Enterprise Services

GoA Knowledge Management ProgramOverview

Table of Contents

Introduction

Document Objective

Document Scope

Target Audience

Knowledge Management Program Description

Types of Knowledge

Roles and Responsibilities

Requestor:

GoA Knowledge Manager:

Service Desk Knowledge Manager:

Subject Matter Expert:

Ministry/Tier 2 Document Owner

Knowledge Management Program Functions

Component of the Knowledge Management program are:

Feedback Process

KM Process Components

Add knowledge – New Requests

Update knowledge

Review Refresh knowledge

Solution Archival Knowledge

Archive knowledge

Authoring Guidelines

Governance

ITSM Integration – If Required

RightAnswers Reporting

Usage reports analysis:

Monthly Activity Report:

Agents Experiences Report

Training

Process Exceptions

Related Documents and Supporting Processes

Glossary

Introduction

Document Objective

The purpose of this document is to introduce the high-level components of the Knowledge Management Process.The primary objectives of Knowledge Management are to implement and maintain knowledge in a manner that makes the knowledge easily accessible and up to date for use by the Service Desk, Support Groups, or the designated audience.

Document Scope

This document describes the standard process for Knowledge Management within the account for the Government of Alberta.

Target Audience

The target audience for this document includes groups providing delivery support, including:

  • Agents
  • Clients
  • Partnering Technicians
  • Others involved in the Knowledge Management Process

Knowledge Management Program Description

Knowledge management is a systematic process of capturing, organizing knowledge so it can be accessed and applied easily and in the right context, assessing its value and changing it so that the supply of knowledge meets both current and forecasted demand.

The Knowledge Management process comprises of a range of strategies and practices used to identify, create, represent and make available, insights and experiences, these comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in processes or practices. This knowledge is captured and made available to everyone and is kept up to date by solution management process. The knowledge management process enables informed decisions, and improves efficiency by reducing the need to rediscover knowledge.

The Knowledge Management Process manages the daily updates that need to be made to the knowledgebase to keep it up to date as well as capture new client implementations.

Types of Knowledge

There are three different types of Solutions currently in Right Answers that the Service Desk Agent will consume.

  • Custom Solutions in RightAnswers.
  • Custom Solutions in RAKE portlet, raked from other locations.
  • COTS Solutions.

These solutions have two purposes. Used for troubleshooting or for consulting:

  • Troubleshooting can be defined as ‘it worked yesterday, but doesn't work today’ or break/fix content. This type of content generally consists of bugs, defect issues and exact error messages
  • Consulting is defined as a question asked by the end-user. This type of content generally involves product/service functionality, questions about a service, frequently asked questions and others

Roles and Responsibilities

Requestor:

Requestor submits a knowledge request. A knowledge request may be a request to add, modify or delete content. NOTE: A request can come from anyone regardless of whether it’s from the service desk or support teams. It may come in through the RightAnswers tool or the KM inbox through any of the feedback options

GoA Knowledge Manager:

Performs Content Review and enforces style and presentation across the knowledge base and ensures the proper methods are used to apply individual knowledge requests within the knowledge base. He / She is responsible for oversight of the overall database integrity but not the technical accuracy of the data Manager ensures content is applied consistently to the knowledge base according to the style guide;completes final publication of add, update and delete requests after all validation is complete

Service Desk Knowledge Manager:

Performs Content Review and enforces style and presentation across the knowledge base and ensures the proper methods are used to apply individual knowledge requests within the knowledge base. He / She is responsible for

  • Approving or rejecting content updates from submitters
  • Content integration into existing knowledge base
  • Responsible for oversight of the overall database integrity but not the technical accuracy of the data
  • Ensuring content is applied consistently to the knowledge base according to the style guide
  • Submits Final publication of add, update and delete requests after all validation is complete

Subject Matter Expert:

SME performs Technical Review and is responsible for the technical accuracy and timeliness of all knowledge in the database. The ministry contacts also perform technical reviews. SMEs may submit new content; assure the content is being updated as needed. They Review new knowledge submissions for technical accuracy. Responsible for the technical quality assurance of content

Ministry/Tier 2 Document Owner

Document Owner performs Technical Review and is responsible for the technical accuracy and timeliness of all knowledge in the database. The ministry contacts also perform technical reviews. Accountable for the technical quality assurance of content

Knowledge Management Program Functions

Component of the Knowledge Management program are:

  • Content strategies implementation
  • Knowledge edition and publication
  • Content submissions communication
  • Knowledge management processes and documentation

(style guidelines, global synonyms, processes, etc.)

  • Content and tools feedback
  • Knowledge submission process
  • Revision process for technical accuracy, methodology and style
  • Audit for duplications, spelling, coding and other errors
  • Obsolescence clean up
  • Reports creation and analysis

Feedback Process

Feedbacks are received by:

  • Solution Manager Alerts Notifications PROD
  • Direct to the Knowledge Management inbox via Knowledge Management (Right Answers).
  • Comments on Solution – Goes to RightAnswers Solution Manager as a “Flag for Review”.
  • Request a new Service Desk Solution - Goes to RightAnswers Solution Manager as an “External Request”.
  • Request a new KM solution – Goes to RightAnswers Solution Manager as an “External Request”.
  • Request a new solution from the KM Support Group – Goes to Knowledge Management inbox

KM Process Components

Knowledge should have technical accuracy to be published. Database maintenance must be in charge of verifying the completeness, format and validation of knowledge. Also database must be searched for duplications, spelling, coding and other errors. If any one of these is found, corrections must be made visible to end user.

