Executive Summery
This report reviews the importance of Knowledge Management system as global market trends change and how Information Technology is a useful tool in Implementing Knowledge Management Systems. This report takes a specific case scenario of a farmer realizing the importance of KM System. The Report analyses both the functional and non-functional requirements to implement a KM system in t his farm. The report further proposes a suitable KM system after considering important requirements of the system. The proposed system is analyzed to determined if it satisfies the requirements cross checked against important requirement to establish whether the recommended system is suitable to the implementation for the farming business especially in employee management.
Introduction
At the start of the 21st century. The turbulent environment in which businesses exist, as global trends and stringent competition in the world market resulting in the significant changes that’s businesses should introduce in their processes. Changes have become necessary for survival on the market. In an economy that can be called a “knowledge economy”, intagible resources are significant resources adding value; this is as a result of business processes being viewed through knowledge management in companies. Its main objectives are to harmonize employees and companies goals, raise the skill level in internal operations, enhance information systems, increasing and maintaining the intellectual capital value.
This report takes a case study of a farm business and executes an analysis of a Knowledge Management system implementation. The Report analyses both the functional and non-functional requirements to implement a KM system in t his farm. The report further proposes a suitable KM system after considering important requirements of the system
At the start of the 21st century. The turbulent environment in which businesses exist, as global trends and stringent competition in the world market resulting in the significant changes that’s businesses should introduce in their processes, the changes have become necessary for survival on the market. Current businesses, including farming should adopt changes in the external environment and make changes in the internal environment in terms of employee training, innovation, increasing flexibility, increasing competitiveness, improving business performance and improving processes. In an economy that can be termed as “knowledge economy”, the intangible resources are significant resources adding value; this is as a result of business processes being viewed through knowledge management in companies. Its main objectives are to harmonize employees and companies goals, raise the skill level in internal operations, enhance information systems, increasing and maintaining the intellectual capital value, invest in educating and training personnel, establish grading system of employees and their performance, promote and reward quality staff.
In a knowledge oriented economy, intangible resources are the decisive factors for business success. Modern businesses realize that the most processes as process of knowledge. Therefore. Knowledge becomes a strategic company resource, viewed as source business success and competitive advantage, the focus is on the data, knowledge and information as the most important organizational resource.
The physical, human and organization resources are limited by availability and price, there is need that companies use them rationally and build effective approach to the market. Knowledge is a way of understanding information and data actively enabling performance, decision making problem solving learning and teaching of others, to change and gain experience faster than others, to change gained experience quickly turned into action, through this organizations get competitive advantage over competitors, and survive the market.
In general the process of knowledge management is how organizations produce value from intellectual knowledge-based assets and intellectual property. Usually the value id obtained by establishing what the partners, employees and customers know and share that information with departments employees and or other companies, finding the best practices for a business it is crucial to understand what they know.
This knowledge is contained, in development activities, competent staff, research and quality products that are supplied into the market.
Knowledge management process is an everyday business activity within a business, carrying a major role in transfer of required information that facilitates decision-making across all levels of structural management. The Ultimate outcome of well created process of knowledge management is that, each personnel in a business works towards a common goal of the business which allows achieving of corporate strategies and objectives, and identify the most valuable knowledge for the vast amount of information. It is not a simple task because it requires the management structure the top most level. Who are responsible for the process if selecting finding organizing and presenting information in a manner that facilitates understating of employees in specific areas of interest.
Knowledge management is important in that it is useful as a managerial tool, promoting creation of new knowledge and sharing through corporate valued. Business owners or managers have to create a deeper sense of intangible assets of personnel resource, features in the experiences and minds of employees. Without this kind of resource, businesses end up lacking vision and capacity to foresee the future. Application of knowledge management process increases efficiency of decision making procedures, as well as the capacity of operational efficacy, commitment, flexibility, and involvement of employees.
Knowledge management is not limited to managing knowledge only but also managing business processes that take place when using those resources. It should include analysis of current knowledge as resources, and also define the objectives in regard to protection generation and application of new knowledge, then the transfer dissemination and exchange of knowledge, efficacy of knowledge application and performance measurement. From sources outside the business. The knowledge is obtained or generated by software and technology acquisition, using consultants, hiring experts, using consultants and using strategic alliances. The process of creating internal knowledge of individual learning within groups of individual as well as the process of organization learning. In both instances the primary role is on the company’s organizational units of development and research and on the units responsible for training and education of employees.
Knowledge management should be aimed at supporting and encouraging free flow of ideas through a company. It facilitates increased revenues (as a result of products and services being delivered to the market much faster) and reduced costs (because of eliminated redundant and obsolete business processes). This process increase the amount of time employees spend in the business, this is because their knowledge and experience is valued by using a reward system. Ultimately, Knowledge management process increases the value of the business and become competitive as a whole, as a result of increased effectiveness and efficiency, and creates a relationship between innovation and all resources.
In the process of knowledge management, there are conceptually four main abilities that refer to skill acquisition, transformation and assimilation of knowledge, and ability to use and harness knowledge. As illustrated in the figure below.
Figure 1:
The creation or acquisition of knowledge includes market research, services, product and process research and development and strategic business partnerships. Knowledge assimilation is using the knowledge in an effective way, which reduces gaps between the required knowledge and knowledge that is currently available.
