. Quality is another key factor in this industry. Referring to the development
process, there are a number of indicators that can be used to assess the effects of the
Know-CoM solution on time, cost, and quality. These indicators have been documented
at the beginning of the project and will be measured again one year after the introduction
of the solution. Subsequently, some of these indicators are outlined in Table 2.
The average number of design-test-redesign cycles is one of the most important
indicators because it affects time, cost, and quality. This means that the more cycles
needed, the longer the lead time, the higher the costs, and eventually, the lower the
quality. The quality is not necessarily affected negatively by a high number of redesign
cycles, but in some cases, a high number of redesign cycles can reduce the stability of
the mold and so its lifetime. Also the number of external rejects from the customer is an
indicator that affects the quality of the mold and, in particular, the reputation of the
toolmaker.
The integration of distributed sources of data can reduce the time required for
searching data. Particularly, the systematic reuse of previously documented experiences
can shorten lead and production time and can also reduce personnel, production cost,
and wastage as well as the number of rejects.