Title: KNOWLEDGE CAPTURING TECHNIQUES
1KNOWLEDGE CAPTURING TECHNIQUES
2Techniques Covered
- On-site Observation (Action Protocol)
- Brainstorming (Conventional Electronic)
- Consensus Decision Making
- Repertory Grid
- Nominal Group Technique
- Delphi Method
- Concept Mapping
- Blackboarding
3On-Site Observation
- Process of observing, interpreting, and recording
problem-solving behavior while it takes place - More listening than talking
- Some experts do not like to be observed
- Fear of giving away expertise is a concern
- Process can be distracting to others in the
setting
4Brainstorming
- Unstructured approach to generating ideas about a
problem - All possible solutions considered equally
- Emphasis is on the frequency of responses during
the session - Idea generation, followed by idea evaluation
5Role of Knowledge Developer in Brainstorming
Session
- Introduce brainstorming session
- Give experts a problem to consider
- Prompt experts to generate ideas
- Watch for signs of convergence
- Call for a vote or a consensus to reach agreement
6Electronic Brainstorming
- Computer-aided approach to dealing with multiple
experts - Begin with a pre-session plan that identifies
objectives and structures the agenda - Allow two or more experts provide opinions
through PCs asynchronously - Protect shy experts and prevents tagging comments
to individuals
7Protocol Analysis
- Think-aloud method
- Expert keeps talking, speaking out loud while
solving a problem - Effective source of information on cognitive
processes - Makes expert cognizant of the processes being
described - Similarity / Difference to On-site Observation
8Consensus Decision Making
- Clear agreement regarding the best solution to a
problem - As a tool, it follows brainstorming
- Procedure ensures fairness and standardization in
the way experts arrive at a consensus - Can be tedious and take hours
- The rigidity of the consensus method can be a
problem for many experts
9Nominal Group Technique (NGT)
- Provides an interface between consensus and
brainstorming - Panel of experts becomes a nominal group whose
meetings are structured in order to effectively
pool individual judgment - An ideawriting or idea generation technique
10NGT Procedure
- Each expert is asked to list pros and cons of the
problem or alternate solutions - A list of all pros and cons are compiled
- Each expert is given the list and asked to rank
them on basis of their priorities - Knowledge developer lead a discussion on the
relative ranks in hope of getting possible
solutions - A group discussion is followed to choose the
best solution from the alternatives
11NGT (Advantages)
- Effective in multiple expert knowledge capture,
especially when minimizing differences in status
among experts - In NGT, each expert has an equal chance to
express ideas in parallel with other experts in
the group - With discussion proceeds in sequential order, NGT
can be a more efficient and productive approach
than brainstorming
12NGT (Drawbacks)
- Technique can be time consuming
- Has been known to promote impatience among
experts who must listen to discussions with other
experts - With experts sharing expertise, things can jell
in adopting the best solution - NGT is ideal in situations of uncertainty
regarding the nature of the problem
13The Repertory Grid
- Domain expert viewed as a scientist who
categorizes a problem domain using his or her own
model - Grid used to capture and evaluate the experts
model - Experts see problems based on reasoning that has
stood test of time - A representation of the experts way of looking
at a particular problem - A grid is a scale or a bipolar construct on which
elements are placed within gradations
14Job Performance Rating Repertory Grid (Example)
Scale 1 to 3
T1 Dixie T2 John T3 Barry T4 Curt T5 Lester T6 Joa
nne
15The Repertory Grid (Pros and Cons)
- Benefit May prompt the expert to think more
seriously about the problem and how to solve it. - Drawback Difficult to manage when large grids
are accompanied by complex details - Because of complexity and manageability, the tool
is normally used in the early stages of knowledge
capture
16Delphi Method
- A survey of experts
- A series of questionnaires used to pool experts
responses in order to solve a difficult problem - Each experts contributions shared with rest of
experts by using results of one questionnaire to
construct the next questionnaire
17Delphi Method (Pros and Cons)
- Pros
- Anonymous response
- Controlled feedback
- Statistical group response
- Cons
- Experts often lack necessary knowledge on which
to base final judgment - Poorly designed questionnaire could cause all
kinds of problems
18Concept Mapping
- A network of concepts, consisting of nodes and
links - A node represents a concept and a link represents
the relationship between concepts. (See next
slide) - An effective way for a group to function without
losing their individuality
19Concept MapAn Example
White horse
Beard
At chimneys
On roofs
Birthday
has
rides
Spain
listens
has
climbs
lives in
lives in
SAINT NICOLAS
helper of
BLACK PETER
brings
gives
not same as
Santa Clause
Presents
20Steps in Concept Mapping
1 Preparation of Project Participants, focus,
schedule
2 Idea Generation (focus for brainstorming)
6 Utilization
STEPS IN CONCEPT MAPPING
3 Idea Structuring (sorting/rating statements)
4 Statement Representation
5 Interpretation (cluster analysis)
21Blackboarding
- Assumes all participants are experts with unique
experience - Each expert has equal chance to contribute to the
solution via the blackboard - Process continues until the problem has been
solved - Diverse approaches to problem solving
22Blackboarding (Characteristics)
- Participants share a common language for
interaction - Flexible representation of information
- Efficient storage and location of information
- Organized participation
- Iterative approach to problem solving
23The Interview As a Tool
- Commonly used in the early stages of tacit
knowledge capture - The voluntary nature of the interview is
important - Interviewing as a tool requires training and
preparation - Convenient tool for evaluating the validity of
information acquired
24Sources of Error that Reduce Information
Reliability
- Experts perceptual slant
- Experts failure to remember just what happened
- Experts fear of the unknown
- Communication problems
- Role bias
25Errors Made by the Knowledge Developer
- Age effect
- Race effect
- Gender effect
26Problems Encountered During the Interview
- Response bias
- Inconsistency
- Communication difficulties
- Hostile attitude
- Standardized questions
- Lengthy questions
- Long interview