PennDOT Knowledge Management

This report is the culmination of a six-month research project commissioned by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to identify an effective model for the management of its considerable base of knowledge assets. PennDOT is in the information business. Driver licensing and vehicle registration workers ensure that Pennsylvania’s drivers comply with regulations designed to ensure financial responsibility and safety. Bridge and highway engineers access and apply the most current design specifications available to meet the demands of a vast and varied highway network. Maintenance and road crews monitor roadway conditions to determine priorities for action, thus extending the life cycles of facilities and protecting travelers. Support and administrative professionals maintain up-to-date files on everything from legal precedents to human resource practices to information technology advances—all to promote the effective performance of knowledge workers throughout the Department. In many respects, the Department’s success is directly related to how well it manages information. Information that resides in the minds of workers, known as tacit knowledge, is readily applied on the job. Explicit knowledge, or information translated into useful products such as publications or manuals, is available to workers at the time they need it. PennDOT has accumulated a vast amount of both of these forms of knowledge, and it has deployed these assets exceptionally well over time. For an organization of PennDOT’s size and complexity to profit the most from knowledge management, a systematic approach is essential. This report promotes a strategic plan for knowledge management within PennDOT based on an analysis of the needs of workers, the demographics of the work force, the availability of enabling technologies, and the availability of existing knowledge assets in many forms throughout the Department.

• Corporate Authors:

  Dering Consulting Group

  2157 Market Street
  Camp Hill, PA  United States  17011

  Gannett Fleming

  207 Senate Avenue
  Camp Hill, PA  United States  17011

  Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Planning and Research
  400 North Street, 6th Floor
  Harrisburg, PA  United States  17120-0064
• Publication Date: 2006-5-22

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Glossary;
• Pagination: 189p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge design; Demographics; Driver licensing; Expert systems; Highway design; Highway maintenance; Information management; Information systems; Knowledge; Management information systems; Needs assessment; Registration; Strategic planning; Technology; Vehicles; Workforce
• Identifier Terms: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society; Vehicles and Equipment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01081198
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 26 2007 9:55AM