All of the talks and interviews from KA Connect 2018 are now available on our website.
Enjoy!
KA Connect 2018 Videos Now Available
What's the relationship between knowledge management and marketing?
Our own Founder and CEO, Christopher Parsons, was featured on Episode 119 of the PSM Show podcast this week. The topic of the podcast was the relationship between knowledge management and marketing in professional services.
Key Discussion Points
- Why should marketers care about knowledge management (KM)?
- Are marketers good candidates to lead KM in their firms?
- Examples of firms effectively integrating KM with marketing
- Tips to persuade the C-Suite to adopt KM
- What is Synthesis and how does it help facilitate KM
- Why are you a fan of event marketing?
- Which marketing initiatives have been effective for your firm?
It was a great discussion and we hope you find a chance to listen to it.
Synthesis Spotlight: Improving Project Management @ CTA Architects Engineers
Featured Guests
Fran Quiram, Project Manager + Architect, CTA Architects Engineers
Webinar Summary
CTA's board set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to increase the efficacy of their project management function. Fran and her fellow committee members took this challenge on, and the results have exceeded board expectations.
In this webinar, you'll learn how CTA got from BHAG to results by:
Creating a process for continuous improvement of project management tools
Defining project manager roles and responsibilities
Utilizing Synthesis to help project managers across 14 office learn and grow
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Accountability + Creating Alignment at (7:05) and Gather, CTA's PM Community on the Intranet, at (16:30).
Read MoreSynthesis Product Update: Spring 2018
Featured Guests
Zucu Bermann Ingersoll, Director of Product
Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO
Webinar Summary
This Office Hours webinar features Zucu Bermann Ingersoll, Director of Product, and Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO, and is focused on all things product. This is an ideal session for those that are unable to attend our Synthesis Workshop in San Francisco on May 4th, 2018.
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Top Product Priorities (3:25) and Content Optimization v.2 (27:55).
Read MoreSynthesis Spotlight: Behind the Scenes of DOWL's Operational Excellence Initiative
Featured Guests
Rachel Steer, Chief Administrative Officer, DOWL
Kristin Folmar, Quality Manager, DOWL
Webinar Summary
In 2016, DOWL launched an Operational Excellence (OpEx) program designed to improve project management, enhance client experience, and establish accountability across their 24 offices. DOWL leveraged their Synthesis intranet, The Point, to engage employees across the business in this critical initiative.
In this webinar, you'll learn how DOWL:
Established The Point as the center for content, communications, resources, and training related to OpEx
Developed a user-friendly home for OpEx which includes a graphical landing page linking to key OpEx resources, an OpEx FAQ, and introductory videos
Supported the launch of the OpEx initiative through a series of posts by key executives and project stakeholders
Continued the dialog through posts about new and updated OpEx resources, early wins, and #OpExStories
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Origin Story of the Operational Excellence (OpEx) Initiative (6:00) and Intranet Tour: The OpEx Community (16:34).
Read MoreFeatured Video: Connecting Knowledge Strategy to Business Strategy
Christopher Parsons of Knowledge Architecture at KA Connect 2017.
With KA Connect 2018 just two weeks away, I thought it would be a good time to review some strategic Knowledge Management (KM) fundamentals.
I spent early 2017 developing a set of approaches and tools designed to help your firm connect your knowledge management strategy to your business strategy. In this talk, I shared my thoughts on answering questions such as:
How do you identify and prioritize business problems to solve with KM?
How do you identify stakeholders for a KM initiative?
How do you set SMART goals for a KM initiative?
How do you develop a KM roadmap?
How do you measure success?
If this is your first time seeing this talk, you should walk away with actionable ideas to connect your knowledge management strategy to your business strategy. If this is a refresher for you, I hope it will get you fired up and prepared for some inspiring conversations with your peers at this year’s conference.
Read MoreSynthesis Spotlight: Sharing Lessons Learned + Technical Content @ AEI
Featured Guests
Neil Gammon, Madison Office Electrical Department Head, Affiliated Engineers
Webinar Summary
Our March 2018 Office Hours featured Neil Gammon, the Electrical Department Head in Affiliated Engineers (AEI)'s Madison Office. Neil and the Electrical Department at AEI have developed a series of successful strategies and tactics for sharing lessons learned and managing technical content using Synthesis.
In this webinar, Neil shared successful practices, including:
Identifying and sharing lessons learned via technical discipline meetings and intranet discussions
Organizing technical content on Synthesis
Managing Company Wide Teams and coordinating Community Managers
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Setting the Stage for Lessons Learned at AEI (14:25) and Managing Technical Content on Fil, AEI’s Synthesis Intranet (32:40).
Read MoreLaunching Synthesis @ RS&H
Featured Guests
Jennifer Stutts, VP of Communications, Marketing & Strategy
Krystal Modigell, Marketing Communications Specialist
Webinar Summary
A couple years ago, RS&H was faced with a communications and information access problem.
