Best Practices in Knowledgebase Implementation in an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Service Desk Environment

Abstract

In this research paper, the author concentrated his focus on one specific area of the overall Knowledge Management (KM) field - the implementation of knowledgebase in a Service Desk environment within the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry. The knowledgebase is one of the most common KM tools that provide the means for collection, organization and retrieval of knowledge via some sort technology-based system (typically computerized database). Service Desk in this context is described as the central point of contact for handling all customer related issues.

Through the author’s extensive first-hand experiences and literature research, the author was able to demonstrate that there are four key areas that are crucial to the success of knowledgebase deployment in the above-mentioned environment. The major key success factors are in the areas of management, human, process and technology. The important of the inter-dependency of these success factors are further explained in author’s “Three-Legged Stool of Successful Knowledgebase Implementation” model. It is revealed that the three legs (human, process and technology factors) of the stool are all equally important. Balance has to be achieved in all there legs in order to achieve a solid foundation for success. This was represented here by the stable and balanced stool. The management factors are the most important area that served the important task of guiding the three factors (legs) in the proper directions and locked it into position to form a stable stool. Without this capstone sector, the whole structure (KM initiative) will simply fall apart. A solid and balanced stool here represents a successful knowledgebase implementation. As demonstrated through this model, the failure in one of these four key areas will mean failure of the knowledgebase implementation.

Based on these four key success factor (KSF) areas, a series of recommended best practices are developed by the author, and validated via personal experiences and literature research. The author hopes that these best practices will serve as useful guidelines for similar service desk type organizations in the ICT industry who which to deploy knowledgebase as part of their overall knowledge management initiative.