Transformation of knowledge includes the capacity to collect a set of knowledge previously segmented and disjoined, or combine elements of knowledge using new methods. This process aims at creating an entirely new set of knowledge. Offering new idea for further application of knowledge and providing new solution that meet the market need. The relationship between knowledge assimilation and transformation is in particular important in that if there is a greater value of knowledge assimilation there is a correlation to knowledge transformation. The ability to apply knowledge includes the ability to incorporate knowledge in to business processes, this is reflected in the development of new ideas that make it easy to establish where and when to apply knowledge, which can be used to meet market needs.
My friend’s father, Steve, who runs a family farming rural Victoria. His family successfully growing fruit (particularly grapes, pears, citrus, stone fruit and berries), almonds (and other kinds of nuts) and vegetables. Will find a knowledge management system very useful as many years he has used seasonal workers to help with various jobs around the farm. The outcomes of these workers’ contributions varied depending on the skills and personalities of the workers that he was able to employ. Considerable efforts were needed to introduce them to the farming life and the expected tasks since most of them would come without any previous farming experience. Considering that Steve’s farm is expanding, and even though his whole family is now helping with the operation, there is need for more strategic with how his time and expertise is divided between various tasks. Steve predicts the need for seasonal workers will increase. In fact, he was considering out sourcing some of his berry packaging and delivery to a relative who is also a farmer, but specializing only in growing and selling berries to supermarkets across Australia.
Requirements for implementation of KM system
Functional requirements
Farm Business Rules
Transaction corrections, cancellations and adjustments
Authorization levels
Audit Tracking
Administrative functions
Authentication
External Interfaces
Certification Requirements
Reporting Requirements
Historical Data
Legal or Regulatory Requirements
Technological infrastructure
Personnel to manage the system.
Information management (learning and educational)
Non-Functional requirements
Performance – i.e. : response time, throughput, utilization, static volumetric
Scalability
Manageability
Environmental
Recoverability
Maintainability
Capacity
Availability
Reliability
Serviceability
Data Integrity
Usability
Security
Regulatory
Interoperability
The most important requirements considered above include; information management, technological infrastructure and external interfaces for functional requirements and Maintainability interoperability, data integrity, availability, reliability, serviceability, and manageability for non-functional requirements.
These requirements make the system usable in regards to Steve’s intended used for the farm’s human resource management and knowledge management important for learning purposes, which will be useful toward transfer of skill from previous workers to new one, or tracking of personnel with required skills.
Technological infrastructure is the baseline for implementing the KM system the right tools for the right work will be necessary for optimal performance of the system, consideration such as network infrastructure is very important as the requirements of the system imply interaction with external environment such as job advertisement and interaction with social media.
The system has to be reliable and available when ever required, the infrastructure used will require
The system will require to be friendly in regards to it ease to maintain, complex systems to maintain are not user friendly, requiring a lot of resources to train personnel and time wasted handling it on a day to day basis.
External interfaces are important in that the system will connect with other applications existing outside of the system, requiring frame works that will make the system interface with system that are built differently, the system must be able to output data in a way that interfacing systems can understand.
The system must interoperate with earlier or technologies that may be developed in the future so as it does not become obsolete as technologies changes with time.
Regarding Data integrity Data being put stored and processed must be verifiable, accurate and precise so as to produce meaningful information. Measures to ensure that only accurate data can be produced will be implemented and measure to unsure that it remains in its stored state all the time.
Data being processed by the system must be reliable, after processing the data should remain consistent throughout its use so that the results of processed data are predictable, make sense and generate accurate information that can be used to make accurate decisions in the business.
Proposed System
After consideration of the requirements, it is much more effective to develop a customized system for Steve’s farm activities. A customized system has much more advantages for specific use than generic applications, this is because a customized system will be designed with the specific requirement of steve’s farm unlike using a generic application where the functionalities of the system owner will have to conform to the design of the off shelf application.
The system should have capability to maintain personnel database with their unique skills, as the steve’s projects that there will be requirements for more seasonal workers on the farm in the future, the system should be able to maintain the contact information for specific worker with specific skill, so that as the a season for work begins the system can manage previous workers and contact them for the necessary work, this will limit s the need to have to new workers through the learning curve, which is time consuming and might have cost implications.
The system should be able analyze which workers are available for the next season, and determine if there is need to sources new workers. If the farm may require new workers the system’s interfacing capability should forward job vacancy notifications to third party systems such social networks and notice online notice boards.
The system should have capability for managing information regarding various aspects of farming, such as scale of seed or seedlings farming machinery, weather statistics, market logistics; such as sales stock and reports on returns profits and losses.
The system should be able to store data of previous farm inputs and also record the farm’s productivity, which can be used as reference point to make future decisions.
System Evaluation
Implementing a customized system from the determined requirements will result into a well suited system that shall meet the need of the farm owner.
The technology to be applied in the system is important; aspects such as networking database management and backup system will key infrastructures components allowing for data redundancy and connectivity of the system to the rest of the world while at the same time maintaining its individuality and maintain safety from external threats. The software technology to apply are also key using web application rather than desk top applications will allow the system much more flexibility and portability unlike desktop application that remain localized in stationary computers.
With a system meeting the defined requirements the system will be able to facilitate knowledge discovery as the database system will be used in a relational manner, providing capability for generating useful information. That can be used to make important projections and decisions.
The system will support knowledge capture, as past information regarding farm processed, farmers activities knowledge and skill will be stores in the system database.
The system will enable knowledge sharing as stored data can be used later be different people to understand the history of the farm the projections into the future, removing any forms of gaps in knowledge management regardless of whom ever is heading the farm.
The system will enhance knowledge application as generated reports by the system can be used to make important decision regarding the farm activities and strategic planning.
Works Cited
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