Manage an information or knowledge system

BSBIMN501A
Manage an information or knowledge system
QUEENSLAND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ACADEMY

Manage use of information of knowledge management system 2.1 Ensure implementation of policies and procedures for the information or knowledge management system are monitored for compliance, effectiveness and efficiency.

Ensure compliance, effectiveness and efficiency

What is compliance? Compliance can either be the condition or the process of conforming in accordance with established standards, specifications or legislation. Standards, specifications and legislation are devised to protect the public, workers and shareholders in some way from physical, legal or emotional damage

What is compliance? Compliance encompasses many aspects of an organisation's activities and can be organisation-specific industry-specific relate to the general public Because compliance can get complicated, many larger organisations employ people as compliance officers to administer compliance issues.

Monitoring the system for compliance with government legislation To monitor an information or knowledge management system for compliance with government legislation, we must be aware of the different types of legislation that exist in relation to the gathering, storage and usage of personal information. As organisations are obliged to comply, they must have at least sufficient knowledge of the laws and systems to ensure compliance.

Tangible knowledge This type of information can be formally stored, processed and used to verify and substantiate knowledge. Tangible knowledge is relatively easy to impart to others in a formal learning environment such as a classroom or lecture theatre.

Privacy legislation The Office of the Privacy Commissioner administers the Federal Privacy Act*. The Federal Privacy Act provides principles to guide organisations and agencies about how to handle personal information.

Privacy legislation how personal information is collected how it is then used and disclosed its accuracy how securely it is kept a person's right to access the information Each Australian state and territory (except the ACT) has its own privacy act that governs information held in their respective public sectors

Freedom of information legislation The Federal government's Freedom of Information Act 1982* is administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Act applies to information that is held by the Federal public sector but forms the foundation of many industry codes of practice in the private sector

Freedom of information legislation it was written to give individuals the right to: view documents held by Federal Government ministers, their department and most statutory authorities ask for personal information about themselves to be amended if it is incomplete, out-of-date, incorrect or misleading appeal against a decision not to grant access to a document, or to amend or annotate a personal record.

Freedom of information legislation The Act also requires that all Federal Government agencies make available to the public information about the way they are organised, how they function, their decision-making processes and what documents they hold.

Freedom of information legislation In addition to the Federal Freedom of Information Act 1982, each Australian state and territory has its own Freedom of Information Act that applies to information held by their respective public sectors.

Defamation legislation Defamation is defined by the Arts Laws Centre of Australia as occurring when: A communication from one person to at least one other lowers or harms the reputation of an identifiable third person, where the communicator (the publisher) has no legal defence.

Defamation legislation These laws are designed to reach a compromise between the right to free speech and the right of individuals to safeguard against their reputation being damaged indefensibly. When an individual (the plaintiff) chooses to take legal action against an alleged defamer, he or she must prove the following three facts:

Defamation legislation that the communication has been published to a third person that the communication identifies (or is about) the plaintiff that the communication is defamatory.

Monitoring the system for compliance with standards and codes of practice Standards of practice are developed nationally and internationally to outline sets of principles, rules and agreements, and create standards for particular organisational processes and products. We can monitor the information or knowledge management system for compliance with standards by learning about the available standards that relate to such systems.

Monitoring the system for compliance with standards and codes of practice Adherence to any standards of practice is voluntary but it is always market-driven. Observing an established standard will often provide an organisation with the ability to compete in both national and international markets.

Standards Australia (SA) Standards Australia is a non-government body that develops complex technical documents designed to develop and maintain Australian standards across a wide range of products and processes.

AS 5037-2005 Know/edge Management - A Guide AS 5037-2005 Know/edge Management - A Guide, is one such Australian standard that has been developed to help organisations to: understand knowledge management concepts, provide a framework for, 'designing, planning, implementing and assessing knowledge interventions that respond to an organisation's environment and state of readiness'.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) The International Organisation for Standardisation is an international body that, like Standards Australia, has been established to develop and maintain standards across a large scope of products and processes. ISO has representatives from 159 countries worldwide

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Most ISO standards relate to specific products, materials or processes. However, ISO 9001 is a generic standard that specifies the business requirements necessary for a quality management system within an organisation.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) It provides quality assurance processes that are applicable to almost any type of organisation. These processes help to streamline organisational procedures and offer a means to supply a consistent production or service quality to customers.