Many of their 800 employees were struggling to find the information they needed to be effective and to understand what was happening across the business. At the same time, RS&H was preparing to onboard 200 – 300 employees. The management team knew they needed better infrastructure to support their growing workforce.
Today, they are meeting these fundamental business needs for 1,100 employees with Blaze, their Synthesis Intranet.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how RS&H:
- Introduced Blaze as the go-to place for “all RS&H” news and dialog
- Kept employee’s user experience at the center of their design
- Used SMART goals to maintain alignment with stakeholders
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: RS&H’s Knowledge Management Objectives (8:50) and Best Practice 2: Focus on the User (18:40).
Read MoreSynthesis Spotlight: Online + Offline Learning @ Payette
Featured Guests
Hilary Barlow, Architect and Community Manager at Payette
Webinar Summary
Payette is a design firm that specializes in the healthcare, health science, and academic science markets. Maintaining a competitive advantage in rapidly changing markets means that the Payette team must prioritize continuous learning and development. To maintain a competitive edge, team members must engage in a lot of continuous learning.
In her role as Community Manager for Payette’s Big Science Group, Hilary Barlow has answered a difficult question: What does learning look like for highly skilled professionals, many of whom are already experts in their field?
In this webinar, you’ll learn how Hilary:
- Identifies hot topics and good teachers
- Convenes the Big Science community
- Captures key learnings on Synthesis
- Engages community members in the process
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Introduction to Payette’s Knowledge Groups (9:00) and Big Science’s Monthly Meetings (14:00).
Read MoreAnnouncing KA Connect 2018 Speakers + Talks
Today we’re announcing the speaker lineup and program for KA Connect 2018, our annual Knowledge Management Conference for the AEC Industry. KA Connect 2018 will take place at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on May 1st and 2nd.
The theme of KA Connect 2018 will be “Building a Learning Organization.”
Senior and emerging leaders from top AEC firms will gather to learn strategies and tactics for building and operating successful knowledge management programs. A wide range of experts will share their knowledge through talks, case studies, and interviews. Our focus will be on organizational learning, featuring topics such as:
- Lessons Learned
- Learning & Development
- Corporate Universities
- Best Practices
- Process Improvement
- Idea Management
- Communities of Practice
- Internal Communications
- Intranets
Attendees will have ample time to network and collaborate with their peers in breakout groups.
You can review the full speaker lineup here and the conference program here.
If you are passionate about helping your AEC firm create, share, and manage knowledge more effectively, this is the conference for you.
We hope you’ll join us.
P.S. Early registration is available through February 3rd. Learn more at http://ka-connect.com/conference.php.
Synthesis Spotlight: Internal Communications @ Shepley Bulfinch
Featured Guests
Lauren Perdue, Vice President of Human Resources
Sarah Sack, Human Resources Assistant
Webinar Summary
Earlier this year Shepley Bulfinch’s HR team implemented a new process to ensure that the right posts get out at the right time. Now, employees count more than ever on the intranet for important (and fun!) information about opportunities and benefits available to them.
How did they do it? In this webinar, you’ll learn how Shepley Bulfinch’s HR team:
- Builds their editorial calendar
- Manages upcoming communications
- Ensures consistent tone and voice across multiple authors
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Why Shepley Bulfinch Improved their Internal Communications Process (07:20) and HR’s Editorial Calendar & Process (12:45).
Read MoreENR’s Cover Story: Knowledge Management in the AEC Industry
We’re excited to share that ENR’s cover story this week is a broad and interesting overview of how Knowledge Management is impacting the AEC Industry.
The article profiles several AEC firms in the KA Connect community including DLR Group, MSA Professional Services, POWER Engineers, Stantec, and Fluor as well as friends of KA Connect like APQC and Columbia University’s Information and Knowledge Strategy program.
The mission of the annual KA Connect Conference is to “Advance the Practice of Knowledge Management in the AEC Industry.” It is so great to see the AEC KM movement get the visibility it deserves and I think now is a great opportunity for us all to take a moment and reflect on all the progress we’ve made on this journey together.
Thank you to the clients, partners, friends, and employees of Knowledge Architecture who make this community possible.
Here’s to many more years of learning and growing together!
Synthesis Product Update: Fall 2017
Featured Guests
Zucu Bermann Ingersoll, Director of Product
Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO
Webinar Summary
In this session, we:
Demo …
- Format text and add media to comments
- Custom date ranges in Content Optimization
Share designs for …
- “Save as Draft” for posts
- Two new tabs in Content Optimization: Views and Users
Reveal what we learned during user research for …
- “Synthesis Video
- Post Analytics
Video Collection: Critical Knowledge Transfer
Jim Martin of Shepley Bulfinch at KA Connect 2017.
