Knowledge Management Team

KM is unlike a typical business restructuring or technology introduction project. These projects are temporary and depend on temporary teams, whereas a KM project needs at least a small portion of the group to be permanent. A KM project is not over once a KM system is implemented - it must go on and continually improve and change with changing external and internal environments. The core team is constituted by a permanent, essential group. The team member can work for the project either full time or part time. The size of the core team must be kept to the smallest size possible - the smallest member count that can actually do the work.

The core team should consist of:
1. Knowledge Champion or a Senior Manager
2, IT Staff
3. User delegates representing the core business area that is going to depend on the KM system. For e.g. a KM System to support technical staff should have engineering staff as members; if it is for supporting sales force, then it should be some one from marketing.

Role of Knowledge Management Project Leader:
The leader of the team:
1. Must be credible
2. Must have a sufficient level of authority and resource capability
3. Should not change, must be stable
4. Must know how to facilitate, consult, and resolve conflicts
5. Must take charge of the conventional project management, scheduling, and coordination duties
6. Must manage the life cycle of the team, as well as selection of the core team members
7. Must encourage structured decision making
8. Must be experienced in both complex projects and in various roles within the company

Knowledge management project team members must be drawn from different functional areas and departments of the company. As expected, they will have different areas of specialisation and backgrounds.

The members of the team:
1. Must have specialised expertise
2. Must have had sufficient experience within the company or working with the company as an external consultant
3. Must have the required competencies that truly represent the concerns of the department or functional area that the team member represents
4. May work full time or part time on the project
5. May be a member of the core team or the temporary startup team
6. Must demonstrate laterality
7. Must believe in the project and must have a clear vision for what improved knowledge flows can and should do for the company or the department.

The remaining participants, in most cases, should be involved in the startup phases of the project and can be called in later for further input as and when needed.