[This is the template for the evaluation of knowledge management tools
as Assignment 1 for the CPE/CSC 580 class, Spring 2001.
Replace the text in square brackets with your material, send me
the completed file via email to
fkurfess@csc.calpoly.edu.
Not all issues may be relevant for all tools; if this is the case,
put N/A there.]
[Although some knowledge management systems start from already existing
collections of documents, the addition of knowledge to an existing
collection is an important aspect. Interesting issues here may be
who has the authorization to add knowledge, what procedures or mechanisms
are used, how much effort it requires, and how the new knowledge
is integrated into existing knowledge.]
[The usefulness of a knowledge collection depends to a substantial degree
on the accessibility of the knowledge objects. Even though search engines
may be helpful here, knowledge has to be organized into a coherent
and consistent structure. In a physical collection such as a library,
the location of the actual object is usually the "backbone" of
the structure, and additional tools such as catalogs are used
for easier or faster access. Here you should discuss what methods
and techniques the KM tool provides or supports. ]
[Vision is the channel with the highest information transfer capacity
in humans, and consequently we rely heavily on it for dealing with knowledge.
The visual display of knowledge, however, is a notoriously difficult task,
and not many generally accepted methods have been identified. Here you should
identify the visualization capabilities your KM tools provides, and
how they help humans with the organization of knowledge.]
[For the end user, the most important aspect of knowledge management
is the identification of and access to knowledge relevant for a task.
Currently the most frequently used technique relies on keywords, and
thus works at the syntactic level. Ideally, knowledge should be retrievable
at the semantic level via concepts instead of keywords, or at the pragmatic
level by including context and usage information. You should discuss the
methods and techniques your tool uses for knowledge retrieval, and
how they make the retrieval task as easy and fast as possible.]
[The collection of meta-data about the usage of knowledge can be helpful
for determining if some knowledge item is relevant for a particular task,
e.g. through collaborative filtering.
You should discuss here if and how your chosen tool offers support
for better usage and utilization of knowledge.]
[The development or maintenance of a knowledge repository often is an
effort pursued collectively by many members of an organization,
or of an informal group with common interests. You should discuss
the support provided by your tool for collaborative efforts concerned
with knowledge management]
[Some organizations are trying to capture the collective knowledge
of their employees in a proprietary repository, often referred to
as organizational memory. You should discuss here if and how your
tool provides support for the establishment and management of such
an organizational memory.]