Morris and Piereman do see most postings in preproduction, not so much to police content but to test for broken links and other quality problems. They also monitor usage patterns to see which sections of the site are getting the most hits and which user groups are most active.
In addition, Morris and Piereman make sure that questions, particularly from enlisted men and women, are answered quickly. If no one answers initially, they will pose the question directly to someone who ought to know the answer. All new pages are pushed out at 1800 hours every day, though there is a further delay when a new community is formed because new menus and links must be generated.
Experts point out that the best private sector KM practices are in many ways rooted in process methodologies pioneered by the U.S. military. "The Army and the Navy practically invented the way that most enterprises collaborate today, and it's in full view in the current conflict in Iraq," says Carla O'Dell, president of the American Productivity and Quality Center, a nonprofit research organization whose members include the Army and Navy.
There's a structured process at the end of each engagement: Squads compare what was supposed to happen with what actually happened, and from there they recommend new tactics. Reports from dozens of squads are uploaded to the Center for Army Lessons Learned in Levenworth, Kan., and new rules of engagement are drafted.
O'Dell sees a role for both open debate and authoritarianism within the armed forces' KM efforts. "The process to reach the decision is collaborative. Once it's reached, it's hierarchically enforced," she says. "That's what I want my armed forces to do."
Morris admits that at some point he needs to impose more rules and policies on NKO, not only to protect classified information but also to improve the quality of postings. As many early adopters in the private sector have learned, information without quality controls is just noise.
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