Question:  Does system development fail mostly due to the costs involved, or do they fail mostly due to a lack of collaboration on behalf of the developer and the business manager?  

Resource: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/1685

     In the end of chapter eight we learn that measuring and managing communities become more important as they become prevalent, gain influence, and garner control over resources in the organization.  Although measurement and management methods may be more intuitive in the early stages of a community-based knowledge initiative, they become more rigorous over time as investments increase.  Therefore, we can turn to chapter eleven in the Post/Anderson text to link to a probable plan of action.

     Where there is a need to measure and manage a knowledge system, there is a need for strategic analysis.  In this case, I beleive that Porter’s Five Forces model provides great insight as to how to portray the relationship between measuring and managing a knowledge system.  In a nutshell, each of these factors are outside the control of the firm.  Yet they strongly affect the company, and so it is that through improved ties to these agents they become part of the system which is eventually used to position the firm more competitively.  Namely, the five external agents are customers, suppliers, competitors, threat of new entrants, and substitute products.

     Do we think that Porter’s model is robust, or do we think the model is one such that businesses will routinely have to practice naming their customers, suppliers, competitors, threats, and substitute products?

The COP book later points out that reweaving the world is possible in a civil society as it is in the private sector. The book references Peter Drucker. He says civil societies are supported by knowledgeable people who take advantage of the opportunity to make a difference among communities. In my opinion, this relates to chapter eight in the text.

In chapter eight we learn about electronic business. In my opinion, electronic business is a trendy means of boosting the economy. The text says on page 303 that it is necessary to understand the role of serach engines, advertising, and traffic analysis. This will create an opportunity to increase electronic business because, as Peter Drucker suggests, there are those knowledgeable and interested in making a difference at the community level.

Is it possible to ever repeat history and go through another dot com disaster/failure?

The book goes on to suggest that this is brought on by transactions in an international environment.  For example, the book points out that transactions across countries would make it easier for smaller organizations to reach out.  Instead, organizations were caught up in lawful boundaries which seemingly proved to foster limitation errors rather than promote connectivity. 

So, as time goes on, will PCICs become more developed and sophisticated such that they create solutions without creating errors, simultaneously? 

Chapter nine goes on to say that messaging and conferencing technologies are just some of the credits we owe to mobile technology.  Every situation is different and not every need is met in the same way.  This is what keeps mobile technology alive and well due the evolution of customers’ needs.  For example, cell phones are no longer just devices for talking.  They have become messaging utencils, pdas, cameras, etc.  Cell phones are just one example of how mobile technology is supports knowledge managment.

Now, let’s take a look at the article.  The article goes on to provide a definition for knowledge management systems.  It says that they are IT-based systems developed to support and enhance the organizational processes of knowledge creation, storage/retrieval, transfer, and application.  All of which, in my mind, is a description of a pda.  So, from cell phones to cameras to pdas knowledge management systems are becoming more sophisticated based on customers’ demand.

 For purposes of a thought provoking question: How soon does anyone predict video conferencing to exist over mobile device such as cell phones?

     I like how the text reads when it says, communities are not born in their final state, but go through a natural cycle of birth, growth, and death.  I wondered what it might be like for a church or a congregation.  I like this particular example because it illustrates what the author says communities go through: birth, growth and death.  And, realistically, a congregation gives birth to a new community of practice.  In other words, a congregation gives birth to an establishment: the church.  Similarly, a church then experiences growth.  In the beginning, select members of the congregation pull it all together so that there is an abundance of networking and momentum from which the greater number of the congregation can become connected.  For purposes of a thought provoking question: Does a community of practice such as a church experience death due to the original select members of that church experiencing death?

     In my opinion, the eventual death of select founding members of the congregation does not mean the same will be true of the church.  In other words, the spirit formed through the connectivity of the congregation will keep alive the ever-changing community of practice, the church.  In fact, page 75 points out the communities of practice such as a church can (1) focus of dimensions of the domain that are particularly important to the business, or in this case, church.  This could be, for example, biblical scripture and interpretation. (2) Focus on aspects of the domain community members will be passionate about.  An example of this could be shared values and beliefs. (3) Define the scope wide enough to bring in new people and new ideas, but narrow enough that most members will be interested in the topics of discussions.  In this case, the example would be the connection between the pastor and the congregation.  

In my mind, there is a connection between what we talked about in class and what was mentioned in the literature: that being the examples of call centers becoming more dynamic and sophisticated to handle a demanding customer service base from day-to-day.This example takes us nicely into the second chapter of the CCP book.  There it says that communities take on many forms, one of them being a “learning community.”  Again, discussion from class ties in nicely here as it is true that call center representatives represent the learning community formed between the organization and the customer base.  These representatives are responsible for a clear path of information transit so that a resolution to any problems can be reached.  Lastly, chapter three in the CCP book and our call center example from class coincide to show off design.  Frequently, customers have similar questions which require even more similar answers so for purposes of reducing redundancy we have automation (i.e. press this number for this issue.)  

For purposes of provoking thought: Is it possible that COPs actually interact internally too much, for example, to form a GroupThink situation?