BACKGROUND

State departments of transportation (DOTs) began to explore knowledge management (KM) in the early 2000s. Since then, several state DOTs and U.S. DOT administrations have implemented KM activities and programs. The transportation community has conducted several research projects that examined how other industries have adopted and implemented KM. Also, NCHRP and others have published reports on the value of KM, including NCHRP Report 813, A Guide to Agency-Wide Knowledge Management for State Departments of Transportation (https://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/173082.aspx).  

Despite substantial research on the use of KM in transportation, loss of institutional knowledge due to retirements and turnover, and other workforce changes, state DOTs have not widely adopted formal KM practices. Some state DOTs are trying to develop KM practices to capture this institutional knowledge quickly but need more resources and strategies for KM implementation. 

Research is needed to document the evolution of KM stewardship at state DOTs and insights into their successes and challenges in adopting and implementing KM. Strategies are needed to help state DOTs foster KM investment, development, and sustainability.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to provide strategies and proven approaches to foster KM investment, development, and sustainability. The research shall, at minimum, (1) include a summary of the evolution of KM stewardship at state DOTs, and (2) identify and analyze successes and challenges state DOTs have encountered in adopting and implementing sustained KM programs. 

STATUS: Research is in progress.