CoPilot 26/10/31: This is the version I'd put into sig:km as the "master" KM06 CDID. It is written partly as a specification and partly as a tutorial for new SIG Masters.
A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a community of individuals who share responsibility for developing, maintaining, and disseminating knowledge within a specific discipline.
The purpose of a SIG is to:
Identify subject matter experts.
Organize knowledge assets.
Develop standards and best practices.
Publish deliverables and templates.
Support projects requiring subject expertise.
Train new participants.
Preserve organizational memory.
Within HRI, a SIG is more than a discussion group. A SIG is expected to function as a managed knowledge repository, reference source, and competency center for its discipline.
A SIG that conforms to this CDID may be described as KM06 Compliant.
This CDID shall be used whenever:
Creating a new SIG.
Revising an existing SIG.
Conducting SIG audits.
Appointing a new SIG Master.
Migrating SIG information between platforms.
Evaluating knowledge-management maturity.
A SIG may be formal or informal, large or small, active or dormant.
Even a SIG consisting of a single individual should maintain its information according to this standard.
Think of a SIG as a "department without walls."
The members may come from different organizations, projects, locations, or time zones, but they are all contributing to the same area of expertise.
Examples include:
sig:km (Knowledge Management)
sig:pm (Project Management)
sig:leg (Legal)
sig:fin (Finance)
sig:geo (Geospatial)
sig:ai (Artificial Intelligence)
This CDID should be reviewed:
At SIG creation.
During annual reviews.
When changing SIG leadership.
Following major restructuring.
Whenever significant changes occur in the discipline.
The SIG Master is responsible for:
Maintaining the SIG structure.
Organizing SIG content.
Coordinating contributions.
Reviewing compliance.
Managing updates.
Identifying subject matter experts.
All SIG members are responsible for:
Contributing knowledge.
Reporting errors.
Maintaining references.
Participating in reviews when appropriate.
Ownership of KM06 resides with:
sig:km
Only sig:km may establish or modify mandatory SIG structure requirements.
Individual SIGs remain responsible for their own content.
Think of sig:km as the group that designs the library.
Individual SIGs are responsible for filling their shelves.
Effort varies significantly depending upon:
Scope of discipline.
Number of members.
Number of deliverables.
Number of projects supported.
Approximate effort:
Activity
Typical Effort
Create SIG
Medium
Maintain SIG
Low
Major Reorganization
High
Annual Review
Medium
Potential risks include:
Critical information exists only in individual email accounts, notebooks, or memories.
A SIG depends excessively upon one contributor.
Information is scattered across multiple systems.
Materials remain online long after becoming outdated.
The same information exists in multiple locations.
Nobody knows who is responsible for maintaining content.
Most KM failures are not technical.
Most KM failures occur because responsibility was unclear.
A KM06-compliant SIG should normally contain the following sections.
The entry point for the SIG.
Should answer:
What is this SIG?
Why does it exist?
Who should join?
Where should visitors start?
A visitor should understand the purpose of the SIG within 30 seconds.
Defines:
Mission
Scope
Objectives
Boundaries
Authority
If two SIGs disagree over ownership of a topic, the Charter should resolve the issue.
Contains:
Members
Roles
Expertise
Contact Information
People often join organizations because of people, not documents.
Show who the experts are.
Contains SIG-specific CDIDs.
Examples:
Templates
Standards
Checklists
Forms
Reference Documents
Deliverables are one of the primary outputs of a SIG.
A good SIG should reduce the amount of reinventing that projects must do.
Contains:
Articles
Notes
White Papers
Research
Lessons Learned
This section answers:
"What have we learned?"
Contains:
Standards
Regulations
Industry Guidance
External Publications
Do not duplicate external material unnecessarily.
Link to authoritative sources whenever practical.
Contains:
Training
Walkthroughs
Videos
Examples
Every significant deliverable should have a beginner-friendly tutorial.
A tutorial often has greater practical value than the standard itself.
Lists projects supported by the SIG.
May include:
Active Projects
Archived Projects
Project Summaries
Lessons Learned
Projects are where SIG knowledge is applied.
Contains:
Announcements
Conferences
Meetings
Workshops
Milestones
Identifies:
Parent SIGs
Peer SIGs
Supporting SIGs
Few disciplines stand alone.
A good SIG network resembles a knowledge graph rather than a filing cabinet.
Contains:
Policies
Procedures
Change Control
Approval Rules
Governance explains how decisions are made.
Recommended metadata:
SIG Name
SIG Identifier
Version
Status
Author
Contributor
Owner
Creation Date
Revision Date
Keywords
Related SIGs
Metadata exists to help future users find information.
Assume the next reader knows nothing.
All SIG content should:
Use approved naming conventions.
Use approved storage locations.
Maintain version control.
Preserve historical records.
Clearly identify obsolete content.
Archived content should normally remain accessible for reference purposes.
Deleting information is usually permanent.
Archiving information is usually safer.
Define scope.
Select SIG identifier.
Appoint SIG Master.
Publish Charter.
Create website structure.
Publish initial content.
Identify subject matter experts.
Recruit contributors.
Define responsibilities.
Define CDIDs.
Create templates.
Publish standards.
Maintain revisions.
Review content.
Remove duplicates.
Archive obsolete material.
Update references.
Review against KM06 checklist.
Identify deficiencies.
Develop corrective actions.
Reassess as required.
Explains the purpose and benefits of Special Interest Groups.
Explains roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
Step-by-step guidance for new SIGs.
Explains how SIGs define standards and deliverables.
Guidance for structuring content.
Guidance for audits and compliance assessments.
Explains how SIGs interact with projects and other SIGs.
A SIG should normally be able to answer "Yes" to the following questions:
□ Has a SIG Master been identified?
□ Is the purpose clearly stated?
□ Is a Charter published?
□ Is membership identified?
□ Are deliverables documented?
□ Are knowledge assets organized?
□ Are tutorials available?
□ Are references maintained?
□ Are project relationships documented?
□ Is governance defined?
□ Is metadata maintained?
□ Is obsolete information archived?
□ Are related SIGs identified?
□ Can a new visitor understand the SIG within 30 seconds?
□ Would another person be able to maintain the SIG if the current SIG Master disappeared tomorrow?
That last question is arguably the most important KM06 test of all. A SIG that depends entirely on one person's memory is not yet a mature SIG.