OBJECTIVE

Knowledge management (KM) practices, related to the identification, sharing, and retention of employee know-how and expertise within an organization, are important to improve operational efficiency, workforce development, organizational resilience, and innovation. While state departments of transportation (DOTs) recognize this importance, their KM practices are often in various stages of maturity (as determined by using the American Productivity & Quality Center’s Knowledge Management Capability Assessment Tool or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Committee on Knowledge Management KM Litmus test). In comparison to organizations such as the United States Department of Defense and private sector companies, KM remains an emergent topic in state DOTs. Many state DOTs struggle when asked by decision-makers to provide examples of KM practices and their benefits, and to define KM as a presence within their respective organizations.

State DOT adoption of KM has parallels to the adoption of other new practices for transportation. For example, transportation asset management (TAM), which began in the 1990s, began with a period of outreach and early adopter agencies testing strategies. Following this, examples of implementation were developed to provide other DOTs insight into potential uses and methods for development. This led to further adoption, acceptance and integration of TAM practice. To complement the research results from NCHRP Report 813 and NCHRP Project 20-68A, Scan 12-04 Report, and to address the concerns raised in the CKM surveys, research is needed to develop a set of products that can be utilized by state DOTs to implement KM activities. The NCHRP reports and the CKM both emphasize that development of the products from this project will be helpful to those just getting started and those further along the KM journey. In addition, these products will strengthen the community of practice by presenting examples of tangible state DOT efforts on KM.

This project will develop a set of products to support the implementation of KM in state DOTs, by using the materials established by NCHRP Report 813, NCHRP Project 20-68A, Scan 12-04 Report, and a case study template developed by CKM. The products developed will be posted to the NCHRP Project 20-44(45) website and made broadly accessible.

TASKS

The project will be delivered through the fulfillment of the following tasks:

1. Conduct a kick-off meeting with the research panel members and research team members to solicit input on the survey instrument and gather recommendations that will minimize the survey burden and increase DOT participation.
2. Conduct a survey of state DOTs to document current KM activities at State DOTs, which will be used as the basis for selecting DOTs for case studies. 
3. Conduct 5 case studies using the AASHTO CKM’s case study template. Each case study will involve interviews with KM leads, sponsors, and KM initiative participants to understand what was done, what motivated the effort, and key success factors, challenges and lessons learned.
4. Document information about KM practices - including tools, programs, and processes in use at a transportation agency – described in sufficient detail to be used for technology transfer to other agencies.
5. Develop models for ongoing capture of KM experience at transportation agencies, and identify opportunities for continued capture and updates to the resources provided through this project.
6. Produce dissemination tools, including presentations, fact sheets, infographics and videos that are appropriate for varying audience needs and learning styles.
7. Develop the final report documenting the activities and results of the project.