Results tagged “Six Sigma” from KM Edge: Where the best in Knowledge Management come together

Why Knowledge Mapping Works

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Lately, I've spent a fair amount of time waxing nostalgic about "past" knowledge management techniques and methods, mentioning what seems to be a resurgence of interest in them. Recent work with a client has caused me to bring an additional old KM standard to the forefront. So here's another "blast from the past" (don't worry, I won't ever go so far back as to break out the polyester suits and platform shoes). What is this technique dusted off from the KM toolkit? It's knowledge mapping.

I presume that, if you're reading this, you're already familiar with the technique. However, if you're not, a quick Internet search will provide you with lots of background on this simple but powerful tool. Recently, a team from APQC assisted a group from the supply chain function of a large manufacturer, one that has both Six Sigma and Lean philosophies in place. In spite of that, we were asked to help the organization--using knowledge mapping--since experience indicated that there was going to be a show-stopping problem in the very near future.

Over the past few months, I've heard from numerous APQC members about their experiences with Six Sigma. Many of the "newcomers" to Six Sigma have mixed reviews cindyHubertIcon80.pngabout the effectiveness of the methodology.  In these discussions, I surfaced APQC's many years of research on Six Sigma, and I was reminded that many of the knowledge management methods and strategies we use today have roots in Six Sigma. I'd like to hear from you about your own experiences, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to describe some of the guiding principles learned from exploring the synergies of KM and Six Sigma.