Knowledge Management Policy at ESA

Paper number

IAC-16,D5,2,1,x32327

Author

Mr. Hugo Maree, European Space Agency (ESA), The Netherlands

Coauthor

Ms. Roberta Mugellesi-Dow, European Space Agency (ESA), United Kingdom

Year

2016

Abstract

For the past 20 years, several knowledge management related - and not coordinated - initiatives have been developed at different levels within the European Space Agency (ESA). In 2010, in order to harmonize them and to possibly create synergies, the development of a corporate strategy was envisaged to federate these independent undertakings and, more importantly, to support the continuous challenges posed by the development of space systems. As such, knowledge management is now appreciated as a key component for the efficient operation and evolution of a knowledge-intensive organization such as ESA.

While different concrete initiatives were developed and implemented to test, in  operational environments, several components of the system, several steps have been then taken to identify the key features of a corporate knowledge management system, in particular the definition of a governance model.

To harmonize the different initiatives and to achieve increased collaboration and coordination across ESA, a knowledge management policy is being prepared to particularly guarantee an effective management of the knowledge in the projects and programs, and to eventually improve the efficiency of Agency. Keeping indeed in mind that the knowledge is produced within the projects and that it must be managed by the projects, but in accordance with a set of common processes and tools. The policy is being developed on a federated basis, flexible enough to have each end-users determining the approach that best meets its needs.

Abstract document

IAC-16,D5,2,1,x32327.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-16,D5,2,1,x32327.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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