Service and Delivery
Knowledge Element: System configuration
Definition of Knowledge Element:
Know how to build a complete system to customers specification from standard company office communication items. This includes physical connection and matching and software installation and set up.
A very brief summary of the Knowledge:
Configuration should begin with a knowledge of the order and an understanding of what the customer wants to achieve. In most cases, systems will rely on a PC as the central control point and most peripheral devices will be connected to a PC interface. Items that may be more remote from the PC include, speakers, microphones cameras, projectors etc. It is important to consider the cable or connecting media as part of the configuration task, particularly for more remote items.
A summary of expert opinion:
The knowledge named 'System configuration' is considered to be absolutely critical.
In addition, the knowledge is thought to be very difficult to replace, it is mostly learned from experience, and Between 7% and 30% of Group are Experts.
It is also specialised knowledge, and quite frequently changing knowledge.
See Parameter table below for more detail.
Risk:
This knowledge element has a risk value of 7.7, whilst the average risk for the whole knowledge structure is 4.862. Consult the RISK page for more details.
This knowledge is one of the higher risk items in the knowledge structure. Its risk value of 7.7, can be compared with the average risk for the highest ten percent of the knowledge, of 7.412 and the average risk for the whole map stated above.
The average risk of the prerequisite family of this knowledge node is 4.552 (adjusting for nodes with few members of the prerequisite family).
The average normalised prerequisite family risk of the whole map 2.122, whilst the average for the top ten percent family risk is 5.152.
Knowledge linked by learning dependency:
| Customer Services | System Installation | |||
| System configuration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical system configurations | How products work | Installing PC hardware | System testing | Installing software |
Postrequisite knowledge implies that System configuration must be understood before for a person can gain a full understanding of the knowledge listed in the top row of the Linked Knowledge table.
Prerequisite knowledge (bottom row in the Linked Knowledge table), is knowledge that should be understood before a full understanding of System configuration is possible.
This node has a prerequisite family consiting of 17 nodes, including the direct prerequisite knowledge shown above.
Parameters assigned for System configuration.
| Identifier | Name | Value | Clarifier | Weight | Study Mean |
P1 |
Importance |
9.0 |
absolutely critical |
1.0 |
6.34 |
P2 |
Recovery |
7.0 |
very difficult to replace |
1.0 |
3.38 |
P3 |
Study-Exp |
7.0 |
mostly learned from experience |
1.0 |
3.46 |
P4 |
Known By |
1.0 |
Between 7% and 30% of Group are Experts |
-1.0 |
2.80 |
P6 |
Specialised |
7.0 |
specialised knowledge |
1.0 |
5.05 |
P7 |
Stability |
3.0 |
quite frequently changing knowledge |
-0.7 |
6.41 |
People Involved with System configuration:
| Person | Expert | Capable | Responsible | N S Jones | --- |
Yes |
--- |
S P Evans | --- |
Yes |
--- |
M A Smith | --- |
Yes |
--- |
E N Roberts | --- |
Yes |
--- |
A A Pendragon | Yes |
--- |
Yes |
|---|
Computed Similarity
The most similar node to System configuration is Site survey.
The most dissimilar node to System configuration is Organise Accommodation.
Computer generated Options for Action:
Options for Action are computer generated ideas for the development of a particular knowledge area that an analyst or manager may wish to consider. The options generated for System configuration are listed below.
Option Class is :- Increasing Knowledge Accessibility
This option is :- Making sources of expertise visible and experts contactable
This briefly involves :- A directory of staff along with their areas of expertise and their contact details would fulfil this need. However, a paper directory may not be easy to produce and distribute and all experts may not be contactable anytime. A more appropriate version of this idea could be implemented through an intranet.
Option Class is :- Staff development
This option is :- Formal training provided internally using internal experts and resources
This briefly involves :- Training provided by internal experts may be worthwhile in certain areas of high knowledge risk. It can help protect and deploy critical company specialist knowledge and also help experts to review and develop this knowledge.
Option Class is :- Staff development
This option is :- Work group cooperation such as communities of practice to share and develop knowledge
This briefly involves :- It can be useful to introduce a community of people with a common knowledge interest to each other. In addition, if those people can be provided with resources to facilitate good and easy communication and shown how to use this and also introduced to ideas such as best practices etc, the community can work effectively for the organisation.
Option Class is :- Developing Knowledge
This option is :- The creation of knowledge development groups with responsibility for specific knowledge areas
This briefly involves :- Putting experts in charge of knowledge development can be a useful way to ensure that core knowledge remains up to date and secure. This involves focusing on the knowledge rather than simply on the processes where the knowledge is used. There needs to be a scheme for recording development and a place for records to be placed. There also needs to be dissemination.