You are surrounded by knowledge in your AEC firm. If you reflect for a few minutes, you’ll likely agree that not all of that knowledge is equal. Some knowledge in your firm is commoditized and easily replaced when people leave the firm. Some knowledge is outdated, wrong, and/or irrelevant, not missed when experts retire. However, there is another category of knowledge which comprises unique, hard-won, experience-based knowledge, which is essential to the success of your firm today, and in the future. Knowledge Management professionals call this “Critical Knowledge.” Critical Knowledge is the high-hanging fruit in your firm, located deep in the brains of your wisest people.
From September of 2016 through April of 2017 Knowledge Architecture sponsored an eight-month research project into Critical Knowledge Transfer. Dorothy Leonard, Chief Advisor of the Leonard-Barton Group and Professor Emerita of the Harvard Business School, led four firms—Shepley Bulfinch, SMMA, Dewberry, and HGA—in this project.
Below you will find Knowledge Architecture’s Critical Knowledge Collection, a boxed-set if you will. This KA Connect talk collection shares the individual experiences of each participating firm, as well as a deeper dive by Dorothy Leonard into the theory and practice of Critical Knowledge Transfer.
By watching these talks we hope you will walk away with a well-rounded perspective of the complex challenge of transferring Critical Knowledge, various Critical Knowledge Transfer strategies, and inspiration to move forward more effectively with Critical Knowledge Transfer within your firm.
Read MoreSynthesis Spotlight: Essential Content @ Turner Fleischer
Featured Guests
Ellen Bensky, Principal
Sherry Lay, Graphic Designer
Stephanie Tse, Project Administrator
Webinar Summary
About a year ago, Turner Fleischer faced a tough reality: they were rapidly hiring, but new employees had few written resources to reference. Turner Fleischer responded with a systematic and democratic approach to creating and publishing essential content.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how they:
- Captured top-down and bottom-up insight into what essential content was needed
- Delegated content creation
- Made content easy to find
- Solicited feedback from both management and staff
- Measured their success
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Taking a Bottom Up Approach to Essential Content (23:39) and the Intranet Tour (39:55).
Read MoreSynthesis Spotlight: Employee + Project Information @ Dewberry
Featured Guests
Petra Knochenhauer, Marketing Director
Rhonda Lewis, Marketing Information Systems Manager
Webinar Summary
The Dewberry team has succeeded in:
- Providing staff with excellent employee and project data
- Engaging staff in continuous data improvement
Watch this recording to learn what they did, how they did it, and best practices that emerged through the process.
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights:
- Optimizing Employee Education and Credential Data (17:30)
- “We’ve got to give someone a way to tell us if there is something wrong with the data.” (28:00)
Introducing the Intranet Maturity Model 2.0
Featured Guests
Susan Strom, Director of Client Success
Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO
Zucu Bermann Ingersoll, Director of Product
Webinar Summary
This light framework will help you achieve your goals faster by taking the guesswork out of:
- Identifying your top priorities and success metrics
- Building internal alignment
- Developing a tactical roadmap
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights:
- KA Strategy Update: Investing in People and Processes (6:10)
- Introduction to the Intranet Maturity Model (IMM) 2.0 (11:25)
Synthesis Product Update: Spring 2017
Featured Guests
Zucu Bermann Ingersoll, Director of Product
Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO
Webinar Summary
On this month’s Office Hours webinar, Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO, and Zucu Bermann, Director of Product, demo some exciting features that are currently in development.
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to User Tools: Features in Beta (3:50) and Management Tools: Features in Beta (13:00).
Read MoreSynthesis Spotlight: Essential Content @ Lochner
Featured Guests
Catherine Curtis, Director of Marketing & Business Development
Hillary Schlehuber, Marketing Communications Manager
Webinar Summary
March 2017’s Office Hours featured a Synthesis Spotlight with Catherine Curtis and Hillary Schlehuber, marketing leaders and intranet champions for LochNet, Lochner’s Synthesis Intranet.
Last year Catherine and Hillary set out to make basic resources, like the IT Handbook and Paid Holiday Calendar, super easy for new employees to find. They launched the LochNet employee resource page twelve months ago and the results are in—new and existing employees love it!
In this webinar you’ll learn what they did, how they did it, and best practices that emerged through the process.
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two intranet tour highlights: Overview of the Employee Resources page (11:50) and Overview of the Marketing Team Manual page (24:00).
Read MoreLaunching Synthesis @ Fuscoe
Featured Guests
Jeff Stempson, Director of Information Technology
Brandon Norton, Senior Graphic Designer
Webinar Summary
This month’s Office Hours featured an intranet tour of Fuscoe Engineering’s Synthesis intranet, ARC. Launching a Synthesis intranet in the fall of 2016 was an important milestone in Fuscoe’s knowledge management journey. Highlights of the new intranet include:
- Analog Communities of Practice got a digital home
- Disconnected and siloed key information about employees and projects is now accessible to all employees in a single system
- Employees can now find fundamental information about how work is done at Fuscoe via a single, informative toolbox
In this webinar, Jeff and Brandon give a tour of Arc and share their insights on brand alignment and employee engagement. If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two intranet tour highlights: Engineering CADD Standards (21:40) and #AskARC (38:45).
Read More