Are knowledge management and process improvement inseparably bound together?

An important aspect during the implementation of knowledge management is the modelling of the required knowledge. As a result of the structured approach that is employed, unclear, inefficient or even incorrect processes come to light. How can you utilize these insights?

Make timely agreements about potential process improvements. It is very tempting to immediately implement these improvements. However, this can lead to the centre of gravity of the project shifting from knowledge management to process improvement. As a result, the lead-time may increase enormously. You can opt to only implement the quick wins immediately and to document the larger improvements and tackle them later on. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you ensure that postponement does not lead to cancellation. Assign an owner to the identified process improvements, otherwise you run the risk that they will become permanently parked. The customer demands and underlying processes are then possibly perfectly modelled according to the present situation, but opportunities to reorganize processes remain unutilized.

TOTE-M recommends that a Knowledge Management Master Class be organized in the analysis phase. Together with the management, consideration can then be given to the way in which process improvement is dealt with. In this way, the insights gained during the implementation of knowledge management can be utilized to the full.