NASA Knowledge Management Practices - Present and Future
- Paper number
IAC-07-D3.5.-D3.4-E5.5.06
- Author
Dr. G.S. Krishnan, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Headquarters, United States
- Coauthor
Jonathan G. Bryson, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Coauthor
- Coauthor
Steven R. Brill, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Christopher J. Scolese, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Data becomes information and is valuable only when it is utilized by people and converted into knowledge. For knowledge to be put into action, it must be easy and simple to identify, capture, archive, search, find and share. This paper discusses current Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives and evolution in the Engineering and Program Management and Analysis arenas under the auspices of the NASA Headquarters Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE). A “to be” state is defined and described in the pursuit of a holistic solution for establishing a knowledge management framework, a real-time lessons learned capture and sharing process, and implementation which supports the goal of providing the right information to the right person at the right time. Throughout, there is recognition that “people” are at the core of every KM system. This paper describes the establishment of a common working KM hub which leverages existing tools, technologies, experiences, and practices and unites them with current KM technologies and techniques in a creative design which matches the cultural context. This hub address the spectrum of technical, cost, schedule, and risk dimensions which are key to sound program management and project management. Our efficient Knowledge Management system will provide centralized access to forty years of acquired information logically categorized by using our Office of Human Capital Engineering Competencies Dictionary and extracting and defining our core Communities of Practice, each with a central point of contact and overseen by a Technical Fellow, highly recognized subject matter experts, identified in a new OCE Program, also to be described briefly in this paper. This paper also addresses the introduction of specialized Knowledge Management Teams; the synergism of Knowledge Capture; Knowledge Sharing Tools; and Knowledge Management Curriculum Dimensions. The scope of the plan presented here includes new techniques for accessing, capturing and sharing lessons learned associated with the use of an array of resources, facilities, procedures, equipment, technology and personnel that have been allocated from both headquarters down to the project level and back, as well as external resources available through NASA (including contractors, sub-contractors, Universities, the public, and international agencies which often enter into partnerships with NASA Projects). We hope that by sharing our current perspective and plans with the international community at the IAC, it will bring our common goals of sharing well established, documented, and validated knowledge and lessons learned information closer together.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-D3.5.-D3.4-E5.5.06.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.