Knowledge Management is about a knowledge economy that entails growth, value and improving living standards through knowledge creation, storage and dissemination. KM plays an essential role by facilitating the survival of businesses through incorporating expertise, search, data, communication and technology that deliver information to organizational employees and customers.

The Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (KOMINFO) announced the digital roadmap for 2021-2024 which intended to accelerate Indonesia’s digital transformation agenda. In the current knowledge society, knowledge is the important source of innovation and a potential element for creating sustainable competitive advantage. 

Knowledge management is a process that enables organizations, specifically in ICT industry to learn, create, develop and apply necessary knowledge which makes organizations more profitable and innovative. While project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Managing Project Knowledge is the process of using existing knowledge and creating new knowledge to achieve the project’s objectives and contribute to organizational learning [1,2].

PT Aplikanusa Lintasarta (“Lintasarta”) is a provider of data communication, internet and IT services for various industry sectors. Lintasarta was founded in April 1988 and has become part of the business dynamics in Indonesia by delivering reliable data communication, business information and internet services even to the most remote areas in the Indonesian Archipelago. Since its establishment in 1988, Lintasarta has dominated application service provider in telecommunication industry and the long-term performance is deeply tied to people practices and sustainability. Currently, the challenge for project management and delivery division on delivering strategic projects are on [3,4]:

• People, where nature of the project team is temporary, team has been formed to work on a specific project or task for a limited period of time

• Process, when knowledge was created in each process of the project cycle but not yet identified as the valuable knowledge

• Governance to regulate project management knowledge 

• Technology where repetitive projects were done without proper documentation or utilized available technology which currently Lintasarta possessed

Based on the given business challenge, some research questions that author would like to explore are:

• What is the maturity level of knowledge management in Project Management and Delivery Division in Lintasarta

• How to set up integration of knowledge management in project management given the maturity level of the company

• How knowledge management and project management can be integrated to contribute to efficient delivery, stimulate innovation while improving the effectiveness in the implementation and sustainability in ICT industry

This research is focusing on the integration of knowledge management on project management in Project Management and Delivery Department under Delivery and Operation Directorate of Lintasarta. The integration will be using Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Knowledge Management Framework combined with project knowledge mapping on each of project cycle which are in pre project, project implementation and post project phase.

Literature Review

Knowledge Management: Knowledge Management is one set of approaches to add value to the organization by enhancing innovation and innovativeness. Furthermore, Tjakraatmadja and Kristinawati, stated that the main objective of knowledge management is to create value through:

• Discover new potential knowledge in order to elevate knowledge-based innovation

• Improve the current business process to be more effective, which eventually lead to the improvement of working capacity of the organization

• Create market and/or social value through innovation

Categories of Knowledge

Tacit knowledge is conceptual or theoretical knowledge that has not documented or codified. The knowledge is attached to the person through experience and intuition of a person which make it difficult to share, socialize and duplicate. While explicit knowledge defined as knowledge that has been documented in the work guidelines or codified into a database and can be standardized and shared. Knowledge management is concerned with managing both tacit and explicit knowledge for two purposes: reusing existing knowledge and creating new knowledge [5].

Project Management Knowledge

The project life cycle is managed by executing a series of project management activities known as project management processes. Project management process requires input, appropriate project management tools and techniques and out as a deliverable or an outcome. Project data are collected as a result of various processes and are shared within the project team [6].

The collected data are analyzed in context, aggregated and transformed to become project information during various processes. Managing Project Knowledge requires utilising existing and new knowledge for organizational learning as and achieve project objectives.

Conceptual Framework

According to APO KM definition, KM is an integrated approach for creating, sharing and applying knowledge to enhance organizational productivity, profitability, value for citizens, sustainability and growth. The starting point of KM framework is vision and mission which play an important role in guiding the organization's efforts to create, share and use knowledge effectively [7,8].

There are three levels in the framework, accelerators consist of leadership, people, processes and technology which are important to propel and speed up the KM initiative in the organization. Knowledge process represent the major steps in the knowledge creation and development process which are identify, create, store, share and apply to manage knowledge within an organization. The outcomes of the framework are essential for enhancing individual, team, organizational and societal capacity, ultimately resulting in improved productivity, quality of products and services, profitability and growth.

Table 1: APO KM Assessment Tool

Table 2: Likert Scale for KM Assessment

Figure1: Manage Project Knowledge

Figure2: APO KM Framework

Research Design

In this research, a quantitative approach will be utilized to evaluate the level of maturity of knowledge management. The goal is to examine the underlying causes, obstacles and key factors for the successful integration of Knowledge Management in Project Management at Lintasarta [9].

Data Collection Method

Survey will be conducted to Senior Managers, Junior Managers, Project Managers and supporting team of Project Management and Delivery Division. There are a total of 35 questions covering the seven audit categories. By utilizing likert scale, each of the questions can be rated from 1 to 6 with a minimum score of 35 points and maximum score of 210 point.

