knowledge management foundations: kcs principles€¦ · acknowledgements this standard was updated...

CertifiCation Standard & Self-Study Guide

Knowledge Management Foundations: KCS Principles

Official Curriculum

Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals Certification Standard

A Self-Study Guide

Version 5.3

Official HDI Curriculum. Not for resale or distribution. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

AcknowledgementsThis standard was updated based on KCS v5.3 in 2013 by:

John Custy, Founder and Principal Consultant, JPC Group

Rick Joslin, Executive Director of Certification & Training, HDI

Katherine Lord, Lord Consulting

Many thanks to the following people and companies for their time and assistance in participating on the first standard based on KCS v4.1 in 2007:

Copyright © 2013 UBM LLC All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN: 978-1-57125-108-4

HDI 121 S. Tejon Street • Suite 1100 Colorado Springs, CO • 80903 • US US and Canada: (800) 248-5667 www.ThinkHDI.com

HDI assumes no liability for error or omission.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of HDI, with the exception of trade publications reporting on the data. In such cases, credit must be given to HDI.

HDI is a registered trademark of UBM LLC. HDI is a part of UBM Tech, a division of UBM LLC.

Portions of this document include information based on the ITIL and IT Infrastructure Library publications of the UK Office of Government Commerce. ITIL® is a registered community trademark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Portions of this document include information based on the Knowledge-Centered Support publications of the Consortium for Service Innovation. KCSSM is a registered service mark of the Consortium for Service Innovation.

All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

Aaron Corn, Progress Software

John Custy, JPC Group

Melissa George, Consortium for Service Innovation

Curtis Hawks, Hewlett-Packard/Peregrine Systems

Rick Joslin, HDI

David Kay, DB Kay & Associates

Christina Kulick, Hewlett-Packard

Haneet Laffin, Progress Software

Jennifer MacIntosh, Quest

Jan Young, Novell


K C S F u n d a m e n t a l s C e r t i f i c a t i o n S t a n d a r d & S e l f - S t u d y G u i d eC o p y r i g h t © 2 0 1 3 H D I , V e r s i o n 5 . 3

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Overview

IntroductionHDI certification exams are based on an HDI certification standard. The competencies for the certification standards were identified and approved by the HDI International Certification Standards Committee (ICSC), a group of industry experts and experienced practitioners from a number of organizations.

It is the committee’s intent to recognize the breadth of knowledge required, document the needed skills, and provide leadership to the support industry on the meaning of a certification for customer service and technical support. Each HDI certification standard is an open international certification standard that is independent of any training curriculum.

An HDI StandardHDI bases its certifications on open international industry standards, and is independent of any training curriculum.

• Open implies that the standards are published, allowing organizations to leverage the standards to improve their services, individuals to study the standards in preparation for a certification exam, and training and consulting providers to develop offerings that align with the standards.

• International indicates that a committee of professionals that have international experience and/or work for global companies has developed the standards, and that the standards are recognized in the global market.

• Industry refers to the service and support industry, which initially focused on internal support of information technology and later expanded to include external support organizations.

• Standard defines the knowledge that a support professional in a specific role is expected to know, and a set of best and common processes and practices within a support center.


K n o w l e d g e - C e n t e r e d S u p p o r t F u n d a m e n t a l sC o p y r i g h t © 2 0 1 3 H D I , V e r s i o n 5 . 3

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As of 2011, the ICSC has developed standards for the following positions:

• HDI Customer Service Representative

• HDI Support Center Analyst

• HDI Desktop Support Technician

• HDI Support Center Team Lead

• HDI Support Center Manager

• HDI Desktop Support Manager

• HDI Support Center Director

In 2007, HDI partnered with the Consortium for Service Innovation to develop the Knowledge-Centered Support Principles Standard, based on the Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS) v4.1 methodology. Based on market requests for a KCS certification that represents the core concepts and practices of the KCS methodology, HDI released the Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals certification in 2013.

HDI is committed to defining standards for additional support professional roles as the industry evolves and its needs change. In business today, customers want educated and certified professionals to support their business needs. Certification provides:

• Validation of current knowledge and skill sets

• Evidence of excellence achieved in your field

• Professional development

• Personal pride

• Credentials that travel



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How is the Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals Certification Standard Organized?There are seven elements in the Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals Certification Standard. Each element is a category within the standard. Each category is, in turn, defined and supported by one or more topics against which a person can be evaluated. Within each topic are one or more competencies. For each competency, there is a range of knowledge. If one approaches the standard as if they were interviewing for a position in a support center, the competency would either be a specific question or a concept that an interviewer would ask in the interview process, and the range of knowledge would be the expected answer. In other words, it is expected that someone in a specific support center position will possess the range of knowledge for each competency.

The following section provides a description of each standard category for the Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals Certification Standard.

Standard Category Descriptions

1.0 Background

This section of the standard relates to the history of Knowledge-Centered Support.

2.0 KCS Practices

The Knowledge-Centered Support practices and principles have been organized into key practices. Each practice is discussed individually in this section.

3.0 Service Management

Knowledge-Centered Support was developed independently from the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework and other service management frameworks and methodologies. KCS practices complement service management processes. It is important for anyone using the ITIL framework to understand how these industry best practices work together. This category focuses on the two service management processes that integrate tightly with KCS.

4.0 Content Health

This practice focuses on how to define and manage the quality of knowledge articles.



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5.0 Process Integration

This practice focuses on the organization’s responsibility for defining the processes and enabling them with technology.

