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Knowledge management is becoming fast growing field and one of key technologies in this today's knowledge driven economy. New methods are developing and they are only at beginning. Knowledge audit is one of first steps before implementing knowledge management. This article describes problems that can occur in developing new methods for knowledge audit as specific and partial approaches to knowledge audit in some cases. This article also describes criteria that caused designing of some existing methods and describes general approach to knowledge audit. As an example described are some imperfections of existing methods and impossibility to apply them with new demands for knowledge which leads to designing a new method.
In example is illustrated design/redesign of existing method for knowledge audit which uses ASHEN knowledge classification and it didn't in best way satisfy the needs of information firm so it was redesigned. New redesigned method is shorter in some steps, has identified more knowledge sources and allows better understanding of knowledge flow between departments and between firm and surroundings. In example firm has gained far more qualitative results which allowed her to identify knowledge gaps, review her existing goals and adapt them to intellectual assets.
On end emphasize is on need to research designing new and far more general methods for knowledge audit which will be based on analysis of knowledge needs and specifications.