Andersen Consulting – Knowledge Management System

Supriya S

About Anderson Consulting

Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big

Five" accounting firms among PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte

Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG,

providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to

large corporations.

In 2002, the firm voluntarily surrendered its licenses to practice

as Certified Public Accountants in the United States after being

found guilty of criminal charges relating to the firm's handling of

the auditing of Enron.

Cont…

The consulting wing of the firm became increasingly important

during the 1970s and 1980s.

Disproportionate growth, and the consulting division partners'

belief that they were not garnering their fair share of firm

profits, created increasing friction between the two divisions.

In 1989, Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting became

separate units of Andersen Worldwide Société Coopérative.

The two businesses spent most of the 1990s in a bitter dispute.

Cont…

In August 2000 the conclusion of the International Chamber of

Commerce granted Andersen Consulting its independence from

Arthur Andersen and declared that Andersen Consulting could no

longer use the Andersen name.

Andersen Consulting changed its name to Accenture on New

Year's Day 2001 and Arthur Andersen meanwhile now having the

right to the Andersen Consulting name rebranded itself as

"Andersen".

Knowledge Management

What is Knowledge Management?

Knowledge n. 1. The state or fact of knowing. 2. Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study. 3. That which is known; the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or inferred.

Management n. 1. The act, manner or practice of managing, handling, or controlling something. 2. The person or persons who manage a business establishment, organization or institution

What is Knowledge Management? Andersen Consulting Definition:

“A systematic process for creating, acquiring, synthesizing, sharing and using information, insights and experiences to achieve your organizational goals.”

KM: a Business Enabler

Information is power, hence, it is hoarded

Work is optimized in silos, delivering value within work units

Information, experts, and lessons learned are hard to locate

Underutilized investment in technology

Local focus on information, reacting to situations

Knowledge is seen as a valued corporate asset; people sharing knowledge is the only way to improve

Work is optimized by virtual, integrated teams, delivering value as an enterprise

Corporate memory is captured, measured, improved, and easily accessed

Technology fully supports business needs and delivers value

Global focus on corporate knowledge proactively seizes upon opportunities

Typical Company Scenario

Knowledge Management

Approach

KM at Andersen Consulting

KM Roles at Andersen ConsultingKnowledge Sponsor Sponsors development and implementation of KM

solutions; acts as KM role model and ensures that KM is successful

Knowledge Champion

Works with engagement management, relevant client team members and the KM Community to ensure that KM services are delivered effectively

Subject Matter Expert Approves collected knowledge for broad/final use, helps repackage knowledge for distribution, augments/creates knowledge as required

Knowledge Manager Enables KM at user sites, facilitates knowledge contribution and access to knowledge capital, assists in use and re-use of knowledge

Knowledge Integrator Maintains and refines knowledge capital

KM Technical Support

Develops and administers KM systems. Typically two roles: * KM Technical Development * KM Technical Administration and Operations

Doug Q. Public

Knowledge Sharing - Evaluation

KM at Andersen Consulting: Knowledge Xchange

A knowledge management architecture Standards, infrastructure, tools that enable the global

exchange of knowledge capital A portfolio of applications that help distribute, retrieve

and foster discussion around internal and external content

A system that transcends the barriers of geography, enabling Andersen Consulting personnel access any time, any where.

KM at Andersen Consulting: KX Technology Full access to internal, external information, from

anywhere, at any time Instantaneous information capture and availability Electronic search and search agents Profiles, automated Push Integrates administrative system Paper a display tool, not filed

Directory Databases(e.g., KX Yellow Pages, KX Front Page)

Reference Databases(e.g., Industry/Competency Libraries)

Discussion Databases(e.g., Change Management Forum, Financial Services Discussion)

External Databases(e.g., Newsfeeds, Gartner Group)

Application Databases(e.g., Call Tracking)

How Is the Knowledge Xchange Organized?

KX Front Page - A “portal” to the Knowledge Xchange to help you find information, access databases, receive announcements and perform your work more efficiently.

KX Yellow Pages - The easiest way to find a database on the Knowledge Xchange is via the Yellow Pages

People and Places

Name and Address Book - listing of all mailing lists and Lotus Notes Ids in the firm

Chicago Metro Office Directory - Directory of employees and guests in Chicago Metro area (including St. Charles, and Northbrook)

AC Client Service Directory - directory of AC offices and executive personnel in the firm

AC Client Experience - To help you answer basic questions at any stage of work you may be doing for a target or current client.

Library Databases

To support communities by encouraging your contribution of community-related information on proposals and engagements. They contain engagement support information; Market Unit and Competency knowledge capital; engagement deliverables, technical and functional designs, workplans, presentations, white papers, proposals, etc.

Discussion Databases - Support communities by providing a general forum for community specific discussions. Contains announcements, marketing memos, newsletters; requests for project advice and/or expertise from other readers; responses to queries; Opinions, ideas, experiences, etc.

Discussion Databases

News

First! Newsfeed is a database which provides current news stories on selected topics and companies within various industry groups. First! in Brief, enables each subscriber to receive, via Notes mail, a tailored subset of news from the a First! Newsfeed.

Industry Analysts

Industry Analyst databases are databases which provides reports, research, etc. on selected topics and industries. Some databases are subscription-based and some are open for public access. We also have access to internet sites only (such as Computer Economics, Dow Jones, etc.). Please see the KX Yellow Pages for a complete listing of external resources.

KM at Andersen Consulting: How is it used E-mail request Search a Library Post a request to Discussion Start a search, internal & external Review Methodology, Best Practices Retrieve related proposals, work-product Evaluation contributions

KM at Andersen Consulting: Benefits Supports global complexity Rapid institutional learning Global communication and coordination Keeps professionals close to the business Changes all aspects of business:

Opportunity management Service delivery Practice management

THANK YOU