Knowledge management and use
Knowledge management and use is a core practice area of digital transformation focusing on effective use of information and data to support decision making.
One of the core knowledge practice areas in the framework for digital transformation in higher education.
Enhancing access to, and use of, information and data to support all areas of the organisation, including research and teaching. Enabling the collation, preservation, management, sharing and use of information and data to inform decision making.
Knowledge management and use is broken down into four areas of activity:
Information management and use
Practices and procedures around collecting, organising, storing and sharing information in a way that allows for efficient retrieval and use. This includes information created by the organisation and that provided by third parties.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts used in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Collection management | Digital information | Digital media | Digital preservation | Information literacy | Information strategy | Information storage and retrieval | Library and learning resources | Management information | Study spaces
Examples of potential activities
- Use digital information to support effective organisational planning and decision making, problem solving, and monitoring of organisational performance
- Ensure staff and students can critically evaluate digital information in terms of its accuracy, provenance, relevance, value and credibility
- Produce guidelines on copyright, data protection, information security, open licensing, and intellectual property rights (IPR) so staff and students are fully informed around legal requirements and organisational principles
- Investigate the use of AI in the provision of information/library services
- Identify responsibility for the archiving of the organisation
How Jisc can support your organisation
Services
Guides
Practices and procedures around collecting, organising, storing and sharing information in a way that allows for efficient retrieval and use. This includes information created by the organisation and that provided by third parties.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts used in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Collection management | Digital information | Digital media | Digital preservation | Information literacy | Information strategy | Information storage and retrieval | Library and learning resources | Management information | Study spaces
Examples of potential activities
- Use digital information to support effective organisational planning and decision making, problem solving, and monitoring of organisational performance
- Ensure staff and students can critically evaluate digital information in terms of its accuracy, provenance, relevance, value and credibility
- Produce guidelines on copyright, data protection, information security, open licensing, and intellectual property rights (IPR) so staff and students are fully informed around legal requirements and organisational principles
- Investigate the use of AI in the provision of information/library services
- Identify responsibility for the archiving of the organisation
How Jisc can support your organisation
Services
Guides
Data management and use
Practices and procedures around collecting, organising, storing and sharing data in a way that allows for efficient analysis and use that supports a data-enabled organisation. This includes ethical use, quality, governance, standards, security and compliance around all forms of data.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts used in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Business processes and operations | Compliance | Cyber security | Data architecture | Data analytics | Data ethics | Data literacy | Data privacy | Data quality | Data strategy | Enterprise architecture | Ethics | Security and business continuity
Examples of potential activities
- Review existing policies and practices to reform and upgrade data management practices, systems and services
- Engage with stakeholders to understand and critique the role of data in the organisation and more widely in society
- Share data openly (where this does not conflict with data privacy and security) for societal learning and scholarship
- Identify all sources of data across the organisation to support a better understanding of the learner experience and to use this to improve learner outcomes (e.g. use of library resources, engagement with the VLE etc.)
How Jisc can support your organisation
Services
- Data analytics
- Data consultancy
- Heidi Plus new user clinics and Heidi Plus masterclasses
- Learning analytics
- Learning analytics discovery and consultancy
Reports
Guides
Resources
Practices and procedures around collecting, organising, storing and sharing data in a way that allows for efficient analysis and use that supports a data-enabled organisation. This includes ethical use, quality, governance, standards, security and compliance around all forms of data.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts used in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Business processes and operations | Compliance | Cyber security | Data architecture | Data analytics | Data ethics | Data literacy | Data privacy | Data quality | Data strategy | Enterprise architecture | Ethics | Security and business continuity
Examples of potential activities
- Review existing policies and practices to reform and upgrade data management practices, systems and services
- Engage with stakeholders to understand and critique the role of data in the organisation and more widely in society
- Share data openly (where this does not conflict with data privacy and security) for societal learning and scholarship
- Identify all sources of data across the organisation to support a better understanding of the learner experience and to use this to improve learner outcomes (e.g. use of library resources, engagement with the VLE etc.)
