Part II: Knowledge Architecture

Design the structural foundation for organizing, managing, and accessing organizational knowledge.

Overview

Part II focuses on the technical and organizational architecture that enables effective knowledge management. These chapters cover how to structure knowledge, manage its lifecycle, implement systems to support knowledge work, and establish repositories that meet organizational needs.

Chapters in This Part

Chapter	Title	Description
5	Knowledge Architecture and Taxonomy	Design principles, classification schemes, metadata standards
6	Knowledge Lifecycle Management	Lifecycle phases and processes from creation to retirement
7	Service Knowledge Management System	ITIL SKMS concept, layers, and integration with CMDB
8	Knowledge Repositories and Systems	Repository types, design principles, and search capabilities

Key Learning Outcomes

After completing Part II, you will be able to:

Design a knowledge architecture that supports organizational needs
Develop taxonomies and classification schemes for knowledge organization
Manage knowledge through its complete lifecycle
Implement the ITIL Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS)
Select and configure appropriate knowledge repositories
Design effective search and discovery mechanisms

Architecture Principles

The Foundation of Effective KM

A well-designed knowledge architecture enables:

Findability - Users can quickly locate relevant knowledge
Consistency - Knowledge is organized uniformly across domains
Scalability - Structure supports growth and evolution
Integration - Systems connect to form a coherent ecosystem
Usability - Intuitive navigation and access patterns

Core Architecture Tenets

Tenet	Description
User-Centered Design	Architecture serves the needs of knowledge consumers
Simplicity Over Complexity	Keep it as simple as possible, but no simpler
Flexibility and Adaptability	Enable evolution as needs change
Standards-Based	Leverage established standards and practices
Lifecycle Thinking	Design for the full knowledge lifecycle

Architecture Layers

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│      Presentation Layer                 │
│   (User interfaces, portals, search)    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
              ↕
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│      Knowledge Layer                    │
│   (Knowledge bases, wikis, documents)   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
              ↕
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│      Information Layer                  │
│   (CMDB, asset DB, service catalog)     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
              ↕
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│      Data Layer                         │
│   (Raw data, logs, transactions)        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Continue to Chapter 5: Knowledge Architecture and Taxonomy →