Add knowledge – New Requests

This process indicates the way a Knowledge Manager must handle the contributions received for new knowledge.As per requestor, knowledge may need to be added to knowledge database. This addition is performed by the Knowledge Manager after accurate and relevant knowledge content has met technical accuracy parameters and has been validated.

Update knowledge

As per requestor, knowledge contained in the knowledge database must be updated as needed. This is performed by the Knowledge Manager after technical accuracy of the knowledge provided had been guaranteed.

Review Refresh knowledge

The knowledge database should be checked for any solutions that have not been reviewed in the past year as part of the annual review cycle. Outstanding items are assigned to be reviewed and pushed through the Solution Management process.

Solution Archival Knowledge

This process indicates the way a Knowledge Manager must handle the contributions received for archiving knowledge.

Archive knowledge

As per requestor, knowledge may need to be archived from the knowledge database. This is performed by the Knowledge Manager after the removal and has been validated by the SME and the Ministry/T2 Document Owner/Reviewer Document Owner.

Authoring Guidelines

The authoring guidelines provide the appropriate methodology and style characteristicsaccording to a combination of the RightAnswers Solution Manager Style Guide and HP Best Practices.

Governance

A model for knowledge management governance will be determined by having Bi-weekly meetings with the Service Alberta Knowledge Management team.

Meeting Agenda:

Review numberof:

  • Solutions with Refresh Dates due.
  • New/Updated Solutions as WIP
  • Pending approval/review

Upcoming changes, projects and onboarding services

Review Tool or Process impacts

Critical items/priority setting

Expected Outcomes:

  • Standards for direction and control that set targets and express the changing requirements of stakeholders.
  • Defined processes for implementation, enforcement and learning. Standards alone tend to be merely suggestive and descriptive, without effect or ability to induce change. Applying actual governance would require standards that are appropriately quantified, qualified or expressed, and coupled with processes for deployment and enforcement of compliance.
  • Improvement and Result Measures
  • Feedback Process
  • Project Deliverables
  • Service Levels
  • Misroutes tracking
  • CSAT

ITSM Integration – If Required

This is a sub process of the Develop, Maintain and Archive Knowledge processes. ITSM products and initiator script will need to be created, updated or removed as required.This process is in progress.

RightAnswers Reporting

As part of the Knowledge Management Process, reports must be created to inform all people involved in the service delivered to end user. The way to achieve is by the usage of reports. The reports each one a specific purpose:

Usage reports analysis:

Usage of the knowledge database must be tracked to ensure knowledge is been used and this may guaranteed that the knowledge is useful.

Monthly Activity Report:

Includes activities developed during an established period of time. Also, includes information about other activities performed during the month. Use the Monthly Activity Report Work Instruction as reference

Agents Experiences Report

Refers to the report used to inform each account management about knowledge tool usage performed by the SD during the time frame indicated.

Training

Knowledge Manager participates in the Training Process aspects related to activities developed in the daily basis. This training can be for Agents, Technical Reviewers and new Knowledge Managers:

  • Agents:this training refers to the database tool training to be delivered by the Knowledge Management team to agents in order to provide appropriate service to end users
  • Technical Review refers to the plan to be followed every time a Technical Reviewer needs it, in case he is a new Technical Reviewer or if refreshment is needed.
  • New Knowledge Managers training introduces a training agenda to prepare new Knowledge Managers in order to assume its position in the account assigned to him or her.

Process Exceptions

Exceptions must be approved by the GOA Director, ICT Processes and follow formal Change Management Processes.

Related Documents and Supporting Processes

***In production***

Glossary

Term / Description
GoA KM / Government of Alberta Knowledge Manager
SD KM / Service Desk Knowledge Manager
SD / Service Desk
SME / Subject Matter Expert
SDM / Service Delivery Manager
KM Inbox / Knowledge Management Inbox
Solution Tracker / Was created as a SharePoint list from a RightAnswers report. Each time a solution is published, the tracker is updated with refresh due date information and other valuable reporting information.
Access is restricted to GoA :Solution Tracker
Content Reviewer / Reviews content and ensures it is coinciding with the RA Authoring Guidelines @ Solution Manager (Access is restricted to GoA)
Technical Reviewer / Reviews content and ensures the technical aspect is correct and can be performed at the GOA SD
Document Owner / Owns the document content and its validity
Solution / This is the term used in RightAnswers for the know resolution previously applied
Document Review and Revision
Version / 2.0 (DRAFT) / Effective Date / 05/30/13
Source / GoA Knowledge Management Process Guide,
created by :Mischelle Thorne / Steven Mackay Sept 12 2012
Last Revised / Annual Review / 09/12/2013
Ad-Hoc Review / Change / CRQ
Document Owner / Prepared by
Name / Shannon Skov-Rackette / Name / Oksana Mashchak
Role / Service Integration Coordinator / Role / Business Analyst
Document Location /
Document Sensitivity / Unrestricted
Document Number / C000067

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