How Jisc can support your organisation
Services
- Data analytics
- Data consultancy
- Heidi Plus new user clinics and Heidi Plus masterclasses
- Learning analytics
- Learning analytics discovery and consultancy
Reports
Guides
Resources
Business intelligence (BI)
The collection, management and use of data and information to inform business decisions and strategies. It comprises the strategies and technologies used by enterprises for data analysis and management of business information.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts used in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Baselining | Benchmarking | BI strategy | Business continuity planning | Digital leadership | Digital strategy | Ethical systems and processes | Forecasting | Horizon scanning | Management information | Market intelligence | Openness and transparency
Examples of potential activities
- Gather market intelligence to benchmark the organisational position (e.g. research performance)
- Ensure leaders and governors are aware of digital transformations in industry, education and business sectors and support new practices and approaches into the organisation as appropriate (e.g. curriculum development, knowledge practices)
- Consider how information is used internally and highlight this (e.g. local labour market intelligence to identify career opportunities for students, student admissions trends to consider future size and shape)
- Gain consensus on priorities for reporting – what information is essential for decision making and who should provide it?
- Provide access to appropriate user-defined data dashboards for people in different roles across the organisation
- Create a roadmap for implementing business intelligence services, considering interim measures where needed
- Prioritise the collection of data needed to achieve goals (e.g. attendance monitoring in place for learning analytics)
How Jisc can support your organisation
Reports
The collection, management and use of data and information to inform business decisions and strategies. It comprises the strategies and technologies used by enterprises for data analysis and management of business information.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts used in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Baselining | Benchmarking | BI strategy | Business continuity planning | Digital leadership | Digital strategy | Ethical systems and processes | Forecasting | Horizon scanning | Management information | Market intelligence | Openness and transparency
Examples of potential activities
- Gather market intelligence to benchmark the organisational position (e.g. research performance)
- Ensure leaders and governors are aware of digital transformations in industry, education and business sectors and support new practices and approaches into the organisation as appropriate (e.g. curriculum development, knowledge practices)
- Consider how information is used internally and highlight this (e.g. local labour market intelligence to identify career opportunities for students, student admissions trends to consider future size and shape)
- Gain consensus on priorities for reporting – what information is essential for decision making and who should provide it?
- Provide access to appropriate user-defined data dashboards for people in different roles across the organisation
- Create a roadmap for implementing business intelligence services, considering interim measures where needed
- Prioritise the collection of data needed to achieve goals (e.g. attendance monitoring in place for learning analytics)
How Jisc can support your organisation
Reports
Decision making
Evaluating evidence and business intelligence to identify options and make choices about all aspects of business, including investment and planning to achieve strategic goals.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Digital confidence | Digital evidence | Digital fluency | Digital leadership | Digital vision | Problem solving
Examples of potential activities
- Understand business processes in different contexts across the organisation and how digital enables and constrains these (e.g. education, research, support)
- Give governors and senior leaders access to information and data that supports decision making and planning
How Jisc can support your organisation
Services
Evaluating evidence and business intelligence to identify options and make choices about all aspects of business, including investment and planning to achieve strategic goals.
Activities/principles/values
These keywords identify cross-cutting concepts in both the framework and the maturity model. They occur across the different elements:
Digital confidence | Digital evidence | Digital fluency | Digital leadership | Digital vision | Problem solving
Examples of potential activities
- Understand business processes in different contexts across the organisation and how digital enables and constrains these (e.g. education, research, support)
- Give governors and senior leaders access to information and data that supports decision making and planning
How Jisc can support your organisation
Services
Taking this area forward in your own organisation
Assess your digital maturity for knowledge management and use
Download the maturity model for knowledge management and use (pdf)
Download the maturity model for knowledge management and use (docx)
Develop a roadmap and action plans
Download the maturity model action plan for knowledge management and use (docx)
Contact your relationship manager
All Jisc member organisations have a dedicated relationship manager. Yours can help you access our full range of products, services and support.
Inspiration – member stories and case studies
- Creating library vibes for students studying remotely
- Bangor University: A data-driven and collaborative digital transformation journey
- Digital archives power future research
- How big data could vaccinate the world
- King’s College London: “Digitising collections opens up whole new areas for research”
- Liverpool John Moores University: Two strands, one goal - advancing open research and data management
- St George’s, University of London: keeping up with digital archives
- The Engineering Professors’ Council: Using data to inform and shape the future of engineering
- University of Liverpool: “Democratising knowledge”
- University of South Wales: “Learning analytics is helping us improve the student experience” (pdf)
Next section: Knowledge exchange and partnerships
View the knowledge exchange and partnerships element of the framework focusing on how digital can enhance communication, collaboration and community participation of all stakeholders and partners.
This toolkit is made available under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA).