Visible Knowledge and Companies

Chapter 3 steps back to explore broader questions related to the use of visible knowledge within a development organization. Issues addressed include the organization of accumulated visible knowledge, changes to managers' roles in order to take maximal advantage of the approach, professional development, design reviews, potential changes to the development process, expectations of research and test groups, and the possible impact on supplier relationships. This chapter explores broader questions related to the use of visible knowledge within a development organization. Issues addressed include the organization of accumulated visible knowledge, changes to managers' roles in order to take maximal advantage of the approach, professional development, design reviews, potential changes to the development process, expectations of research and test groups, and the possible impact on supplier relationships. The issue of knowledge management is a common challenge in organizations. As an organization shifts toward a conscientious focus to create and reuse knowledge, the need to organize that knowledge so that it can effectively be used when needed is heightened. Engineers will create visible knowledge if they perceive that their bosses think it is important. Utilizing visible knowledge with suppliers completely changes the relationship as a buyer, empowers the development organization, and drastically reduces time to market while improving both cost and predictability.