6.0 Performance Assessment

This practice focuses on how to measure and monitor success and the action items necessary to support behavioral change at a team and individual level.

7.0 Leadership and Communications

This practice focuses on the aspects of organizational change management required to support the adoption of KCS.



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How Do I Prepare for the Certification Exam?There are two options available that will assist one in preparing to take a certification exam. Attending a training course is the preferred option for most candidates seeking certification. Training will assist course participants in preparing to take a certification exam while also building skills valuable to one’s profession in the support industry. Training will help the candidate understand the best practices and concepts that have been captured within an HDI standard as well as how to apply them within the workplace. HDI offers the following training delivery methods:

• Instructor-Led Training: Instructor-led training is offered by HDI and HDI partners in both public classroom settings and private onsite training settings. Some organizations elect to have an internal trainer earn the HDI Certified Instructor status in order to deliver the course in-house for their employees.

• Online Self-Paced Training: The distance learning option of an online self-paced course provides maximum flexibility for the candidate. This type of training can be done anytime and anywhere one has internet access.

• Blended Learning: A blended learning option mixes the flexibility of online course training with scheduled instructor-led virtual classroom sessions. Using Web conferencing technology, the virtual classroom sessions allow instructor-led review and course participant interaction without leaving the office or home.

While the training delivery option assists one in preparing to take the certification exam, the candidate must study the HDI standard. Remember, the exam is based on the HDI standard and not the training offering. The second option available for preparing to take a certification exam is using the Certification Standard & Self-Study Guide.

How Do I Use the Certification Standard & Self-Study Guide to Prepare for the Exam?When studying the standard, use the competencies as review questions; try to answer the question before reading the range of knowledge. If your answers do not match the range of knowledge for that competency, then mark that competency for further review. Individuals with the appropriate experience as a support professional can study the HDI standard and successfully pass the certification exam to become HDI Certified.



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Is a Practice Test Available?A practice test is included with the self-study guide. The practice test allows the candidate to become familiar with the types of questions that make up the certification exam pool. For each multiple-choice question, there will be four possible answers, of which only one is correct.

HDI also offers online practices tests for a number of its certification exams. Please visit our Web site (www.ThinkHDI.com) for availability and pricing. However, please note that the practice tests are intended to be used as preparation aids only; success on a practice test should not be interpreted as full preparation for a certification exam. Certification exam questions are typically more challenging than the questions included in the practice tests.

What Should I Expect from the Certification Exam?HDI certification exams are randomly generated from a pool of pre-authorized exam questions. As a result, each certification exam is different.

• The Knowledge-Centered Fundamentals certification exam consists of thirty (30) multiple-choice questions.

• Candidates will have thirty-five (35) minutes to complete the exam.

• The passing score for the certification exam is 70%. HDI Certified Instructors must achieve a 90% or better to qualify to facilitate HDI training courses.

• For candidates taking the certification exam on the HDI Online Learning Center, you will have twelve (12) weeks to take the exam before your IDs and passwords expire.

• For candidates taking the certification exam through the HDI Learning Center, if you do not pass the exam, there is a $99 fee to retake the exam; if the twelve weeks have expired, there is a $50 fee for a 30-day extension.



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Are Certification Exams Weighted?All HDI certification exams are weighted. The exam questions are classified according to the categories contained in the standards. The certification exam is designed to test the candidate’s mastery of the knowledge in each category. The number of questions representing each category is determined by a preset weighting rubric. If you have limited time to study for the exam, consider focusing your review on the categories that have the highest weight percentage.

The Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals Certification Standard is weighted as follows:

Category Weighting %

Background 10%

KCS Practices 30%

Service Management 5%

Content Health 20%

Process Integration 10%

Performance Assessment 20%

Leadership & Communication 5%

If you have any additional questions, please contact the HDI Customer Care Center at 800-248-5667 in the US or 00-1-719-268-0174 worldwide, or e-mail us at [email protected].



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More About HDI Practice Tests

What is a Practice Test?Practice tests are a tool for learners to understand their knowledge of the HDI individual certification exam competencies. The practice test questions are representative of the type of questions asked on an HDI certification exam, but will not be the exact same questions. The practice test questions, while similar to the certification exam, have the goal of self-assessment of the individual competencies, and are not intended to provide a complete sample of all the types of questions that might be asked.

Each question references a specific competency within the standard. Should the person miss the question, they know which competency to review. Each online practice test is 30 questions and must be completed in 35 minutes. Once you complete a practice test, you will know which questions you answered incorrectly and what competency within the HDI Standard you should review. You may take multiple online practice tests. Each online practice test is randomly generated from a pool of test questions. As a result of random generation, test questions may appear on multiple tests.

What is the difference between the online practice test and the practice test in the appendix of the student courseware? Both the online practice tests and the hardcopy in the books are designed to help the student in the learning process. The practice test in the appendix of the book is 30 questions. Each time you take an online practice test 30 questions are randomly generated from the pool of practice test questions, which allows a more comprehensive assessment of the complete standard than what is available in the courseware appendix or published standard and self-study guide. The online practice test uses the same interface as the certification exam, which also allows the student to become familiar with the testing application. Students may take multiple online practice tests. Only one practice test is provided in the student courseware.



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What is the difference between the practice test and the certification exam? There are separate pools of questions for the practice tests and the certification exams. Questions from the certification exam will not appear on the practice test. (Questions from the hardcopy appendix in the student courseware may appear on the online practice text.) Questions for both the online practice test and the certification exam are randomly generated. Most HDI certification exams are 65 questions and must be completed in 75 minutes. The Knowledge-Centered Support Fundamentals certification exam is 30 questions and must be completed in 35 minutes. Each practice test is 30 questions and must be completed in 35 minutes.

The practice test is designed as a learning and assessment tool. When a student completes the online practice test, they are told which questions they answered incorrectly and what competency within the HDI Standard they should review.

The certification exam is an audit of the candidate’s knowledge. When an individual completes the certification exam they are presented with a pass/fail score and are informed how well they did in each category for the HDI Standard. They are not informed which question(s) they answered incorrectly.

How are practice tests similar to certification exams?The practice test is designed to be similar in structure to the certification exam. They both use multiple choice questions based on the same criteria for testing. Each question is presented with four (4) potential answers, and only one correct answer. Both the online practice test and the certification exam utilize the same user interface, thus allowing the candidate a chance to become familiar with the testing system prior to taking the certification exam. Both are timed. If questions are not answered prior to the expiration of the timed test/exam, then the questions will be scored as incorrect when calculating the score. Both are meant to be taken from memory without notes, courseware, or other reference materials and both are based on the same HDI individual certification standard; not the training courseware. Questions are designed to test the candidates understanding and ability to apply the certification standard—not their memorization of it.



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Is passing a practice test a good indicator that one will pass the certification exam?Passing a practice exam is a good indicator that the candidate understands the specific competencies presented; however, there are only 30 questions in the workbook sample which does not address the full range of the competencies. Passing multiple online practice tests is a demonstration that you are prepared to take the certification exam. Failing to pass a practice test is a good indicator that you are not ready to take the certification exam.

The practice test question pool is separate from the certification exam question pool. The same questions do not exist in both pools. Questions in both pools are based on the same certification standard and written with the same style guidelines.

There is no attempt to have a one to one correlation of questions to the same competencies within the two question pools. Some competencies may be covered in only one question pool; some competencies are addressed in both question pools. Candidates are advised to study the certification standard and courseware to prepare for a certification exam, and not rely on their ability to pass a 30 question practice test as the sole indicator of the probability of their future success on the certification exam.

Why did HDI develop practice tests? HDI developed practices tests because some learners require additional resources to prepare for the certification exams and customers requested practice tests. HDI decided to satisfy this need directly and provide a practice test in the student courseware and an enhanced online practice test option.

What about third party test preparation vendors? There are companies in the market that provide sample tests for various certifications. While some of these sites may be legitimate, some are known as test theft sites. They steal and publish actual test questions as preparation questions. Candidates are unaware that they may be cheating on their certification exam by using a questionable third party provider. These companies may also be using test questions that are not reflective of our current or most up to date certification standard. HDI recommends that candidates study from official HDI curriculum.



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Topic Competency Range of Knowledge

1.0 Background

1.1 Proprietor

1.1.1 Identify the entity that created and maintains KCS.

The Consortium for Service Innovation created and maintains KCS.

1.1.2 Explain who the Consortium for Service Innovation is.

The Consortium for Service Innovation is a non-profit alliance of customer service organizations that are working together to solve industry-wide challenges.

1.2 History

1.2.1 Explain why KCS was created.

KCS was created to capture, structure, and reuse knowledge in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of support organizations.

1.2.2 Identify when work began on the creation of KCS.

The KCS principles have evolved from work that began in 1992.

1.2.3 List the common reasons that support centers should implement KCS.

Support centers should implement KCS to:

• Lower support costs

• Enable self-service

• Improve First Contact Resolution

• Identify opportunities to learn from customers’ experiences

• Provide an answer to recurring questions

• Address the lack of time for training

• Support analysts suffering from burnout

• Provide the same answers to the same questions

• Provide answers to complex issues

• Respond to and resolve issues faster



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1.2.4 Identify some of the common benefits that result from implementing KCS.

Common benefits of implementing KCS include:

• Solving incidents and closing cases faster

- 50–60% improved time to resolution

- 30–50% increase in First Contact Resolution

• Optimizing use of resources

- 70% improved time to proficiency

- 20–35% improvement in employee retention

- 20–40% improvement in employee satisfaction

• Enabling e-Service strategies

- Improved customer success and use of self-service

- Up to 50% case deflection

• Building organizational learning

- Actionable information to product development about customer issues

- 10% issue reduction due to root cause removal

1.2.5 Identify the three levels of KCS benefits.

The three levels of KCS benefits are:

1. Direct – Operational improvements that are near term (3-9 months)

2. Applied – New ways of delivering service and support; i.e. the knowledge that is created can be used to enable self-service

3. Leveraged – Knowledge allows support organizations to offer new kinds of services

1.2.6 Identify the two types of KCS benefit.

The two types of benefit are:

• Qualitative (subjective)

• Quantitative (objective)



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1.3 Definition

1.3.1 Define KCS.

KCS is:

• A principle-based methodology

• A methodology that seeks to capture, structure, reuse, and improve knowledge in the support delivery process

• A means of collaboration

• NOT something we do in addition to solving problems—rather, KCS becomes the way we solve problems

• First and foremost about people and process, technology (tools) are enablers

1.3.2 List the service management processes that integrate with KCS.

KCS integrates with the following service management processes:

• Incident Management

• Problem Management

• Request Fulfillment

• Event Management

• Access Management



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2.0 KCS Practices

2.1 Model

2.1.1 Identify the three components that KCS practices are organized into.

KCS practices are organized into three components:

1. Knowledge Articles

2. Solve Loop

3. Evolve Loop

2.2 Knowledge

2.2.1 Identify the core concepts of KCS.

The core concepts of KCS are:

• “Content is King”

• Seek to create findable, usable, and timely resolutions in the problem solving process

• Articles are in the context of the target audience

• Articles include the analyst’s perspective

• Articles improve over time based on demand and usage

• Everyone must take responsibility for the content they interact with

• Collective ownership of the articles

• Knowledge articles evolve/improve over time

• Good judgment is required

2.2.2 Identify the people /groups who contribute to knowledge.

The following people/groups contribute to knowledge:

• Customer – Describes the issue and the environment

• Analyst – Provides the cause, if appropriate, and the resolution

• The Organization – Maintains knowledge about the knowledge known as metadata, such as reuse, create date, last modified date, incidents resolved, and contributors to updates



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2.3 Solve Loop

2.3.1 Explain the Solve Loop.

The Solve Loop encompasses those activities that are performed by the analyst on a transactional basis, such as problem solving. Characteristics of the Solve Loop include:

• Individual workflows, driven by the problem-solving process

• Transactional (i.e., routine tasks of the analyst, such as problem solving and incident management)

2.3.2 Identify the four practices in the Solve Loop.

The four practices in the Solve Loop are:

1. Capture

2. Structure

3. Reuse

4. Improve

2.4 Evolve Loop

2.4.1 Explain the Evolve Loop.

The Evolve Loop encompasses the practices that govern and promote the activities of the Solve Loop. It is the organization’s responsibilities to evolve maturity of these practices. Characteristics of the Evolve Loop include:

• Organizational-level processes that occur across a collection of events (Solve Loop) or content

• Systemic (i.e., processes and policies that are implemented to enable the transactional activities)

2.4.2 Identify the four practices in the Evolve Loop.

The four practices within the Evolve Loop are:

1. Content Health

2. Process Integration

3. Performance Assessment

4. Leadership & Communication



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2.5 Capture

(Solve Loop)

2.5.1 Define the principles of the Capture practice.

Capture includes:

• Knowledge is captured as a by-product of problem solving

• Capture knowledge in the moment it become explicit

• Content is captured in the customer’s context

• Information is captured about the environment

• Only relevant content is captured into the article, which may be a subset of information captured in the incident record.

• Tacit knowledge is captured and becomes explicit—you don’t know what you know until someone asks

• The concept of searching the knowledge base before you add

• Search words are candidate knowledge

2.5.2 Explain the benefits of Capture.

The benefits of Capture include:

• Content is in the customer’s context

• Improves findable articles

• Context is captured appropriately

• Context is captured at the point of interaction



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2.6 Structure (Solve Loop)

2.6.1 Define the principles of the Structure practice.

Structure is:

• Using a simple template or form for capturing and organizing content into knowledge; a sample structure includes:

- Issue/question

- Environment

- Resolution/answer

- Cause

- Metadata

• Using complete thoughts are a more appropriate way to capture knowledge in the issue and environment fields, rather than using complete sentences

2.6.2 List the benefits of Structure.

The benefits of Structure include:

• Providing context for the content

• Improving readability

• Promoting consistency and quality

2.7 Reuse (Solve Loop)

2.7.1 Explain the principles of the Reuse practice.

The principles of Reuse include:

• Search early and search often

• Seek to understand what we collectively know

• Link relevant articles to incidents

2.7.2 List the benefits of Reuse.

The benefits of Reuse include:

• Existing articles can be used to resolve issues, minimizing rework within the support organization

• Adds additional customer context

• Determines if the issue has already been solved

• Determines if someone else is working on the same or similar issue



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2.8 Improve (Solve Loop)

2.8.1 Define the principles of the Improve practice.

The principles of Improve include:

• Just-in-time quality

• Reuse is review—content is validated when it is used

• It is a demand-driven article review that focuses on the articles being used—80% of articles may never be reused

• To review every article is a waste of time and money

• Modify articles based on usage for continuous knowledge improvement

• UFFA—Use It, Flag It, Fix It, Add It

• Articles migrate to new audiences based on demand

• Duplicates are inevitable, as customers will describe different symptoms for the same issue. Duplicates are merged when they are identified.

• Licensed users can modify/improve existing articles and change visibility of articles

2.8.2 Identify the benefits of Improve.

The benefits of Improve include:

• Continuous improvement of the quality of articles

• Resources are saved by only spending time on articles that are being used

• Knowledge articles are available immediately for reuse

• The knowledge engineering process that delays knowledge availability is eliminated

• Shared ownership of the knowledge base



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2.9 Content Health (Evolve Loop)

2.9.1 Define the principles of the Content Health practice.

The principles of Content Health include:

• A content standard tailored to the environment. Some components of the content standard are:

- Style guide

- Knowledge structures

- Quality criteria

- Examples of good and bad articles

- Multi-language considerations

- Multimedia considerations

- Metadata definitions

- Vocabulary

- Supporting material—references and links

• Life cycle of knowledge articles – the set of solution states, such as Work in Progress (WIP), Draft, Approved, and Published

• Visibility Matri—not everyone can see or modify everything

• Knowledge Monitoring—random sampling and scoring of knowledge articles and feedback to individuals

2.9.2 List the benefits of Content Health.

The benefits of Content Health include:

• Quality articles are developed—quality is defined as findable and usable

• Articles are migrated to new audiences based on demand in a timely manner

• Analysts skills are improved through regular feedback



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2.10 Process Integration (Evolve Loop)

2.10.1 Define the principles of the Process Integration practice.

The principles of the Process Integration practice include:

