Knowledge engineering aims to create systems that match human expertise in problem-solving, but acquiring sufficient quality and quantity of knowledge is a challenge. Knowledge management can benefit from the tools of knowledge engineering, such as classification and evaluation. Both require organizing knowledge to solve problems and identify opportunities. An approach from knowledge engineering can help identify challenges and opportunities for knowledge management in an organization.
Knowledge engineering involves building knowledge-based systems that aim to achieve the same level of proficiency as a person applying specialist knowledge and experience. The main difficulty in applying knowledge engineering tends to be in acquiring sufficient quality and quantity of knowledge to enable a problem to be solved by the system. These difficulties in classifying and storing knowledge for retrieval when required are similar to the tasks faced by knowledge management in any organization. Knowledge management can therefore benefit from some of the analytical tools of knowledge engineering, such as the classification of knowledge-based operations into different types of activities that require particular techniques. Knowledge engineering and knowledge management therefore share similar goals and the tools used by knowledge engineering can be useful for knowledge management.
Knowledge engineering is related to computer science and artificial intelligence, aiming to match human expertise in producing sophisticated responses to complicated situations. The goal is to produce a system that can analyze the essence of a problem and produce a solution by drawing on a body of detailed knowledge from organized databases. Structured knowledge can then be maintained and improved by feedback, leading to continuous evaluation and improvement of the system. Each type of knowledge used by the system would require the use of particular techniques to ensure that the knowledge is fully utilised. Engineering and knowledge management are linked by the need to capture and organize knowledge to focus on solving problems and identifying opportunities.
The concepts used in some aspects of knowledge engineering can be relevant to knowledge management and can help a company in its knowledge management projects. Some analytic tasks in knowledge engineering applications involve the arrangement and manipulation of knowledge and can serve as a model for similar knowledge management activities. The methods used by knowledge engineering to perform tasks such as classification, evaluation and planning based on a structured knowledge base can be transferable for use in knowledge management. Engineering and knowledge management both need to classify tasks and organize knowledge to assist their analysis.
In practice, an approach drawn from knowledge engineering would seek to identify problems and areas of an organization where opportunities may exist, using tools such as interviews and discussions with relevant staff. The results of this exercise would be compared to the organization’s goals and mission, taking into account the main value drivers in the enterprise. The result of this analysis linking knowledge engineering and management would be an overview of the main challenges and opportunities that should be at the heart of knowledge management in the enterprise.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
