The objective of the research is to find if there is any impact of knowledge capture and sharing on the project planning at Practical Action (Kenya). Knowledge capture and sharing are two important components of knowledge management. Knowledge management has many definitions and some of these are listed in the appendix. Knowledge capture is one of the elements of knowledge management where the knowledge from the organization or from outside the organization is encapsulated in processes, tools or within the organizational resources to make it available to the rest of the organization. The knowledge sharing can happen when knowledge is captured successfully. Knowledge sharing is used to make sure that encapsulated knowledge is made available, shared, circulated or dispersed to be available at the right time to the right people. However, the attention deserved by knowledge capture and sharing in the development organizations is quite less. There are multiple reasons for this phenomenon. The one of the prominent reason is that ‘knowledge’ is not visible. Its intangible, it cannot be directly observed therefore, many organizations do not accept the importance of knowledge easily. The research subject has originated from the fact that knowledge capture and sharing has strong theoretical presence however, practical implications of it and swiftness in organizational decisions making regarding knowledge management lack noticeably. Project management is more adapted science. Whereas, knowledge management is more spoken, written than practiced. Therefore, in the author’s view it will be useful to find a relationship of knowledge management with established discipline such as project management. Project management is undoubtedly backed by the literature and most importantly accomplished in the actual project implementations all over the world. However, both the sciences are vast, and one thesis will not justify the inter-relation between the two streams. Therefore, to have a definite focus to study this research is trying to find if there is any impact of knowledge capture and sharing on project planning (at Practical action, Kenya).
Practical action executes development projects. These are more complex and unpredictable at times as the actual executors of the projects are changing. For example, a project of ‘water irrigation’ will be consulted by the Practical Action consultant although is actually executed by the local farmer.
Table of Contents
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3. INTRODUCTION
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
4.1 Subject Background
4.2 Project Planning
4.3 Contextual Knowledge
4.4 Impact on Project Planning
4.5 Knowledge Capture
4.6 External and Tacit knowledge
4.7 Organization Culture and Rewards
5. DATA AND METHODS
6. ANALYSIS AND RESULT
6.1 Project planning
6.2 Knowledge Capture
6.3 Resources
6.4 Organization Culture
6.5 Senior Management
6.6 Knowledge sharing
6.7 Performance management
6.8 External knowledge
6.9 Sustainability
6.10 Knowledge Marketing
6.11 Knowledge Compartmentalization
6.12 Project monitoring and control
6.13 Organization processes
7. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
7.1 Summary
7.2 Practical Implications
7.3 Theoretical implications
7.4 Future Research
7.5 Limitations
7.6 Reflection
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this research is to evaluate whether knowledge capture and knowledge sharing have a measurable impact on project planning within the NGO 'Practical Action' in Kenya. The study aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge management and practical project management, specifically focusing on how organizational knowledge can improve the accuracy of project cost and schedule estimation.
- Analysis of the relationship between knowledge management and project planning in development organizations.
- Examination of the role of 'contextual knowledge' and external expertise in improving project success rates.
- Evaluation of internal organizational processes, culture, and management support in fostering knowledge sharing.
- Identification of key factors (e.g., resources, sustainability, knowledge marketing) that influence the effectiveness of knowledge capture.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2 Project Planning
Project management is a typical way to manage business activities (Filippov and Mooi, 2010) and as said “Project management, including the tools, techniques, and knowledge-based practices applied to manage the creation of products and services, is becoming an increasingly accepted and applied discipline across industry sectors” (Jugdev et al., 2007). The work of any project is managed mainly by planning, executing, monitoring and controlling processes (Guide, 2004). In Practical action project planning is a crucial aspect of the project management.
In project management, project planning is a critical factor for the project success (Cooper and Kleinschmidt, 1995; Fortune and White, 2006) therefore, this phase needs to be given due importance in all the projects and development projects are no different to it. Mental simulation for the upcoming activities or tasks for reaching the goal is termed as planning (Mumford, Schultz and Osburn, 2002). The effective project planning ensures the right focus during the execution, prioritization of tasks, allocation of resources, timelines and milestones are set, risks are planned and mitigated and ensures the end product meets the expectations and provide measures of success (James Kiser and Lawrence Winder, 2002).
Hence planning is the first and critical step in every small or big project. Although, the nature of the development project is different, the projects from this sector are about bringing transformations and benefit to the people. (Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)U.K., 1995) however, the basic characteristics of the project execution are similar hence the project management principles remain the same for development projects in Practical action as well.
Summary of Chapters
3. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the research objective of determining the impact of knowledge capture and sharing on project planning within Practical Action (Kenya).
4. LITERATURE REVIEW: Explores the theoretical background of knowledge management, the importance of project planning, and the intersection between knowledge-intensive activities and project success.
5. DATA AND METHODS: Describes the use of grounded theory and qualitative interviews with staff at Practical Action to collect data and derive theoretical concepts.
6. ANALYSIS AND RESULT: Details the analysis of interview transcripts to identify how factors like organizational culture, senior management support, and knowledge sharing influence project planning and resource allocation.
7. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Summarizes the study's findings, highlights the practical and theoretical implications for development organizations, and acknowledges research limitations.
Keywords
Knowledge Management, Knowledge Capture, Knowledge Sharing, Project Planning, Practical Action, Grounded Theory, Development Sector, Project Management, Sustainability, Organizational Culture, Resource Management, Tacit Knowledge, Explicit Knowledge, Competitive Advantage, Knowledge Infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
This research evaluates the relationship between knowledge management practices—specifically knowledge capture and knowledge sharing—and the effectiveness of project planning in a development-sector NGO.
What are the primary themes explored in this work?
The main themes include the role of contextual knowledge in project design, the impact of organizational culture on information sharing, the importance of senior management support, and how knowledge can lead to cost and schedule efficiencies.
What is the overarching research goal?
The goal is to determine if incorporating captured knowledge from past projects leads to more effective and accurate project planning at Practical Action (Kenya).
Which scientific methodology was applied?
The author utilized grounded theory, a qualitative research methodology, to systematically analyze data gathered from in-depth interviews and organizational documentation.
What is covered in the main body of the research?
The main body (chapters 4-6) reviews relevant literature, explains the qualitative research design, and presents the findings regarding how various organizational factors (culture, processes, and resources) affect knowledge utilization.
What key terms define this research?
Key terms include knowledge capture, knowledge sharing, project planning, Practical Action, organizational culture, and grounded theory.
How does the author define 'knowledge' in the context of the NGO?
The author views knowledge as an intangible but critical asset, consisting of both tacit (individual experiences) and explicit (documented best practices) elements that must be managed to avoid project failure.
Why is 'knowledge compartmentalization' considered a challenge?
Knowledge compartmentalization is addressed because it acts as a barrier, preventing the efficient flow of information across different divisions and hindering the ability of project planners to easily access necessary insights.
What is the significance of the findings for Practical Action?
The findings suggest that formalizing knowledge capture processes and incentivizing sharing through performance management would lead to better sustainability and more efficient project execution.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Sujata Rane (Autor:in), 2014, Evaluating Impact of Knowledge Capture and Sharing on the Project Planning. Case: NGO, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/296104
