A scoring approach to knowledge-based systems evaluation in multi-national organizations

Multinational organisations are now able to enhance their global competitive position by using Knowledge Based Systems (KBSs). As a KBS project evolves evaluation of its worth is paramount to making a prudent investment decision. Most KBS projects are typified by intangible benefits and costs which traditional cost-benefit approaches are unable to measure. This paper presents a method based upon the scoring approach to overcome this problem. The method uses organisational personnel to measure a project's value at each lifecycle phase in terms of time, finances, and quality. The method is applied to two manufacturing KBS projects from a global manufacturing and sales organisation.