Killer apps in knowledge management
In a recent SIKM Leaders discussion, Bruce Karney of KM Experts talked about the idea of the killer app (see my definition below). I wonder what is the KM killer app?
Karney likes the "killer app" definition of an "application I can't do without." For him, that application is now web search. He feels hamstrung if he doesn't have access to a good web search tool. And search is a big aspect of KM for him in that the start of the knowledge building process is around finding the information he needs. (Speaking of search, there are a number of "in search of the next killer app" articles that address many different directions on the idea of a killer app, from TV to phones to automobiles to technology.)
But others in the discussion suggested that within enterprises, search isn't so critical due to the type of content, the way it is stored, and security restrictions. Karney suggested that a good candidate for an enterprise-level killer app is a well-designed yellow pages or expert directory that gives people access to the network of people within the company. Rather than people finding information that helps them build their own knowledge, people find people who have access to needed information.
What other killer apps are there related to knowledge management (internal or external to the enterprise)?
- search - there is still hope for enterprises, but the underlying technologies and perceptions about that content need to change for an "internal Google search" to work well
- yellow pages / expertise locators - but they need to be kept up-to-date, which is often the app killer for yellow pages
- portals - allow custom information to be presented to users
- dashboards - present key information to for the right people, similar to portals
- network-enabled search - some combo of yellow pages plus content search to place people in touch based on search terms rather than job titles (I've written on this here and here)
- what else?
Note: The idea of the killer application is the application (or thing) that leaves all previous applications in the dust - or creates a demand for the underlying platform on which the application runs. Spreadsheet software is credited with the rise of personal computing, giving number-crunchers new ability to analyze data and a demand for the computers that ran the software. Web browsers became the killer app for the Internet, introducing millions of people to the idea of the Internet. e-mail made the 'net even more accessible to more and more people.
6 Comment(s)
said:
Bill Brantley has posted a response at Eclectic Bill. For a hint, he thinks it is Communities of Practice.
I don't know if it's qualifies as KM, but for me, it's a personal, federated search: across applications (mail, web history, files) and computers (home desktop, work laptop). Google Desktop Search does a good job of this.
Hi, Jack. It occurs to me that a great killer app is the collaborative spaces one can use on the web. They've been around for a while, but I still use them when faced with a committee assignment or draft-sharing project. This service worked well when I was overseas and working with folks in the States and other places in Europe on KM projects. We used documents, video, jpgs, and chat to augment and carry out our work.
Dave
said:
Thanks, Dave. Good point. Interesting in the light of the recent post from CIO Magazine's Christopher Koch where he rails against the idea of "community" arising out of web2.0 apps.
Collaboration is very important to the success of most ventures these days. I wonder if we want collaboration in the "killer app" status, or if we want it to be more out there and obvious to the participants. Or another way to think about this is that collaboration has been around much longer than computers -- maybe it's good to realize just how critical it is to working together.
Of course, the concept of killer app breaks down when we talk about the "app" being the way people work together.
said:
James P McLennan has posted an article with some more thoughts, namely that mind mapping should be considered a killer for its ability to help capture the knowledge. Good point. http://www.cazh1.com/blogger/thoughts/2007/02/two-candidates-for-km-killer-app-vinson.shtml
Jack, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this aspect of the discussion yesterday.
Shortly after the discussion I remember thinking "I can't believe that I didn't also mention that e-mail and the phone are two other killer apps when I am searching for information."
As you point out in your note, e-mail and web browsing are killer apps, but we now take them for granted, as we do the phone (and cell phone). Once we start taking something for granted, does it lose its "killer app" status -- or should we put it in the Application Hall of Fame.
On a somewhat tangential note, when I watch old movies on TV, I am often struck by how many plotlines would completely unravel if the lead character had a cell phone. This is especially true of films where the lead character is in peril. The old movies allow us to see live as it was lived before the killer app, and our imaginations allow us to understand how the app has changed our lives going forward.
(My wife feels the same way whenever she sees movies including airport scenes where people are carrying their luggage rather than rolling it. For her, wheels on luggage are one of the best inventions of the last 30 years.)
Cheers,
Bruce Karney