Data Analysis Method

KM Maturity Level Assessment: Aligned with the APO KM Framework, there are seven parameters for assessing KM readiness. There are a total of 35 questions covering the seven audit categories. By utilizing likert scale, each of the questions can be rated from 1 (doing poorly or none at all) to 6 (doing very well) with a minimum score of 35 points and maximum score of 210 point.

Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagram

A fishbone diagram is a visualization tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem by identifying the root cause of a problem, doing further investigation, generating ideas for solutions and planning for actions to create desired results.

Project Knowledge Mapping on Project Lifecycle

According to the PMBOK Guide, a project management life cycle consists of 5 distinct phases including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closure that combine to turn a project idea into a working product.

To facilitate this research, the project lifecycle will be divided into three distinct phases. The first phase, pre-project, will combine initiation and planning activities. The second phase, project implementation, will combine execution and monitoring activities. Finally, the third phase, post-project, will be the closure phase. For each of these phases, project knowledge will be defined, which will later serve as an input for integrating Knowledge Management into Project Management.

Analysis

KM Maturity Analysis: From the assessment results of APO KM maturity assessment given in Appendix A, the author summarizes each category and identifies the gap between the maximum and average scores, as well as strengths and opportunities for improvement:

Among the seven categories of KM assessment, the KM Outcome category has the widest gap, followed by learning and innovation and the KM process. Therefore, the role of accelerators is very crucial in Lintasarta to facilitate the successful implementation of KM practices within the organization [10].

According to Figure 4, the KM maturity level falls within the introduction/expansion range, indicating that KM practices have been implemented in certain areas, but management has not yet established regulation over them.

Fishbone Analysis

To further analyze the results, a fishbone analysis was conducted to break down the root causes of the gap for each category. The analysis was divided into four main categories: People, Process, Governance and Technology.

The analysis and explanation of the fishbone analysis aims to identify the root causes of the current situation of the project management department.

Project Knowledge Mapping on Project Cycle

Knowledge mapping on each of the project cycle will be identified as an input or the source of data, relevant information and knowledge which are available in the form of tacit or explicit knowledge on each of project cycle. Below is the project knowledge which has been identified by the author on each of the project cycle [11].

Table 3: KM Maturity Assessment

Table 4: Root cause and Explanation

Figure 3: KM Maturity Radar Chart

Figure 4: KM Maturity Level

Figure 5: KM Maturity Radar Chart

Table 5: Project Knowledge Mapping on Each Project Cycle

Business Solution

After understanding the importance of knowledge economy, KM framework and the project knowledge, the integration of Knowledge Management in Project Management is formulated as an action plan for the implementation of KM in Lintasarta. From discover, design, develop and deploy, the step of integration below will be further explaining on each of the process [12].

Table 6: Project Knowledge Mapping on Each Project Cycle

Table 7: Project Knowledge Mapping on Each Project Cycle

Table 8: KM Integration in Pre Project

Discover

The Readiness of the Organization for KM is assessed through KM Maturity Assessment. Based on the analysis of KM Maturity assessment and fishbone diagram mentioned earlier, the maturity falls under initiation/expansion level where the knowledge management practice is already implemented in some areas, however there is still need improvement in some key processess in order to have a maximum impact of KM.

Knowledge mapping on each of the project cycle will be identified as an input or the source of data, relevant information and knowledge which are available in the form of tacit or explicit knowledge on each of project cycle.

Design

Approach: Since the research is focused on the Project Management Delivery Division in Delivery and Operations Directorate and aims to formulate an integration strategy for implementation, a bottom-up approach will be employed. In this approach, Project Managers will be designated as Communities of Practice (CoPs) in the pilot project. Appendix B illustrates the bottom-up approach.

Project Selection

In order to implement the integration strategy in the Project Management Delivery division, the pilot project will be selected based on certain parameters, such as the total value of the project, product complexity, document diversity and operational capability.

Project Knowledge Domain and Stakeholder

Defining the key stakeholders for the project knowledge domain is essential to support the bottom-up approach. Referring to the Project Knowledge Management Maturity Model in Appendix C, it is necessary to define the project knowledge domain along with the stakeholder category:

Develop

In PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), "inputs" refer to the resources, information and other assets that are required to perform a specific project management process. It is used as the starting point for each process and are necessary to create the desired output. While “outputs” refer to the results, deliverables, or products that are produced by a specific project management process. It is the end products of the process and are used as inputs for the next process in the project.

Deploy

This stage is about deployment the implementation of integration of knowledge management in Project Management under Project Management and Delivery of Lintasarta.

