Analysis of Kmantra and Promotional strategies of knowledge sharing

Summer Internship Project May June 2009 At

Under the guidance of:

Mr. Santosh Kumar, Head of Quality Department, Birlasoft Private Limited, Noida, Uttarpradesh

Submitted by:
Ashish Singh, MIBA III Semester, Enrollment No.: 281610

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY VARANASI

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I like to take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude to Ms. Sonu Rathore (Vice President of Business Excellence) Birlasoft India Pvt. Limited for allowing me to have my summer training in such esteemed Organization. I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to my project head Mr. Santosh Kumar- Head, Quality, Birlasoft. Who has given me opportunity to do this project? This project output is a result of his encouragement and inputs which I have gotten in meetings he had with me, despite his busy schedule. He made sure that my stay in the office was a learning experience.

Further I am indebted to Mr. Raj Kumar (Professor-FMS) to act as my mentor for preparing this project more valuable & for his timely help and guidance. He had given me constant support, continued encouragement and guidance throughout my project preparation.

Finally, I would like to thank my Institute FMS BHU for making this experience of summer training in an esteemed organization like Birlasoft possible. The learning from this experience has been immense and would be cherished throughout life.

ASHISH SINGH

PREFACE
A project is a scientific and systematic study of real issues on a problem with the application of management concept and skills. The study can deal with small or big issues in any division of an organization. It can be case study where a problem has been dealt with, through the process of management. The essential equipment of a project is that, it should contain scientific collection of data, analysis and interpretation of data leading to a valid conclusion. Summer Training is an essential part in MIBA curriculum. It enables the student to share the real experience in the corporate world. My summer training has placed in Birlasoft Private Limited, Noida, and Uttar Pradesh for the period of eight weeks. The topic of my project is Analysis of Kmantra and promotional strategies of knoedge sharing

I hope this study will contribute to the organization.

1. Executive Summary 2. Company Profile 3. Management Committee 4. Department Profile 5. Literature review 6. Research methodology 7. Data Analysis and inferences 8. Findings 9. Limitations 10. Recommendations 11. References

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Objective of the project:
Objective of this project is analysis of Kmantra-Organization Knowledge Management intranet website and suggest the ways by which knowledge sharing can increase in the organigation and make more effective the Kmantra.

Approach:
From observations, ideas and through the help of Secondary data study I have completed this project.

Findings:
Through my project I found that many links and parts of kmantra are not working properly many of them are inactive which need the employees assistance and feedback. There are many things on kmantra which are not related with knowledge management and some are directly not related with knowledge management. There are links where employees can share their knowledge but the deposited papers or reports on that links are few.

Recommendations:
For the effectiveness of kmantra it is very essential to have good knowledge sharing system in the organigation. For that management can circulate the monthly bulletins highlighting the topics of the months, with best contribution/article and authors name. Authors are to be motivated with due recognition in different areas. If management find the ways to motivate the authors than it will be boon for knowledge sharing. To send mail and letters to company employees periodically regarding the new topics on kmantra.

COMPANY PROFILE
The foundation for the Birla House in India was laid in 1861. The GP-CK Birla Group was established by Mr. B.M. Birla, a great visionary and one of Indias outstanding business leaders of all time. The mantle of his rich legacy is carried forward by his grandson, Mr. C.K. Birla, son of Mr. G.P. Birla. Spanning four continents, the GP-CK Birla Group has global revenues of more than $1.4 billion with interests in major industries, including automobile, bearings, earthmoving and power transmission equipment, heavy machinery, paper, cement, building products and electrical products and information technology. The group has a track record of successful partnerships and collaborations with technology leaders like General Motors, Caterpillar, Ford Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Isuzu Motors and NTN to name a few. CK Birla group entered the information technology arena in 1992-93. Initially, the company, Birla Horizons International, concentrated on professional services with offices in New Delhi, New Jersey and California. In 1998, the company was rejuvenated and renamed Birlasoft Inc. when GE Capital joined the company as a strategic investor. Birlasoft is a leading provider of information technology services in both onshore and offshore models to Fortune 1000 as well as mid-sized organizations in banking, financial services, insurance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and independent software vendors sectors . Birlasoft services include application development, support & maintenance, enterprise application implementation, integration, infrastructure management and quality assurance & testing. Birlasofts robust delivery processes embrace digitized project management methodologies, embedded within proven practices of Six Sigma on Continuous Representation and secure services framework with BS7799. The Noida centers of the company have been recently assessed at PCMM Level 3 for its HR practices. Headquartered at Noida, India, Birlasoft has employees across US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and India. Birlasoft is part of the global $1.7 billion CK Birla Group which traces its roots back to over 150 years and has diversified interests ranging from automobiles, cement, paper, software etc. to hospitals, schools and colleges as part of its philanthropic work. The annual revenue of the company was in the year 2008 was $ 157.0 million. The number of employees is approx 4000 +.

