Knowledge management systems in service centers are considered essential tools for any organization engaged in providing services, as the ability to easily share and mediate information to customers is a cornerstone of their operations. In recent years, we have witnessed acceleration both in the pace of technological development and in the continuous increase in market demands. Hence, there is a need for more frequent system replacements and migration of existing knowledge management systems to adapt to new environments.
The agile approach, which emerged from the software development world aiming to shorten timelines, has long been integrated into various content worlds, including knowledge management. The core of agility is flexibility and speed, alongside constant dialogue with the customer.
Agile concepts can be implemented in every component related to knowledge management. In migrating knowledge management systems for service, it is suggested to consider a dual integration along two main axes: the content axis and the technological axis.
Content Axis
Content migration is more than just technical work. It includes examining the existing information in the current system, and the need for changes (see article - Navigating the Journey: From Dream Homes to Digital Transformations), and transferring it, with necessary updates, to the new environment. This is a long process that often becomes a bottleneck in system migration.
Advantages
The advantages of implementing the agile approach are twofold:
Shortening go-live time: Instead of waiting a long time for all content to be transferred, the agile approach aims for gradual migration, prioritized in collaboration with the customer and according to the organization's nature and needs. For example, by content domains, roles, or even high-criticality items. This approach allows users to experience the new system in a relatively short time frame.
Feedback: Gradual agile launch allows for real-time feedback from users regarding the quality of content and its editing, and learning how to improve the transfer process for information yet to be processed .
Disadvantages
However, as with everything in life, along with advantages, there are also disadvantages. The main ones are:
Resources: The time resources required for the transition process between the old and new systems may be extended due to the need to manage two work environments simultaneously, and search in both environments concurrently.
Clarity for the user: The need to clarify to the user in which system they will find the information they need.
Lack of uniformity: Different work interfaces in different systems throughout the migration period.
To minimize the cost of these disadvantages, careful and efficient management of the transfer process is required, in a way that prevents activity in the wrong system. Also, appropriate communication to users about working simultaneously in two different environments is necessary , which may seem like a burden but is another way to accelerate progress. Of course, remember to give sufficient notice about the target time when content will be removed from the old system and transferred to the new one.
Technological Axis
The agile approach, in its technological implementation, advocates launching small versions along the way, instead of launching a complete system that meets all defined needs. For example: launching a template generator, search engine, terminological precision, and more, can each be divided into a collection of small changes.
Advantages
This gradual activity has several advantages:
Shortened timeline: Earlier go-live of the system.
Resource reduction: We all stumbled upon customer over-requirements, which the gradual launch often can eliminate, thus forsaking some of the requirements that looked impressive on paper but were not really needed. Often, a certain improvement is sufficient (for example, in search), and there is no need to continue introducing additional precision capabilities (in the sense of "good enough").
Adapting to customer needs: The main advantage of this method, in my opinion, is that it allows prioritizing customer desires through immediate feedback from the field about parts that need improvement or change, and conversely, to clarify what works well and should be promoted in future versions.
Disadvantages
Expectations: The main disadvantage of the agile method may be manifested in not meeting expectations and user disappointment with the new system. Whether in the different appearance between systems, differences in how information is located, and general adaptation to a new system.
The best way to reduce these cases is to involve the users in the migration process all along the way. This can be done through various means according to the stages of the process: initial characterization meetings with various representatives from the organization, presenting the system during development stages, and after its launch by quickly responding to feedback and conducting user surveys. Receiving feedback from users along the way will help in understanding the precise needs and requirements of the system, and in defining new functions that can improve the knowledge management system.
To Conclude
Agility sounds like another fad; a trend that might sound better in theory than in real life. But agility is much more than that. Sure, it has costs, but time and again, we see how its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, and how it can help us in the world of knowledge management to improve service and make it more efficient, all while strengthening the relationship with the customer.
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