A collaboration-centred approach to manage engineering knowledge: a case study of an engineering SME

In small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), knowledge management systems cannot be considered in the same way as in large companies. In this paper, it is argued that knowledge management can be achieved within SMEs by the creation of a knowledge-sharing culture. In this context, the aim is not to formalise specific technical job know-how, but rather to formalise simple contextual knowledge descriptors associated with the technical objects handled by actors. A prototype software tool, called KALIS, has been developed to foster collaboration within teams of professionals. The framework of the tool is built to support information and knowledge-sharing between engineers. The tool is based on knowledge repository principles and on three kinds of workspaces associated with a showroom concept to improve awareness and information retrieval. The paper describes the integration of this approach in a mechanical engineering office following a three-month deployment period. It also details observations about collaborative behaviour and the impact of the approach on knowledge construction and sharing.