Referring to the KM implementation in project management model in figure 6, below is the description for the implementation in Project Management and Delivery Division of Delivery and Operation Division of Lintasarta:

Role of Accelerators

Accelerators have an important role in knowledge management by helping organizations to identify, capture, share and apply knowledge more effectively and efficiently.

Leadership

Promote a culture of knowledge sharing and learning within the organization to capture and share knowledge across teams and departments

People

By investing in people, organizations can build a knowledgeable workforce that is better equipped to adapt to changing business needs and drive innovation

Integration Process

Business Process: By optimizing knowledge management processes, organizations can reduce duplication of effort and improve the quality and consistency of knowledge process improvement methodologies and automation tools, making them easier to capture, store and share knowledge across the organization.

Technology

Technology will support management processes, such as content tagging and search and provide insights and recommendations based on patterns and trends. By leveraging these technologies, organizations can more easily identify and capture valuable knowledge, making it more accessible and usable to those who need it. By having support from accelerators, organizations can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their knowledge management processes, enabling them to make better decisions, innovate more quickly and deliver greater value to their customers.

Outcome

Project Success: A project is considered successful when it delivers the desired outcome on time, within budget and with the expected level of quality, while satisfying the needs and requirements of its stakeholders.

Learning and Innovation

A successful learning and innovation project is one that enables the participants to acquire new knowledge, skills and perspectives and to apply them in innovative ways to solve problems and improve performance. By utilizing all integration output given on each project cycle which are Project Management Plan, Progress Report and Organizational Process Asset, Lintasarta can capture and manage knowledge, including lessons learned from previous projects, customer feedback, market research and industry trends. This information is used to identify opportunities for innovation and to create new products, services, or processes.

Implementation Plan and Justification

The implementation plan is expected to require approximately 6 months completing including tracking progress and monitoring after activity review, identifying and addressing potential challenges and formulating strategy of improvement along the way.

Table 9: KM Integration in Project Implementation

Table 10: KM Integration in Post Project

Figure 7: Implementation Plan

According to the assessment of Lintasarta's KM Maturity level, it appears that the Project Management and Delivery Division is currently at the Initiation level. This indicates that knowledge management practices have been implemented within the department, but they are not yet fully integrated into the project management process. Therefore, it is necessary to establish governance over the business processes within the Project Management and Delivery division to effectively embed KM practices and enable Lintasarta to reap the benefits of Knowledge Management. With regards to setting up the integration of Knowledge Management into project management, the following steps can be described:

Discovery

Based on knowledge Management Maturity Assessment, a fishbone root cause diagram has been developed to identify the underlying causes of problems. This diagram is then analyzed and categorized using a KM Framework. Additionally, project knowledge is identified for each phase of the project cycle. From this knowledge, one output is selected for the pre-project, project implementation and post-project processes.

Design

A bottom-up approach has been selected, which aims to promote knowledge creation starts by Community of Practices which are project managers. The next step is to select a project based on certain criteria and identify stakeholders based on their project knowledge domain.

Develop

The process of developing knowledge management integration within project management begins with identifying inputs, tools and techniques for each phase of the project cycle - pre-project, project implementation and post-project. The chosen tools and techniques are those that align with the objective of capturing, storing, sharing and utilizing knowledge and expertise within Lintasarta which are categorized as KM tools and techniques.

The next step is to identify the role of accelerators to ensure learning, innovation and project success. These accelerators are crucial in facilitating the integration of knowledge management practices into project management and must be effectively managed to maximize the benefits of knowledge management.

Deploy

On this process, it involves the deployment of knowledge management integration within project management processes. By integrating knowledge management practices into project management, the role of Knowledge Management in project management can be described as follows:

• Improve project quality by providing collaborative platform to capture and share best practices which can help project teams to avoid repeating mistakes, leverage successful strategies and decision making

• Efficient delivery through the use of knowledge management to deliver desired outcome on time, within budget and with the expected level of quality, while satisfying the needs and requirements of its stakeholders which lead to project success

• A successful learning and innovation project which enables the stakeholder to acquire new knowledge, skills and perspectives and apply them in innovative ways to solve problems and improve performance

Recommendation

In order to strengthen KM implementation in project management Knowledge Management in Project Management should be able to:

• Facilitate continuous sharing and learning by collaboration and teamwork from all entities within Lintasarta

• Discuss lessons learned at key milestone to optimize processes, reduce inefficiencies, avoid repeating past mistakes and promote continuous learning and improvement within the company

• Curate information to elevate crucial knowledge by identifying what is most important, presenting and utilizing the knowledge to achieve goals

• Sharing success stories to establish collaboration in order to create a culture of continuous learning, improvement and innovation

• Support from management in order to obtain the approval, participation and resources from top-level management to ensure the success of the initiative

• Institutionalize the integration in the organization, which may require some organizational restructuring, such as the establishment of a knowledge management office

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