Managing lifecycles of knowledge availability and knowledge usage creates direct attention to the role of analysis. And analysis is increasingly powerful on its own. The important issue in KM is to consistently organize what analysis is actually responsible for.

1. Analysis as KM
An Archestra Notebook
© 2013 Malcolm Ryder / archestra research

2. The Who Cares Test
“More than three quarters of North American IT executives will be
seeking ways to improve the use of data and analytics (76 percent).”
-- CIO Magazine, 2014 State of the CIO Survey
Any organizational operations that are managed for performance presume awareness.
Without awareness, performance improvement is speculative.
Data and analytics are wanted for determining what to perform and how to do it.
Research formulates the determination.
• Analysis is a type of research
• Expertise both grows from and applies research
• Research affects different contexts in different ways
• A domain is a context
• A current state of awareness is also a type of context
In general, executives want
research to increase the available
expertise needed for making
decisions in a practice.

3. Practice Points
“More than three quarters of North American IT executives will be
seeking ways to improve the use of data and analytics (76 percent).”
-- CIO Magazine, 2014 State of the CIO Survey
• Expertise – optimal situational application of knowledge
• Knowledge – contextualized reference to validated information
• Research – intentional accumulation of up-to-date knowledge
• Analysis – a type of research
“While the domain provides the general area of interest for the
community, the practice is the specific focus around which the
community develops, shares and maintains its core of
knowledge.” -- Wikipedia

4. Knowledge procedures determine “Whats” and “Hows” with a certain regularity
(formulations) allowing the procedures to be systematically cultivated. For example:
Issues, Opportunities and Options
Scoping
Planning
(Has a class)
(Has a logic)
(Has a goal)
Synthesis
Procedures
Modeling
Type
Form
Process
Analysis
Domain
Algorithm
Agenda
Selection
Range
Survey
Requirement
© 2013 Malcolm Ryder / archestra research

5. RESEARCH
Action
Content
locations
Knowledge
formats
EXPERIMENTATION
Studios
Labs
Hypotheses
ANALYSIS
Databases
Findings
LEARNING
Libraries
Classes
Interpretations
Research specifies an issue that is the focus of
a community of knowledge.
Analysis primarily results in Findings. Along the way,
it both draws from and contributes to content locations.

6. EXPERTISE
Knowledge
formats
Information
references
Application
Hypotheses
Events
Requirements
STRATEGY
Findings
Outputs
Interpretations
Scores
Values
ASSESSMENT CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
Findings will provide, constrain or complement ideas about the
relationship of events to value. Assessment can process findings
(and more) against current reference information to develop
managerial awareness and objectives.

7. RESEARCH
EXPERIMENTATION
Action
Content
locations
Studios
Knowledge
formats
Information
references
Labs
Databases
Hypotheses
Events
Application
© 2013 Malcolm Ryder / archestra research
ANALYSIS
Findings
LEARNING
Libraries
Interpretations
Techniques
Outputs
STRATEGY
ASSESSMENT CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
EXPERTISE
Classrooms
Scores
Values

8. ANALYSIS
Action
Content
locations
Knowledge
formats
Information
references
Application
© 2013 Malcolm Ryder / archestra research
Labs
Hypotheses
Techniques
Databases
Findings
Outputs
ASSESSMENT
The scope of service that is
available from agnostic,
independent third party analysts
shows what a “core” operation
of internally managed analysis
would also contain.
Establishing and maintaining this
scope as an inherent internal
discipline depends more on
continuously supporting the
needed relationships than on
“acquiring” missing parts or
resources.
This is a subset of a learning
organization, affecting both
strategy and improvement.

9. Research generates
Knowledge that
improves Awareness
Legend:
Issues of Domain Expertise
Distribute expertise
Re-assess status
Confirm accuracy
Expand perspective
Known
what is
known
Not Known
what is
known
States of Awareness
Not Known
what is
unknown
Affects of Research
on current state
Management response
Fill knowledge gaps
Discover relevant issues
Research Impact
Counterbalance bias
Acknowledge risks
© 2013 Malcolm Ryder / archestra research
Known
what is
unknown

10. The Business Case for Expertise
Re-assess
status
Acknowledge
risks
Counterbalance Distribute
bias
expertise
Validate current Pick correct
position
problems to
solve
Eliminate “blind Spot more kinds
spots”
of opportunities
sooner
Assessment
Distinguish
actual from
targeted
Properly weigh
options
Understand
effective vs.
impactful
Set priorities
more
confidently
Continuous
Improvement
Protect
potential ROI
Optimize tactics Increase
stakeholder
alignment
Mature
capabilities
more quickly
In real life, alternatives may not separate cleanly into “best” versus “others”. Heightened
states of awareness increase management’s likelihood of making decisions effective.
The effectiveness is not primarily because “the best” of all alternatives has been found,
but instead because the understanding is more substantial about whatever is chosen.
© 2013 Malcolm Ryder / archestra research
Strategy