KM is not software you install (though vendors think it is); its a process that doesnt begin with IT and doesnt end with it.
Remember that IT is merely plumbing.
Get users involved from Day One. A KM system is useless if employees dont contribute.
Isolate who knows what in an organization by systematically interviewing knowledge workers.
Divide and conquer: Associate KM with a specific business practice and grow it from there. Dont go for an all-encompassing
solution--these look good only on paper.
Tighten up security and educate users on
safety issues. A KM system in the hands of the
wrong person can be extremely dangerous,
not only because of the threat of data theft but
also because of potential data corruption.
Devise a system that extracts and packages
knowledge from the forms in which its actually used, rather than one that requires separate creation and maintenance of a dedicated parallel knowledge base. The latter makes
for a quicker pilot project, but it will rarely be
maintained once the novelty wears off.
Consider but dont rely on, third-party
benchmarking solutions, such as PIMS
(www.bintranets.com).
Continually solicit feedback to improve the
system over time.