PD 7506:2005

This standard PD 7506:2005 Linking knowledge management with other organizational functions and disciplines. A guide to good practice is classified in these ICS categories:

• 03.100.99 Other standards related to company organization and management
• 01.140.20 Information sciences

This PD provides guidance on how to link KM and other key organizational functions and established emerging processes, within and between organizations. This PD is therefore intended for employees, managers, directors and anyone else interested in KM.

This PD combines both desk and primary research and also offers a comparison of different approaches and case studies. Readers should note, however, that although this PD touches upon various other management sciences - such as Quality - it does so only by way of example or analogy. The authors have included the following sections in this PD:

1. Definitions of key terms in KM (elause 2);

2. A discussion as to whether organizations actually need to care about KM (elause 3);

3. The context for linking KM to other key organizational functions (elause 4) and established (elause 5) and emerging processes (elause 6);

4. Links with other related British standards (elause 7).

summaries of relevant case studies across a wide range of industries are appended to each clause as "Good practice examples" and "Talking points", along with "rn brief" summaries of key points covered in the preceding clause. The good practice examples aim to draw a sharp distinction between:

1. a general description of KM and other process areas (i.e. what should organizations be doing, and why?), and

2. pointers to the available evidence (i.e. what are organizations really doing, what works and what does not?)

Annexes

1. provide suggestions for further relevant KM reading and

2. provide a copy of the questionnaire used during the primary research for this PD.

Finally, extensive notes and references help guide the interested reader towards the primary and secondary sources used in the preparation of this PD.

Readers should also note that this PD is intended as a:

1. "ehild" document to KM - a Guide to Good Practice, an overall introduction to KM published by Bsr in 2001 as a publicly available specification (document PAs 2001);

2. "sister" document to other children of PAs 2001, which currently include:

• PD 7500 - KM Vocabu ary

• PD 7501 - Managing Cu ture and Know edge: Guide to Good Practice

• PD 7502 - Measurements in KM

• PD 7503 - Introduction to KM in Construction.

rn the hope of encouraging a public debate linking KM and other key organizational functions and emerging processes, Bsr has provided readers with a framework for feedback, ideas and questions relating to this PD. Readers who would like to get involved with further KM projects should contact Bsr at knowledge@bsi-global.com.

The authors of this PD are not recommending any particular approach to KM. Their aim is simply to provide "informed clarity". Readers are presented with a range of alternative tools and approaches, which should allow them to either get started in KM, or take their current activities to a new level. rn short, organizations of all types - public and private, large and small, commercial and academic - should understand where this field is heading and feel informed enough to make their own decisions.

The guide offers managers the tools and case studies to help them link KM with other management functions and processes so as to avoid KM project failure.