• Structured problem solving (seek to understand before seeking to solve)

• A seamless technology integration, between knowledge management, incident management and other systems

• Search technology is required to find relevant articles

• A closed loop feedback system—best practice feedback is used for continuous improvement to the process

• Processes are defined, documented, and improved

2.10.2 Identify the benefits of Process Integration.

The benefits of Process Integration include:

• Efficiency and effectiveness of process

• Solve issues faster using the captured experiences of the entire support organization

• Minimizes rework

2.11 Performance Assessment (Evolve Loop)

2.11.1 Define the principles of the Performance Assessment practice.

The principles of Performance Assessment includes:

• Developing a KCS competency model (proficiency license)

• Implementation of feedback systems

• Integrating subjective and objective measures

• Shifting performance measures from individual and activity-focused to team and value- creation measurements

• Using triangulation to assess who is creating value

• Balanced scorecard to facilitate measurement of teams and individuals

• Measuring both lagging (results) and leading (activity) metrics

• Goals are only set on objectives (results)



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2.11.2 Explain the benefits of Performance Assessment.

The benefits of Performance Assessment is driving desired behaviors. Value is derived from knowledge, relationships, and influence.

2.12 Leadership & Communication (Evolve Loop)

2.12.1 Define the principles of the Leadership & Communication practice.

The principles of the Leadership & Communication practice include::

• Creating a vision and communication plan

• Aligning to a compelling purpose

• Creating a strategic framework

• Promoting teamwork

• Tapping into internal motivators

• Implementing a rewards and recognition program

• Defining organizational purpose and objectives

- Setting the context for boundaries

- Defining success

• Modeling behaviors through attention and behavior

• Supporting and encouraging good performance, while dealing with inadequate performance

• Engaging the people doing the work to figure out how best to get it done

2.12.2 Identify the benefits of Leadership & Communication.

The benefits of Leadership & Communication include:

• Clear goals are communicated

• Greater participation and buy-in by all involved

• Improved risk management for the initiative

• Employees are motivated to support the change

• Improved performance



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3.0 Service Management

3.1 Service Management Processes

3.1.1 Explain how knowledge management integrates with incident management.

• Knowledge articles are used to resolve incidents (called incident matching in ITIL incident management)

• New knowledge articles are captured as a result of an incident

• Knowledge articles are enhanced through reuse within the incident management process

3.1.2 Explain how knowledge management integrates with problem management.

• Article reuse can assist in identifying problems for analysis based on reoccurring incidents related to the problem

• Knowledge articles are enhanced when problem management discovers the root cause, a workaround, or a fix



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4.0 Content Health

4.1 Knowledge Article

4.1.1 Define knowledge article.

A knowledge article is a findable, reusable, and structured object that contains the customer’s experience, the analyst findings, and the meta data about the article.

4.2 Article Structure

4.2.1 Identify the minimum structure of an article.

The minimum structure of an article is:

• Issue / questions

• Environment

• Cause (optional)

• Resolution / Answer

• Meta data such as:

- Author

- Date Created

- Last Modified Date

- Last Modified By

- Reuse Counter

4.3 Life Cycle

4.3.1 Explain why a knowledge article has a life cycle.

A knowledge articles has a life cycle because:

• Knowledge is never complete, it continues to evolve

• The state of the knowledge impacts visibility

• The state of the knowledge impacts trust

4.3.2 Define knowledge state.

A knowledge state is the status in the knowledge article life cycle that is used to imply trust and/or identify pending action.



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4.3.3 Identify the minimum knowledge states necessary for a KCS article life cycle.

The minimum knowledge states necessary for a KCS article life cycle are:

• Work in Progress—Internal visibility, and no resolution captured. A knowledge article that is being captured, and has not yet had a resolution identified. This is sometimes referred to as a framed article.

• Draft—A resolution has been captured and is available for internal use, and the quality is not trusted as we do not have confidence in or validation of the resolution

• Approved—Internal visibility and quality trusted

• Published—External visibility and quality trusted; available for self-service

4.3.4 Provide examples of additional knowledge states and why you would use them.

Examples of additional knowledge states are:

• Technical review—An article where technical accuracy is under review

• Rework—An article that requires additional clarification or technical update/review

• Compliance review—An article where business requirements are under review.

• Obsolete—An article that may be flagged for deletion or archive.

• Archive—An article that is no longer accessible via search, but may have been linked to from various tickets.

4.4 Content Standard

4.4.1 Define content standard.

A content standard is a set of documents that defines how to capture, structure, and manage quality articles.



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4.4.2 Explain the purpose of a content standard.

The purpose of a content standard is to:

• Set expectations for the analysts when contributing

• Define the structure and purpose of each field in the knowledge article

• Define the quality criteria for a knowledge article

• Define the visibility of the knowledge article

4.4.3 List common components of a content standard.

Common components of a content standard are:

• One-page quick reference guide

• Examples of good articles

• Article content definitions

• Meta data definitions

• Life cycle of an article – Knowledge States

• Style Guide

• Quality Criteria

• Visibility Matrix

• Language considerations

• Multimedia considerations

4.5 Visibility Matrix

4.5.1 Explain the purpose of the visibility matrix.

A visibility matrix is a document that:

• Defines access and modification rights for the knowledge articles

• Defines who has access rights to knowledge, the type of access rights granted, and when those rights are available

4.5.2 List the key components of a visibility matrix.

The key components of a visibility matrix are:

• The Knowledge Domain

• The Audiences

• The Knowledge State

• The Access Rights



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4.6 Quality Criteria

4.6.1 Explain the purpose of the KCS quality criteria.

The purpose of the KCS Quality Criteria is to:

• Assure article quality is defined and made explicitly known to all

• Create a basis for random sampling and define how knowledge will be scored

• Provide a context for delivering feedback to analysts

• Define how to calculate the knowledge quality index

4.6.2 Define knowledge quality index.

The knowledge quality index is:

• A score given to a person or group resulting from the review of the knowledge articles they contributed for a specified period of time

• An indicator of the quality of the knowledge base

4.7 Knowledge Monitoring

4.7.1 Define knowledge monitoring.

Knowledge monitoring is the random sampling of knowledge articles to ensure quality is being maintained and to provide feedback to analysts.

4.8 Known versus New

4.8.1 Explain the two types of issues reported to the support center.

There are two types of issues reported to the support center:

• Known—those issues which have been reported previously and a knowledge article has been captured. Known issues can be resolved more efficiently by leveraging the knowledge base.

• New—those issues that have not been previously reported. New issues may require diagnosis and research to resolve and should result in a new knowledge article.



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5.0 Process Integration

5.1 Structured Problem Solving

5.1.1 Identify the three key steps of Structured Problem Solving (SPS) in KCS.

Three key steps of Structured Problem Solving (SPS) in KCS are:

• Seek to understand the customer—understand the situation in the customer’s context, then capture and preserve it

• Seek to understand what the company knows—search to see if the incident is a known problem and what collectively is known about it

• Seek to solve—ask clarifying questions and validate the information before researching the resolution

5.2 The Problem Solving Process

5.2.1 Identify the requirements of process integration.

The requirements of process integration include:

• Integrated technology

- Knowledge management

- Incident management

• Support the structured problem solving process

5.2.2 Identify the activity that must be integrated multiple times within the problem solving process.

Searching is the activity that must be integrated multiple times within the problem solving process — “search early, search often”.

5.2.3 Explain the terms: Use It, Flag It, Fix It, and Add It

• Use It—The ability to leverage an existing knowledge articles to resolve an incident

• Flag It—The ability to comment on a knowledge article so that an authorized person can modify it

• Fix It—The ability to modify an existing knowledge article

• Add It—The ability to contribute a new knowledge article to the knowledge base



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5.2.4 Identify who is responsible for capturing and maintaining the knowledge.

Everyone involved in the support process who creates or delivers a resolution or answer to a customer’s issue or question.

5.3 Technology Integration

5.3.1 Identify some of the integration requirements between the incident management system and the knowledge management system.

Integration requirements between the incident management system and the knowledge management system include:

• Search—The ability to search the knowledge base leveraging information in the incident record to launch or refine the search.

• Link—The ability to link an existing knowledge article to an incident and to retrieve information from the article to populate the incident record, such as the resolution.

• View—The ability to quickly view a knowledge article that has been previously linked to an incident.

• Contribute—The ability to add a knowledge article to the knowledge base from information in the incident record.

• Collaborate—The ability to identify subject matter experts related to the problem and quickly contact them.



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6.0 Performance Assessment

6.1 Roles and Responsibilities

6.1.1 Define the various roles involved in the implementation of KCS.

The various roles involved in the KCS implementation are:

• Sponsor—provides vision, objectives, and resources

• KCS Coordinator/Manager—coordinates and oversees

• Management—motivates and supports

• KCS I / KCS Candidate—uses and contributes knowledge

• KCS II / KCS Contributor—uses, contributes, enhances, and approves knowledge

• KCS III / KCS Publisher—uses, contributes, enhances, and publishes knowledge

• KCS Coach—monitors and mentors process and people

• Knowledge Domain Expert—monitors and enhances the knowledge base health

6.1.2 Identify the benefits of having defined roles and responsibilities.

The benefits of having define roles and responsibilities are that it:

• Sets the expectation that everyone involved is responsible for the success of the program

• Enables accountability



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6.2 KCS Developer

6.2.1 Define the responsibilities of a KCS I / KCS Candidate.

A KCS Candidate is a person whose responsibilities include:

• Understanding the basics of KCS and knowing how to interact with the knowledge base to capture experience and capitalize on the collective experience of an organization

• Being familiar with search techniques

• Using existing knowledge articles

• Adding new articles as work in progress or draft

• Flagging existing articles that need to be enhanced or corrected

6.2.2 Define the responsibilities of a KCS II / KCS Contributor.

A KCS Contributor is a person whose responsibilities include:

• All of the KCS Candidate responsibilities

• Fixing articles on demand

• Reviewing, finishing, and modifying articles framed by the KCS Candidates to adhere to the content standard

6.2.3 Define the responsibilities of a KCS III / KCS Publisher.

A KCS Publisher is a person whose responsibilities include:

• All of the KCS Contributor rights

• Publishing to the Web for self-service (external)



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6.3 KCS Coach

6.3.1 Define the responsibilities of a KCS Coach.

Responsibilities of a KCS Coach include:

• Being a change agent in KCS adoption process

• Helping people develop KCS competencies

• Performing regular knowledge monitoring

• Providing ongoing feedback to users and management of KCS skill development

• Encouraging analysts to use the content standard to create and improve knowledge

• Helping the KCS Candidate understand the problem-solving process and how to integrate the knowledge management process into the incident management process

• Providing feedback to the knowledge- developing organization

• Possibly serving as a member of the KCS Council

6.4 Knowledge Domain Expert

6.4.1 List some responsibilities of a Knowledge Domain Expert.

Responsibilities of a Knowledge Domain Expert include:

• Managing the health of the knowledge base for a specific domain

• Analyzing knowledge usage and perform problem management activities

• Developing advanced knowledge such as diagnostic structures where warranted

• Providing feedback to knowledge creators

• Having both technical expertise in the domain and a profound understanding of KCS processes



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6.5 KCS Manager / Coordinator

6.5.1 List the responsibilities of a KCS Manager/Coordinator.

Responsibilities of a KCS Manager / Coordinator include:

• Serving as the project manager during implementation

• Administrating system rights within the knowledge management system

• Being the escalation point for all process and technology issues

• Ensuring performance assessment is implemented (metrics, reports, incentives, rewards, recognition)

6.6 Management

6.6.1 Define the responsibilities of management.

Responsibilities of management include:

• Having a clear understanding of organization’s purpose, values, and goals and how to achieve them

• Communicating the vision, purpose, and objectives

• Supporting people to ensure that work is done

• Taking responsibility for performance drivers

• Encouraging participation by and feedback from the analysts

• Assuring alignment to business objectives

• Recognizing positive behavior and addressing negative behavior

6.7 KCS Competency Model

6.7.1 Define the core concepts of the KCS Competency model.

The core concepts of the KCS competency model are:

• In individual’s KCS knowledge and demonstrated competency defines system rights and privileges

• Individuals receive a KCS License once skills are demonstrated

• Some in the organization will stay as readers/framers while others evolve

6.7.2 Explain what a KCS License is.

A KCS license is a metaphor for a defined set of access rights that an individual earns by demonstrating their ability to contribute quality articles as well as follow and understand the KCS practices.



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6.7.3 Describe the implied message of being “KCS Licensed”.

Getting a KCS license implies that the analyst:

• Has demonstrated an understanding and support for KCS

• Has demonstrated a proven ability to add knowledge that satisfies the quality requirements

• Is being recognized as a KCS II / KCS Contributor or KCS III / KCS Publisher

6.7.4 List the benefits of a KCS competency model.

A KCS competency model:

• Empowers users

• Gives everyone equal opportunity to create quality knowledge based on their own skills

• Promotes recognition

• Promotes accountability

6.8 Performance Model

6.8.1 Name the three components of the performance model.

The three components of the performance model are:

1. Performance Drivers or Motivators

2. Leading Indicators or Activities

3. Business Results or Outcomes



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6.8.2 Identify what should be considered when developing a performance model.

When developing a performance model, consider the following:

• Identify leading indicators (activities)

• Identify desired lagging indicators (outcomes)

• Understand the goals and objectives

• Ensure players have visibility to trends

• Each individual is responsible for managing their own performance. Emphasis should be put on leadership. Performance measurement must be clearly linked to strategic objectives of company

• Timeliness of performance feedback to analysts

• Alignment of KCS objectives to organizational goals

• Performance measurements must be clearly linked to the strategic objectives of the company

6.8.3 List common examples of leading indicators.

Common examples of leading indicators include:

• Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

• Average Handle Time (AHT)

• Talk time

• Number of knowledge articles created

• Number of knowledge articles reused

• Citations

• Competency development

• Participation

6.8.4 List examples of Business Results.

Examples of business results include:

• Revenue/profit

• Customer loyalty/satisfaction

• Employee retention/loyalty

• Cost per resolution



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6.8.5 Identify considerations for leading indicators (activities) and business results (outcomes).

Considerations for leading indicators (activities) and business results (outcomes) are:

• Goals should not be attached to leading indicators or activities. The goal will be met but the desired business result or outcome will be overlooked

• Activities should be monitored and trended with a balanced perspective but not goaled

• Business results should be linked to goals



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7.0 Leadership & Communication

7.1 Internal Motivators

7.1.1 List the top four motivation factors related to work.

The top four motivation factors related to work are:

1. Achievement

2. Recognition

3. The work itself

4. Responsibility

7.1.2 Explain how KCS impacts achievement.

KCS impacts achievement by:

• Earning the right to publish or become a KCS Coach

• Earning recognition for knowledge articles created that others are using

• Expanding the analyst’s breadth of product knowledge

• Contributing to the achievement of the goals of the organization

• Collaborating as part of a group that is creating value for the business

7.1.3 Explain how KCS impacts recognition.

KCS impacts recognition by:

• The reputation of the analyst—based on creation of value in the knowledge base

• The reputation based on the quality of articles contributed to the knowledge base

• Acknowledgment for contribution through KCS measures and reports

• Acknowledgment by organization leaders as role model for others



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7.1.4 Explain how KCS impacts the work.

KCS impacts the work by:

• Decreasing redundancy

• Providing an opportunity to work on new areas

• Increasing confidence allow analysts to take a broader range of calls because the knowledge base complements existing knowledge

7.1.5 Explain how KCS impacts responsibility.

KCS impacts responsibility by:

• Licensing an analyst to publish (KCS competency) without review by others

• Licensing an analyst to modify/improve content

• Enabling the analyst to become part of a team

• Requiring collective ownership of content – “flag it or fix it”



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Number Question

1 Which of the following is a common reason for implementing KCS?

a. Increase analyst attrition rates.

b. Increase customer satisfaction.

c. Increase the number of calls within the support center.

d. Increase the responsibilities of the support center.

2 What is the minimum structure of a solution as defined by the KCS methodology?

a. Problem, Environment, Cause, Resolution

b. Problem, Environment, Cause, Resolution, Product

c. Problem, Environment, Resolution

d. Problem, Resolution

3 What is an example of meta data?

a. Author

b. Hyperlinks

c. Resolution

d. Title

4 What is a Solution State?

a. It is a condition when information is defined as trusted knowledge.

b. It is the form used to define knowledge.

c. It is the status of the solution in the knowledge life cycle.

d. It is the time when tacit knowledge becomes explicit.

5 What is the minimum number of knowledge states necessary for a KCS article life cycle?

a. 2

b. 3

c. 4

d. 5



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Number Question

6 What is an example of an optional knowledge state?

a. Approved

b. Draft

c. Obsolete

d. Published

7 What document must be defined and communicated before implementing a knowledge monitoring process?

a. The KCS Quality Criteria

b. The Report Distribution Matrix

c. The Strategic Framework

d. The Visibility Matrix

8 What is the Knowledge Quality Index?

a. A categorization of all articles within the knowledge base based on the knowledge state and the reuse counter.

b. A number assigned to each article indicating the article’s relevance.

c. A ranking of all articles each month that identifies the most frequently used articles in the knowledge base.

d. A score given to a person or group indicating the result of a review of the knowledge they contributed.

9 Who normally performs the knowledge monitoring process?

a. Everyone

b. KCS Coaches

c. KCS II’s

d. KCS Program Team



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Number Question

10 What is the primary purpose of knowledge monitoring?

a. Create a knowledge quality index.

b. Ensure that the process is being followed.

c. Identify and eliminate redundancy.

d. Improve the skills of the analysts.

11 What are three key components of the visibility matrix?

a. Audience, Knowledge State, Access Rights

b. Audience, Knowledge State, Reuse Counter

c. Audience, Reuse Counter, Access Rights

d. Knowledge State, Reuse Counter, Access Rights

12 Which KCS role is responsible for monitoring processes and mentoring people?

a. KCS Coach

b. KCS II

c. KCS III

d. KCS Manager

13 Which KCS role is responsible for providing the vision, objectives, and resources?

a. KCS Council

b. KCS Manager

c. Management

d. Sponsor

14 Which KCS role is responsible for designing the implementation and building the foundation?

a. KCS Council

b. KCS Manager

c. KCS Program Team

d. Management



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Number Question

15 Which of the following is a leading indicator?

a. Cost per Incident

b. Customer Satisfaction

c. Participation Rate

d. Knowledge Quality Index

16 What should you do before you seek to solve a problem?

a. Search to see if it is a known problem.

b. Seek out analysts who know more about the product.

c. Set an expectation for the customer that this may take some time.

d. State the problem clearly, in your own words.

17 Which KCS role is responsible for managing/supervising the KCS Coaches?

a. KCS Council

b. KCS Domain Manager

c. KCS Manager

d. Management

18 What does the customer contribute to a solution?

a. Cause

b. Environment

c. Resolution

d. Title

19 Why is it important to search the knowledge base after you solve a problem?

a. To minimize redundancy.

b. To find related solutions.

c. To follow the process.

d. To create a framed solution.



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Number Question

20 What are the three levels of KCS benefits?

a. Centralized, distributed, virtual

b. Direct, applied, leveraged

c. Operational, tactical, strategic

d. Significant, major, minor

21 Which of the following is least likely to motivate staff?

a. Additional responsibility

b. Monetary compensation

c. A sense of achievement

d. The level of challenge

22 What is the primary objective of the strategic framework?

a. Create a balanced scorecard of overall performance.

b. Establish a triangulation of balanced metrics.

c. Link the benefits of KCS with the goals of the organization.

d. Map out a wave-flow analysis to identify impact and risk.

23 Which of the following drives understanding of, engagement with, and belief in the KCS implementation?

a. Balanced Scorecard

b. Communications Plan

c. Competency Model

d. Quality Criteria



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Number Question

24 Improved reputation, decreased costs, and scalability are examples of which of the following?

a. Disadvantages of implementing KCS in the support center.

b. Expected return from an investment in KCS for the business.

c. Measurements within the KCS balanced scorecard.

d. Quick wins within the incident management process.

25 Which KCS role is the most important when it comes to establishing the vision and objectives of the KCS program?

a. KCS Coach

b. KCS Council

c. KCS Program Team

d. Sponsor

26 Which of the following would be responsibilities of the KCS II role in the KCS competency model?

a. Establish the vision of the KCS implementation.

b. Fix solutions on demand and finish framed solutions.

c. Monitor and enhance the health of the knowledge base.

d. Monitor processes and mentor people.

27 Who created Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS)?

a. HDI

b. The Consortium for Knowledge Management (CKM)

c. The Consortium for Service Innovation (CSI)

d. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC)



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Number Question

28 What is a benefit of Structure for Reuse?

a. Ease of measurement

b. Promotes consistency and quality

c. Structured problem solving

d. Template created saves time future documentation

29 The problem and the resolution are two components of a solution. What is the third?

a. Environment

b. Incident Reference

c. Problem-Solving Steps

d. Taxonomy / Categorization

30 What is the first phase of the six-step KCS adoption process?

a. Assess the current state.

b. Define tool requirements.

c. Design the foundation.

d. Development of the Core KCS team.



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Practice Test Answers

1. B

2. C

3. A

4. C

5. C

6. C

7. A

8. D

9. B

10. D

11. A

12. A

13. D

14. C

15. C

16. A

17. C

18. B

19. B

20. B

21. B

22. C

23. B

24. B

25. D

26. B

27. C

28. B

29. A

30. A


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