Codes of practice Industry or organisational codes of practice are written to declare a set of specific ethical values. Sometimes these documents are called Codes of Ethics. Usually, the ethical values expressed within the codes are written in general terms but apply to specific situations.

Codes of practice Personal conduct within an individual's professional environment is also normally the focus of these codes. Compliance to these types of codes is often a requirement of professional associations-members must agree to adhere to the principles set out in the Codes of Practice if they are to be accepted and remain as members.

Customer service statements An organisation will write a customer service statement as a declaration to their customers that they will comply with certain service and professional standards in their dealings with them. Its intention is to elicit confidence in the organisation to deliver as promised

Customer service statements The statement will usually list the standards that the customer can expect from the organisation. All customer service employees within the organisation are expected to familiarise themselves with the standards and apply them. If this is done well, there are fewer customer complaints and the business runs more smoothly

Low High High Right tasks and activities done the wrongway Right tasks and activities done the right way Low Wrong tasks and activities done the wrong way Wrong tasks and activities not done the right way Monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency Efficiency Effectiveness

Monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency Prior to being able to monitor any system for effectiveness and efficiency, we must first establish what is expected of the system-it is only then that we will know whether or not it complies with those expectations. Identifying expectations therefore provides a means by which to create a framework for monitoring the system.

Monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency In most cases, the task of monitoring will involve many aspects such as: accuracy, completeness, currency and relevance of data correct calculation of data variables adequacy of forms for data input nature and extent of use of information provided by the system

Monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency nature and extent of problems occurring with the system adequacy of software nature and extent of training on the system adequacy of system training.

Monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency A plan for monitoring the information or knowledge management system should be put in place so that all aspects of monitoring are covered at regular and appropriate intervals. Some aspects may require more frequent attention than others.

Monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency When putting together a plan for monitoring the system for effectiveness and efficiency, consider: What will be monitored? How frequently will monitoring occur? Who will be responsible for monitoring? How will the monitoring be done? How will the results of monitoring be reported?

Checking data quality The cost of poor quality data to any organisation can be considerable-it can result in: lower sales figures, loss of new and existing customers, disruption to operations, errors in invoicing, ordering and delivering; delays in processing-not to mention a great deal of frustration and time wastage.

Checking data quality Consequently, monitoring for quality of data has to be a high priority that requires setting up processes to identify, and correct or remove data that is: Inaccurate 0ut-of-date Incomplete irrelevant

Checking data quality Monitoring for poor quality data can occur at the time of input by making it impossible to enter certain data formats. For instance, rules can be put in place so that Australian postcodes have to have four digits, date records may have to occur earlier or later than a specified time, figures should be within minimum and maximum values, and certain fields must always be filled.

Checking data quality These types of rules prevent many mistakes being made at the input stage, but they will not be sufficient to keep the data 'clean'. Other measures for checking data will also be required. Automated processes that use data profiling and auditing tools are useful for analysing data quickly.

Checking data quality These systems can check for data that is: out-of-date, incomplete or inaccurate, In some cases, especially when the data is textually descriptive, a manual check may be the only option available for monitoring data quality.

Mechanisms and formats for input into the system Inputting raw data into the system correctly is crucial to preventing problems with data quality later on. Therefore, give the task a lot of careful consideration.

Mechanisms and formats for input into the system For example, if you are implementing an information management system for products and services, you will no doubt want to collect data about products, costs, suppliers, service providers, packaging, delivery details, transport details.

Mechanisms and formats for input into the system Pay attention to details in the planning phase, taking into account possible future needs, and your efforts will payoff down the line.

Mechanisms and formats for input into the system As well as knowing what kinds of data should go into the system, planning also involves looking at how to summarise that information into levels. Taking our example of a system for products and services, each product and service might also be placed into a group that broadly describes its function.

