Knowledge Management Success and Failure: 2 Case Studies

Knowledge Management (KM) systems can be difficult to install. It can be even more difficult to ensure its use by employees. We present two case studies - one that failed and one that succeeded. The first case study examines the efforts to implement and use a KM system at a tax firm, and the challenges encountered that defied resolution, leading to the KM system's demise. The second case study examines the building of a customer service solution that is based on a Knowledge Management system. The system not only is a repository of knowledge that is shared with the customers, but also allows customers to add to the content. Though the customer service system fulfills the current requirements, the plan is to allow it to be a living system, changing when necessary to meet the customers' needs.