Better Knowledge Management through Knowledge Engineering

captured knowledge must then be made available throughout the organization in a timely manner. In terms of technology, most current knowledge management activities rely on database and Internet systems. If knowledge is stored explicitly at all, it is typically in databases either as simple tables (for example, relational databases) or semistructured text (as in Lotus Notes). The use of sophisticated knowledge representation systems such as Classic, Loom, or G2 is rare. Also, few organizations have a systematic process for capturing knowledge, as distinct from capturing information. (See the “Current Practice” sidebar for a description of techniques.) We believe that current knowledge management practice significantly under-utilizes knowledge-engineering technology, despite recent efforts to promote its use.4 In this article, we focus on two knowledgeengineering processes: