The following ‘toolbox’ presents some of the most common tools and techniques currently used in knowledge management programmes. The aim is to give an introduction, to present an overview of what is involved, and to provide some pointers to further resources.

Each item in the toolbox follows a common format:

• What is it?
• What are the benefits?
• How do I go about it?
• Are there any other points I should be aware of?
• Resources and references

The toolbox

After action reviews
A tool pioneered by the US army and now widely used in a range of organisations to capture lessons learned both during and after an activity or project.

Communities of practice
Widely regarded as ‘the killer KM application’, communities of practice link people together to develop and share knowledge around specific themes, and are already being established in the NHS.

Conducting a knowledge audit
A systematic process to identify an organisation’s knowledge needs, resources and flows, as a basis for understanding where and how better knowledge management can add value.

Connections
A central information resource designed to share knowledge about all programmes and projects underway within the NHS Modernisation Agency.

Developing a knowledge management strategy
Approaches to developing a formal knowledge management plan that is closely aligned with an organisation’s overall strategy and goals.

Exit interviews
A tool used to capture the knowledge of departing employees.

Identifying and sharing best practices
Approaches to capturing best practices discovered in one part of the organisation and sharing them for the benefit of all.

Knowledge centres
Similar to libraries but with a broader remit to include connecting people with each other as well as with information in documents and databases.

Knowledge harvesting
A tool used to capture the knowledge of ‘experts’ and make it available to others.

Knowledge Learning and Information Management Toolkit (KLIMT)
A process developed by the Department of Health in which a facilitator helps workgroups or teams to assess and improve their knowledge management practices.

Peer assists
A tool developed at BP-Amoco used to learn from the experiences of others before embarking on an activity or project.

Social network analysis
Mapping relationships between people, groups and organisations to understand how these relationships either facilitate or impede knowledge flows.

Storytelling
Using the ancient art of storytelling to share knowledge in a more meaningful and interesting way.

White pages
A step-up from the usual staff directory, an online resource that allows people to find colleagues with specific knowledge and expertise.

If there any additional tools you would like to see included here, please contact us.