Mechanisms and formats for input into the system A functional group for products could include say, kitchen appliances, another might be audio equipment. The more groups of products and services in the system, the more detailed the output of information for analysis.

Creating content guidelines As well as putting a plan together for the kinds of information that will be included in the information or knowledge management system, it is also important to create a set of guidelines to make sure that the content is entered in a consistent format. The input format describes the way that information is expressed and organised.

Creating content guidelines Consistent input helps users to: analyse the data more effectively ensure data quality avoid the expense of resolving data problems absorb and understand information meet the needs of organisational and business plans monitor the performance of the system.

Designing input forms Input forms can come in paper or electronic formats. Either way, for a consistent approach, you must design forms that are relevant for workers or customers to fill in. When the form design phase is completed, the forms should be tested to ensure that they function as required.

Designing input forms During the form design process, take into account the following: Who will be filling in the form? Are all the questions on the form relevant? Does the form ask for adequate information? Is the form written in a simple and concise manner? Have you included instructions for filling out the form?

Formats for people with disabilities The content in an information or knowledge management system must be readable, usable and accessible. This may sound obvious, but for people with disabilities it is not always the case. Fortunately, there are strategies that can be put in place to help those who have different kinds of disabilities so that they may also access the system.

Formats for people with disabilities In the system environment, we are concerned with people who have disabilities that prevent them from using traditional computer input and output devices in the way that they was originally intended. Fortunately, computers offer so much more than paper-based documents for this group of people.

Formats for people with disabilities Assistive technology has contributed a lot to aid access to computer-based knowledge and information. It includes: screen readers to convert text to speech for the visually-impaired voice-activated software for those who are blind or who don't have use of their hands screen content-enlarging software for the sight-impaired.

Controlling access to the system Systems and processes for controlling who has permission to enter information and who is allowed to access the information in the system must be put in place to protect data quality and reduce the potential for harm caused by unauthorised, illegal or inappropriate use of the information.

Permissions for input Workers who are responsible for inputting data into the system can be given specified levels of access into different parts of it. For example, a worker in a customer service role may have permission to enter data for a customer order, but may not be allowed to enter data into the product inventory. Or a human resources administrator may input data about staff wages and holidays, but will not be allowed to input information about technology resources.

Permissions for input Mechanisms can also be setup to control a worker's ability to view certain information in the system. At other times, workers may be allowed to view particular information but will not have permission to enter new data or change existing data. Access features are usually controlled with the use of passwords.

Sharing knowledge in the system Knowledge in the information or knowledge management system can be shared between different team members and colleagues, different departments, and even other organisations. In many cases, workers might be resistant to sharing information for fear of losing business, but this attitude can be counter-productive as it can render an organisation to be less adaptable to changing needs.

Sharing knowledge in the system Creating an understanding of why sharing knowledge is often beneficial to both the greater good of the organisation and the individuals within is a worthwhile strategy.

Sharing information internally Information can be shared internally to promote smoother processes and improve the quality of services. For example, sales representatives within an organisation are usually protective of their contacts and are unwilling to share this type of information-particularly with other sales representatives who are competing for monthly sales figures.

Sharing information internally Yet, if sales representatives were more open about their sales prospects, the marketing team could work with that knowledge to create more accurate and focused marketing campaigns. If the same sales representatives working out in the field communicated with workers responsible for keeping the product database up-to-date at the time of making a sale, more efficient stock control would be possible, and this would then feed back into creating a better and more efficient customer service.

Sharing information externally Sharing information in the system with external organisations may seem counterproductive at first, but there may be instances when it is a worthwhile proposition in much the same way as it is internally. Let's say that a supplier is kept up-to-date with an organisation's sales figures for their products, this same supplier could plan marketing campaigns to complement those figures.

Sharing information externally They could also ensure that their own supplies meet the needs of the organisation in question. This would result in more timely marketing campaigns and a smoother supply chain to keep up with product demands.

Manage an information or knowledge system