مدیریت دانش WWW فعال برای پروژه های مهندسی توزیع شده

This paper address problems related to distributed engineering projects (DEP) and how World Wide Web (WWW)-based technologies can improve projects’ efficiency and success rate. The focus is on how WWW can improve project organisations to manage their knowledge, be it in the form of documents, formal communication or the tacit aspect of human interaction. In order to study the research hypotheses related to improved efficiency and leaner organisations resulting from networked operations, a layered framework is presented on organisational processes taking place in the distributed project business. This framework is applied to two industrial cases harnessing advanced networking technologies in their distributed operations. The cases have been picked to show diversity, the other one describes a global delivery process of complex investment goods and the other a smaller scale knowledge intensive company with rapid product release cycles. Basing on these cases the paper concludes that deploying advanced WWW-technologies to distributed engineering processes their punctuality, cost control and workflow can be improved. The cases indicate also, that the new tools enable the initiation of learning processes based on the quantitative information that accumulates in the network servers during the execution of the project. This information can be used to refine the organisation and focus the processes on the truly value-adding activities, which all support the research hypotheses set for the study.

As the two case examples show, a WWW-enabled approach for delivering projects not only works and is convenient, but it also delivers benefits. The added value of the WWW in project delivery stems from its power of being a rich and global communication medium. It enables to seamlessly integrate phases of product lifecycles, information systems used in various phases and people contributing to each project phase. Through WWW-enabled project workspaces partners can be pulled in to contribute on demand regardless of their geographical location. The virtual project workspace is equally accessible to all project partners at no extra cost or investment into expensive proprietary collaboration tools. The true potential of the WWW for streamlining businesses processes stems from bringing rich business information securely and directly without intermediaries to the people who need it, when they need it, and wherever they are. Around 90% of all companies in the world are small businesses that are reticent to engage in large investments in proprietary software systems to support b2b with large customers. In the past, such monolithic systems have been the backbones of business to business operations and consequently business to business operations have been the privilege of a few. The WWW changes this and opens up new opportunities for both project suppliers as increased business opportunity as well as for customers in the form of more competition and available skills. Technology itself is no longer an obstacle for co-operation.