MANAGEMENT COMITTEE

Vision:
1. Birlasoft will achieve global leadership (among top three) in three service areas. 2. It will become an employer of choice and will achieve retention of 80%. 3. It will achieve repeat business in excess of 90% by providing highest quality delivery and exceptional customer experience.

Beliefs:
We have an environment of openness, trust and collaboration. We do not play the blame game. We have a strong system of accountability, authority and responsibility. We have a high level of ownership and commitment. We communicate and share information across the organization. We aim high, take risks and grow faster than the market. We strive for excellence in everything that we do. We provide a superior customer experience in all our engagements. We are a caring organization and we treat our employees with respect. We are proud of being a Birlasoftian and passionate about building Birlasoft into a great organization.

CERTIFICATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS

ISO 9001:2000 Quality Certified CMM (Capability Maturity model) Level 5 QMS with Six Sigma processes mapped PCMM (People Capability Maturity Model) Level 3 assessed SAS (Statement on Auditing Standards) 70 Certified A Nasscom Top 20 Company (2007) A Global Services 100 Company (2008-09)

Birlasoft works with alliance partners that offer best-in-class technologies in specific industries, enabling us to develop and deliver leading solutions and business value to clients. Birlasofts alliance partners include:

DEPARTMENT PROFILE (QUALITY)

QUALITY POLICY
We shall continuously strive to exceed the expectations of our customers by providing defect free products, value added services and innovative salutations on time and within budgeted cost. We shall also Endeavour to nurture an environment where trust, fairness and integrity flourish. 25 July, 2006 C.K.BIRLA

Work of Quality Department:

The job of quality department is monitoring, auditing, and testing of the project which is running in the organization .The quality persons assists in projects of organization for proper functioning of the project and deliver quality product to user. Quality department also gives training on: Customized modules on software engineering Project Life Cycle

Quality overview:
Quality at Birlasoft is a way of life - we ensure that there is quality work at every step. Quality processes have evolved around the best frameworks like CMM, Six Sigma, ISO, and PCMM. All aspects of delivery, support, and people are addressed, ensuring that we deliver value to our customers.

SEI CMM Level 5 delivers high quality software delivery.

Six Sigma initiatives deliver continuous improvement on current processes/practices. PCMM develops competencies and people. ISO 9001 provides a standard framework and process mapping.

BIRLASOFT JOURNEY

Birlasoft have achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification in 1998. In 2000 company become a six sigma company. In 2002 company become SEI CMM Level 5 company. Indias first IT Company to achieve CMMi 5 (Continuous) assessment from SEI in 2004

CLIENT RATED BIRLASOFT WITH FEW COMMENTS

More disciplined in developing a Document of Understanding which helps us to confirm requirements -- we should continue to utilize this vehicle. Birlasoft does feel a commitment to deliver and is willing to pull from across the organization when necessary to address issues Excellent customer commitment- they understand that it is a partnership and we help each other to be successful. Technical skill to $ rate ratio is superior to other companies. What 350,000 people in (Fortune 10 Company) did not do, Birlasoft guys did in less than 2 weeks, the ability to work tirelessly, call spade-a-spade coupled with their technical knowledge makes them a top-quality consultant. Birlasoft has always been: On time in its deliverables Always willing to take on a challenge Always providing new ideas Very Organized Tremendously Helpful

I enjoyed working with Birlasoft because of the virtually 24-hour development cycle. Without that, we would never have met our project deadlines. The team also produced very high quality work and was easy to communicate with."

SWOT ANAYSIS
STRENGTHS:
A part of well known business house of India Friendly working environment Highly skilled human resource Regular performance appraisals Satisfactory compensations Global presence Strong partners and alliances

WEAKNESSES:
No advertisement Not deals in system software

OPPORTUNITIES:
Increasing use of information technology in every sector Entry in new market

THREATS
Competitors Switch over of customers

LITERATURE REVIEW
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:
Knowledge is "information in action", i.e. information applied for a purpose. Thereby it is pointed out that knowledge is context-specific. Knowledge management is an organizational process for converting information in to knowledge and making that knowledge accessible for fruitful results. Knowledge management comprises a range of practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. In practice, knowledge management often encompasses of: 1. Identifying and mapping intellectual assets 2. Generating new knowledge for competitive advantage 3. Making vast amounts of corporate information accessible, 4. Sharing of best practices and technology.

Need of Knowledge Management in BIRLASOFT:

Most of work in software industry is information base. Organizations compete on the basis of knowledge. The amount of time available to experience and acquire knowledge has diminished for same type of projects happens in organization. Products and services are increasingly complex, endowing them with a significant information component. Early retirements and increasing mobility of the work force lead to loss of knowledge. Marketplaces are increasingly competitive and the rate of innovation is rising. Reductions in staffing create a need to replace informal knowledge with formal methods. It reduces the cost and time of training of employees. It increases the productivity of company. Through the help of good knowledge management Process Company can enjoy competitive advantage on other one company.

SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE IN ORGANIGASTION:

KM draws from a wide range of disciplines/practices

Cognitive science Groupware Library and information science Document management Decision support systems Technical writing Organizational science Academics s Industry Knowledge base management system Experiences of employees Researches and studies From earlier projects

KNOWLEDGE MANGEMENT FOR BIRLASOFT:

In Birlasoft knowledge management organize through KMANTRA which is a intranet portal. It is only for company employees. it includes Reusable components, Case studies, Induction feedback ,Document management, Newsletter, Knowledge bin, Birlasoft Bazar, Whats new, Announcement, Helpful articles s links, Complaint, Job description survey, BRAVO, Live the belief, Knowledge bin, LOB hits in kmantra, Helpful activities and links.

MOST USEFUL IN KMANTRA:

Reusable repository

Document repository LOB COE Quality management system Support services Enlighten Microsoft technologies Admin helpdesk

OTHER CONTENTS OF KMANTRA:

Car surfing Relief fund E-bridge admin interface

Cab booking New jinnee feedback Top 10 open position Cab booking Conference room booking Travel management system Spandan Birlasoft star awardee Birthday corner BURP Organization chart TAG General chit chat Reward and recognition

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Objective:
Analysis and improvement of Kmantra

Sub Objective:
1) Evaluation of Kmantra 2) Promotional Strategies of Knowledge Sharing

Research Plan:

Study of Knowledge Management: An Overview

Study of Kmantra Process in organizations

Analysis of Kmantra through Primary data and testing

Study of promotional strategies through secondary data

Findings and Suggestions

RESEARCH DESIGN:
The project was a research project. Both Primary and secondary research was used. The research design was a descriptive cum analytical research design.

SAMPLE DESIGN:
1. Population 2. Sampling Frame : Employees of Birlasoft : Employees in Noida

3. Sampling Unit : Individual Engineer working on HP PPM Tool in Birlasoft Pvt. Ltd., Noida Corporate Office 4. Sample Size 5. Instrument : 150 : Sample survey

6. Sampling Technique : Non probability Sampling Technique Convenience sampling 7. Tool 8. Location 9. Duration : Questionnaire : Noida, Uttar Pradesh : Eight Weeks (5 May 2009 1 July 2009)

DATA COLLECTION DESIGN

Data Collection Design

Primary Data

Secondary Data

Personal Interview

Sample Survey

Birlasoft intranet

Related websites

TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED

(1)Primary Data:
Personal Interview
Some officials of the department were interviewed to understand the working of Kmantra and how it helps in increasing the efficiency. This was conducted without the help of any questionnaire. The objective was to draw a general understanding about the working and inputs of Kmantra.

Sample Survey method

A questionnaire was prepared. And it was distributed among the associates engineers , engineers and assistant mangers and some top officials of Birlasoft, NOIDA to have a detailed insight of their views over the working of Kmantra-Knowledge Management portal of Birlasoft.

(2)Secondary Data:
Secondary data was collected from Birlasoft website and various websites Google search engine and other websites related to Knowledge Management.

DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected were analyzed with the help of Pie charts.

Data Analysis and Inferences

PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS

1) Are you aware about Kmantra?

0% 4%

Yes No 96% Some What

RESULT: 96% employees respond positively they are aware about Kmantra. Remaining 4% employees had answered somewhat. INTERPRETATION: It shows that almost all employees are aware about features and working of Kmantra.

2) Is Kmantra is useful Portal for organization?

1%

16% Yes 83% No Some what

RESULT:
83% of employees said Kmntra is useful portal for them 16% had answered somewhat and in the view of 1% employees it is not useful.

INTERPRETATION:
From the gotten result we can say that majority of employees take Kmantra as useful portal.

3) Are you satisfied with knowledge Management process in organization?

36% 53% 11%

Yes No Some what

RESULT: 53% of employees are satisfied with knowledge management process in organization, 11are not satisfied with the process and 36% said they are not fully satisfied. INTERPRETATION: From the above results we can conclude that there is need of collaborative support in Knowledge Management process in organization.

4) Do you face difficulty in assessing any link in Kmantra?

13%

15%

72%

RESULT: 72% of employees said no they dont face problem in accessing the link, 15% said yes and others respond in somewhat. INTERPRETATION: There are some parts of Kmantra which creates problem to access so administration should be active in that matter.

5) Are you sharing project paper or information in portal?

44%

40%

Yes No
16%

Can't Say

RESULT: Only 40% employees have answered in yes, 16% answered in no and others dont want to give the answer. INTERPRETATION: From results we can come to know that not so much paper and articles is submitted by company employees so administration should focus on this problem because knowledge sharing is backbone of knowledge management.

6) Are you giving suggestion or feedback on forums?

36%

54%

Yes No Can't say

10%

RESULT: Only 54% employees answered positively, 10% said no and other 36% employees dont want to answer the question.

INTERPRETATION: From the above results we can conclude that employees are not so much active in giving their feedback and suggestions so management should try to promote it from new ways.

7) Do you agree some contents of Kmantra are not related with knowledge management?

23%

Yes
15% 62%

No Can't say

RESULT: 62% employees are agree with the question , 15% employees are not agree with the question and others had answered cant say. INTERPRETATION: From the above result we can conclude that there are links which are not related with knowledge management so management should try to erase that contents from Kmantra.

8) Do you think that portal should allow to access from internet?

9%

8%

Yes
No 83% Can't say

RESULT: 83% employees answered negatively and only 8% of employees in favor of access of Kmantra from outside remaining 9% employees dont want to answer.

INTERPRETATION: Most of the employees are not in the favor of access of Kmantra from outside so company should go in same way. Otherwise there may be chances of losing some confidential data.

9) How often you login to Kmantra?

14%

25%

18%

Regularly once in a week Twice in a week

43%

often

RESULT: 25% of employees login regularly on Kmantra, 43% employees login once in a week, only 18% of employees login twice in a week and 14% of employees said they login often. INTERPRETATION: From the above results we can conclude that number of sign in is not up to mark so administration should plan strategies to raise number of sign in.

FINDINGS

FINDINGS

1. KMANTRA is facing problems because some parts and links are not working. 2. All employees dont login frequently on portal. 3. Articles related to the topics are not available on various links. 4. Postings on many forums are very old and few. Employees are not contributing in that up to level. 5. Portal of kmantra looks unorganized due to contents which are not related with Knowledge Management. 6. On suggestions forum the suggestion by employees are very few. 7. Knowledge sharing by employees is low. 8. Sometimes employees face difficulty to access the links of Kmntra. 9. There is need to give impetus to increase Knowledge sharing.

LIMITATIONS
1. As I m student of MIBA and I dont have background of I.T. so it was little bit difficult for me to get technical terms but I have tried my best and given the best output. 2. Time available for the study was only eight weeks 3. As Birlasoft is private Ltd. Co. so they dont disclose their data.

SUGGESTIONS FOR KMANTRA

There should be name of experts of every domain in kmantra from which the needy person can contact easily for the help. There should rough consensus on kmantra process among employees from which employees feel friendly with the process of knowledge management. Collaborative support for discussion, topic tracking and argumentation. Eliminate the parts from the kmantra which are not related with knowledge management because due to that the Kmantra portal looks unorganized if company need of that then there may be separate portal for that. Include new findings and developments; in kmantra which are related to the company work from that Kmantra becomes updated and employees can use it to know new things. Try to get new information from academics and industry it can be good source of knowledge acquisition. Ask all employees to give their opinion on various issues related to KM and the portal. This can be made as a regular feature by posting different questions in different times.

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING:

1) Company can put a comprehensive reward system to institutionalize the KM programs across the organization. Management can put in place a Reward system for sustenance of the Knowledge sharing initiatives and to ensure active participation of all employees. Through that company can motivate their employees to share knowledge. 2) Company can circulate the monthly bulletins highlighting the topics of the months, with best contribution/article and authors name. It will create strong awareness among employees and employees can get the topic as par his need very easily. 3) Employees are to be motivated with due recognition in different areas. There should be many offline recognitions or awards but little online promotion can easily achieved by showing some parameters like top ten authors, best departments in contributions, best ten contributions in terms of feedback or in terms of popularity etc. 4) Top management can be requested to post their views selectively in some contributions if top management gives their feedback on articles it will motivate other subordinates. 5) Portal logo can be printed in some office stationary which is in wide use in the organization. It will help to make keep Kmantra in minds of employees. 6) The other one option is to send mail and letters to company employees periodically with details like hot topics, featured author, best articles etc to remind or motivate the member to visit the portal.

REFERENCES

1) WWW.BIRLASOFT.CO.IN

2) Marketing Research by Naresh K. Malhotra