Case-based repository to enhance problem solving knowledge in gas supply system

Abstract

Many experts in Kunming Oxygen Company are approaching the retirement age. According to this situation, experts will take away the organization's core knowledge which results in knowledge loss.

In order to prevent Kunming Oxygen Company knowledge loss, this study proposes knowledge repository to keep experts’ core knowledge as well as new engineers can access and retrieve those core knowledge to work easily. Objectives are i) to identify the critical situation of Oxygen Company; and ii) to promote new engineers’ problem-solving knowledge and quality of work after using knowledge-based system in gas system maintenance. Research samples are 8 new engineers whose working experience are less than one year.

Knowledge engineering, CoPs, and AAR are utilized to create knowledge repository and deliver to knowledge to samples. Knowledge engineering methods which are selected to identify Kunming Oxygen Company problem situation consist of i) interview; ii) observation; and iii) critical path analysis. Firstly, interview is used to explore the current situation of Kunming Oxygen Company knowledge loss from senior managers. Then, observation method is used to record work errors of new engineers for one month. Raw data from interview and observation are analyzed by using content analysis and drawing out the business process. Next, the critical path analysis is used to analyze the critical area in business process which cause knowledge loss in Kunming Oxygen Company. From critical path analysis, the result shows that the critical knowledge is Domain B (Failure maintenance of gas supply system). To retain knowledge loss, CoPs are introduced with purpose to invite experts for sharing experiences of those error cases. During sharing, experts’ experiences are captured, tacit knowledge is extracted and converted into explicit knowledge, and later stored into online knowledge based system. Offline meeting activities is the space to cross check knowledge growth nodes among engineers’ community. Finally, AAR is used as self-reflection in dimension of problem-solving knowledge and quality of work for new engineers

The results show that 100% of the samples have improved professional skills after using the knowledge repository for a period of time, 37.5% of the samples feel substantial increase, they can be able to solve problems independently, 62.5% of the samples feel professional skills basic increase, they access to knowledge repository can solve most problems. The knowledge repository can effectively retain expert knowledge and improve the professional ability of new engineers.