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Transportation Library Quick Guide: Knowledge Management: Preserving Knowledge

Strategies and Actions to Preserve Knowledge

The 2015 NCHRP Report 813: A Guide to Agency-Wide Knowledge Management for State Departments of Transportation offers these information management-oriented ideas for libraries or information centers to actively participate in KM by:

  • Capturing specialized knowledge from employees before they leave the agency.
  • Organizing communities of practice (CoPs) where less experienced employees can learn from peers.
  • Developing employee expertise directories.

U.S. Domestic Scan Program Scan 12-04, Advances in Transportation Agency Knowledge Management, identifies areas of effective KM implementation strategies for state DOTs, including these that may be relevant to libraries, librarians and information services providers:

Fostering Networks and Communities of Practice

  • Develop searchable expertise directories, including existing formal and informal networks.
  • Establish CoPs that enable employees to exchange information and share knowledge.
  • Encourage and reward employee participation in CoPs.
  • Develop policies for incorporating employees into networks based on their primary discipline.

Knowledge Capture and Application ­

  • Develop processes for peer reviews before, during and after a project or initiative to ensure that available knowledge is applied, teams learn from experience and key lessons are captured for future use.
  • Capture the stories and perspectives of technical experts and leaders within and outside the organization by inviting presentations and creating podcasts or videos to share.
  • Capture institutional knowledge by reviewing significant events in the agency’s history, examining and discussing what led up to these events and how they were handled.
  • Establish criteria to prioritize the information and knowledge to be captured and shared.
  • Develop standard contract language to ensure that information and knowledge are captured from contractors and other working partners.

Information Management and Dissemination

  • Institute practices to ensure that important information can be easily accessed.
  • Develop a blueprint for information organization that considers multiple sources, content types and needs.
  • Review policies and procedures to eliminate duplication and inconsistencies, and use a common language.

Some agencies pursue more informal efforts to retain institutional knowledge, reaching out to staff members preparing to retire to catalog any historical documents or other information retiring employees may have in their files. Other agencies have adopted KM programs.

Noteworthy Resources

CLEAR Program  

North Carolina DOT’s CLEAR Program (Communicate Lessons, Exchange Advice, Record) illustrates a more formal approach with its “internally developed knowledge management program that gives voice to every [North Carolina DOT] employee. It promotes cross-unit communication, sharing of best practices and organizational enhancements through an easy-to-use technical platform.​”

Agency employees submit online forms with a lesson, idea or request for a solution to a CLEAR SharePoint site. After vetting by an expert review panel, these submissions are added to an agency repository that can be searched and analyzed.

The CLEAR Program’s focus in 2022 is “to improve the way information is shared through the launching of Lunch and Learns.” Lunch and Learns and brown bag presentations are often used by state DOT research programs—and the libraries that support them—to highlight new research or new information services.

Knowledge Books

The Method for Analyzing and Structuring Knowledge (MASK), developed by French researchers, uses models to organize and present information from interviewing one or more experts on a given topic. A “knowledge book” presents this information with links to relevant reference materials that successors can easily navigate and use.

Resource of Note  

Washington State DOT tested the MASK technique in an October 2019 project and reported outcomes and lessons learned to assist others wanting to explore this method. Minnesota DOT completed three knowledge books in connection with its 2020 knowledge retention pilot project.

Other agencies have commissioned research to develop new KM tools to assist with both KM and employee retention.

Resource of Note

Concerned about employee turnover, in 2015 the Vermont Agency of Transportation commissioned a study on how to improve employee retention and KM at the agency. A pilot component of the study included developing a workshop method and Knowledge Exchange Tool to be used with small groups. This tool is a fillable form that provides a format for a group to discuss and understand tacit knowledge. A topic is selected that the group has working knowledge of, interested parties are identified, and directions are prepared on how to create a file to compile and store the information. Finally, participants consider how long the tacit knowledge may be relevant and when it would need updating.

The Vermont study concluded that KM involves people, processes and information technology—all of which are equally important for success. Researchers recommended coordinating KM efforts, ideally designating an individual with authority and responsibility to move KM forward. Other recommendations included:

  • Convening a KM leadership group to develop strategies for the agency.
  • Reviewing the use and architecture of the agency SharePoint site, including analytics to understand what employees are searching for.
  • Holding introductory KM workshops for divisions or groups of employees using the tools developed in this project.

One mechanism for sharing and storing research is research databases. Two of the most comprehensive transportation research databases are managed by TRB under the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine:

Research in Progress (RiP) is a clearinghouse for state DOTs, university transportation centers (UTCs) and others to share current research, including project abstracts, start and expected completion dates, performing organizations and sponsors. RiP is searchable by location (state DOTs and UTCs) and topics.

The Transport Research International Documentation (TRID) database contains more than 1.3 million records of completed research, including books, technical reports, conference proceedings and journal articles. TRID is searchable by many parameters and includes hot topics and instructional videos and webinars for using the database.

In addition to accessing these national sources of research data, state DOTs may also use one or more tools to track agency-funded research and projects.

Recommended Reading

Washington State DOT published the July 2018 report Research Management Database Business Analysis as the final product of the pooled fund study, Research Program Management Database, TPF-5(181). This research effort identified “several future initiatives for consideration to improve research data management and sharing practices,” which include a research data exchange standard, creation of a model research data mart, and collaborative development of a web-based research program and project management database system.