Knowledge Mapping

A clear understanding of what knowledge must be managed is critical to the success of an organization. TMSC develops knowledge maps to discover what knowledge must be managed. The activity identifies and makes explicit, in a graphical way, what knowledge an organization needs, uses, or has used to produce business and operational results. Knowledge maps provide a capacity to direct the use of knowledge, as well as associate knowledge and information in such a way that the mapping itself creates additional knowledge. Properly developed, knowledge maps provide a powerful understanding and insight into relationship between knowledge, results, and business value. Once a knowledge map is complete, the organization understands what knowledge it has or needs, what knowledge is valuable, what knowledge produces results, where the knowledge is stored, and who are the people who hold the knowledge.

An organization can map future use of knowledge, current use of knowledge, or past use of knowledge. TMSC’s proprietary methodology employs three approaches to knowledge mapping.

1. Results-based mapping - Future use of knowledge is mapped to help make decisions and develop knowledge assets required to perform future functions. The basic driving question is “What knowledge do I need to produce X?” For example, a new department or manufacturing facility needs to map what it needs to know to perform a new task or function.
2. Activity-based mapping - Knowledge that is used to produce a result in real time is mapped as it is being used and generated. The basic driving question is “What knowledge do I use to produce X?” For example, a team performs a reoccurring task and wishes to transfer that knowledge to another team in a different facility.
3. Inventory-based mapping - Inventory-based mapping - Past use of knowledge is mapped to help make decisions on what should be maintained or discarded. The basic question is “What knowledge do I have that is valuable and produces results?” For example, an organization needs to reduce its spending on maintaining vast amounts of databases, but does not know what should be kept or discarded.

After knowledge is mapped in a graphical way, the maps can be presented either in a static state or on a dynamic technology platform.