Knowledge Center

[EQguys]

I had an interesting discussion today with my boss about how to be confident about the designs and develop a knowledge center (if you will) about things you learn at work on a daily basis. He was recommending me to maintain a word document about technical knowledge that I gain EVERYDAY. I want to know from you people that has anybody practiced this sort of thing. I also want to know if it would really help me in the future. Please advice me.

"Does the man make the journey or does the journey make the man" - Mark Twain

 

[TomBarsh]

I think it's a great idea. I kind of practice that in my daily work: some of my knowledge documents are published for our customers. Many of these documents were developed just so I could understand what our software was doing.

At one time I started keeping file folders (paper) of examples, methodology, etc. That kinda fell by the wayside as I started doing it all electronically. Now I wish I had more of the paper back up. Based on this I suggest using a ring binder to keep record of technical knowledge, you can print your Word document(s) and have handy access to them.

 

[ctopher]

It is a great idea.
An engineer I worked with did this for 30 years and handed me his folder when he retired. He returned as a consultant and I gave it back to him when I left.
I started it once, but was too busy to continue it.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[Twoballcane]

When I first started working over ten years ago at my first project, we use to have an “Engineering Notebook” or actually it was a file cabinet that we put all of our “why did we do that for” documents. For every task, design, and analysis we had to right a report with supporting martial to close it out. Today, we have a central electronic place where we do the same thing. In this practice, if somebody leaves or need history on a design, we just go back to the files and pull out the “what and why” and all of the original info is their. Also, for the OP’s question, if you need knowledge on how something was done, you can go back and pull the file and learn.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[zdas04]

I think the "what did I learn today" document is a major waste of time. Knowledge has a shelf life that is generally much shorter than the interval between writing something like that and going back and using it.

Instead, I've maintained a MathCad file with annotated equations and methods I've used over the years. Basically when I finish a project I look at the calcs and see if any of them need to go in the big file (it is 3 MB now and takes a few seconds to open). I just wish I could understand how to put a table of contents in it (they have a way, but I keep getting lost in the instructions). This MathCad technique ensures that I have a live, working calculation to refer back to and to copy/paste into the next project. I'm reasonably careful to cite references in it so that at the start of a project I can compare Code dates with the current Codes. It works pretty well for me, there is rarely a day that I don't open it.

David

 

[TheTick]

A communal wiki would be good for this.

 

[ctopher]

The document would not be a waste of time to all, only to those that don't need it. Employees new to the profession may find it very useful.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[zdas04]

The reason I say it is a waste of time is that no one that needs it will use it (or probably even know it is available) and the people who know it is there will need it less often. It was described as kind of a stream of consciencenes kind of thing so if you think you learned how to do a tricky calc and put in the document, then a couple of years later you discover that you had a major error and wrote it again, but this time correctly. You may not remember to go back and delete the original, or there may be copies on people's c:drives that you can't find. The document either becomes a huge maintenance burden or a huge liability if it doesn't get maintained. On the other hand, if it is just for you personally then the tendency is to get sloppy with corrections.

Human nature is an ugly thing.

David

 

[GregLocock]

If it means you never have to ask the same question twice then I suspect it will do wonders for your popularity with the older guys.







Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[Ron]

Hey Greg...apparently you and I worked with the same young engineers!! Ditto.

 

[ivymike]

A communal wiki would be good for this.
we actually have those at work... along with usenet-like groups, and (coming soon) blogs! who'd have thought.

 

[GregLocock]

So do we. I'm refusing to take them seriously until I see evidence that they are permanently funded - most electronic collaboration tools round here are paid for by programs, when the program finishes, the archive does as well. Corporate Alzheimer's.



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[ctopher]

We also have a Wiki, blog, and newsletter for our internal customers. After layoff's were announced, the management said that these three items, including all computer support, is stopped.
The wonders of today's management.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[SomptingGuy]

We have a corporate system for knowledge/information that's impossible to use. Everything is stored hierarchically, so you need to know exactly where to look. The search engine produces thousands of false positives and there is no concept of hyperlinks between related documents.

Many departments have their own local wiki, but these are generally maintained by a single person and evaporate/stagnate when that person gets his cards.

- Steve

 

[TomBarsh]

Back to the original "notebook" idea, I don't think it's a waste of time even if it's used only by me. Countless times I have struggled through the same sort of problem, just long enough after the most-previous similar one that I have forgotten all the details. By documenting the procedure ("what I learned") in a central spot I can refer to that the next time around the question comes up. If anything, keeping this knowledge readily available helps me stop wasting time.

 

[Mr168]

I tend to do something similar in regards to codes/procedural issues.

I don't have to do much calculations in my work, but I routinely have all of our site QC personnel CC me on any inquiries regarding how to handle ASME code or any welding/PWHT issues that arise that I'm not directly involved with.

I keep all the e-mails in a separate folder, and make a table of contents with the issue/date. There are often some important specifics that would be lost if the issues were to be summarized, which is why I prefer to keep the e-mails in their entirety, rather than simply cut them up into a synopsis.

 

[csd72]

I definately think the idea is a good one.

I do 2 things:

A hardcover notebook on which I write little rules of thumb/observations/lessons learnt as I go along.

A few ring binders of photocopied articles that I will find useful in future.

We are in a knowledge industry and you cannot possibly keep it all in your head, a few notes to jog your memory of something you havent done for 5 years are essential!

 

[KENAT]

Not quite the same as the OP's description but I've always kept a log book for anything of significance.

Like Greg said, saved my asking the same question twice - at least sometimes.

I don't use it for anything 'insignificant' but significant notes be they project specific or general get put in there. It's rare I go to any kind of meeting or into a lab or onto the shop floor etc. without it.

I haven't been as dilligent with it lately as I used to be, should probably work on that.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484

 

[truckandbus]

Centralized databases for questions/issues is fantastic if you are dealing with a corporate culture where people ask the same question over and over again with the hopes that they will eventually get an answer that they 'like'. Noting more frustrating than researching a problem and developing a solution that somebody else has already done.

Centralized database is good as well if you are dealing with workgroups in different time zones or working across different shifts

 

[Pmatherne]

When I worked in IT. I was tasked with doing the same thing. We ended up creating a wiki which worked wonders. It showed the incoming techs all the quick facts for all the printers we worked on as well as common parts that were ordered.
The downside is keeping it updated. I was told after I had left no one updated it and now after 2 years no one even remembers how to log in and edit pages

One thing I did find was useful is I would either scan to pdf or print pdf's of documents and directly link them instead of having the whole document open up