PROCESS DOCUMENTATION: A MODEL FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS.

Area of Science:

• Knowledge Management
• Organizational Science
• Information Systems

Background:

• Continuous processes transform organizational inputs to outputs, guided by explicit and implicit knowledge.
• Implicit knowledge, crucial for internal control, is often tacit and context-dependent.
• Isfahan University of Medical Science sought to integrate implicit and explicit knowledge to improve various management functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and integrate implicit knowledge with explicit knowledge within Isfahan University of Medical Science.
• To enhance human resources, physical resources, and information resource management.
• To improve training and other organizational activities through knowledge integration.

Main Methods:

• A multi-stage documentation project was conducted within the health department.
• Processes and sub-processes were identified, categorized, and documented by process experts.
• Custom computer software was designed to manage and integrate documented knowledge.

Main Results:

• Activity documentation effectively exposes implicit knowledge by detailing process inputs, outputs, and operational parameters.
• Key elements like information flow, storage, and exchange within processes become identifiable.
• The study confirmed that documentation is vital for understanding the complete process lifecycle.

Conclusions:

• Process documentation establishes a foundational organizational architecture and facilitates information technology integration.
• A comprehensive documentation program, supported by custom software, links explicit and implicit knowledge.
• This integration enables the re-engineering of organizational processes for improved efficiency and knowledge utilization.