IT services firm InSys Consulting announces the launch of K-Lib, a web-based knowledge repository developed as part of its continuing process improvement program. Designed and maintained by Knowledge Street LLC (http://www.knowledgestreet.com/), K-Lib is an answer to a challenge faced by consulting firms large and small: its intellectual capital is widely distributed in the heads of its employees, most of whom work in many different locations for many different clients.
“It’s a challenge keeping people together,” says Anthony Pirozzi Jr., InSys Consulting COO. “You can’t just post something on a bulletin board, or call people together for a quick meeting. Even email isn’t foolproof, because of anti-spam agents. What we wanted was a virtual ‘room’ – a place that was easy to find, and always open.”
K-Lib was designed and built using Lotus Domino, allowing for a highly interlinked set of hyper documents as well as filtered views of the information. Technical consultants have one view of the content, sales staff another and managers a third, with each view optimized for their individual work requirements. Secure access is provided through a link from the employee portal page on the InSys website, and the design also provides categorized access to InSys information, and a drop box through which employees can submit materials with reuse potential.
Going forward, the library will be maintained by Knowledge Street, to keep the material organized and the content fresh. Knowledge Street Principal Pam Coulter Enright feels this is a critical part of the solution. “Especially in the early stages of a KM program, people need help. A lot of good initiatives fail because people rely too much on technology, or believe you can jump immediately into self-service mode.”
InSys believes K-Lib will be an important element in the ongoing improvement of its infrastructure, helping bring together its diverse work force and provide a better way for its consultants to share their knowledge.
