A case study: Analysing current state of documentation and its effects

Abstract

This thesis introduces a qualitative research made in order to answer questions What is the state of documentation and what are its effect in the case study organisation. The case study organisation is an international ICT company offering professional services to its clients. The nature of the business is highly dependent on the knowledge and expertise of the employees, meaning that also sharing information and knowledge efficiently is important. Documentation is one tool used to manage knowledge. To answer the research questions employees of the case study organisation were asked to answer a questionnaire, and to get more detailed data some employees were interviewed on the subject of documentation. The research material also includes one user story and two email conversations between employees. Theoretical background is based on studies of Knowledge Management, and on the role of technology in Knowledge and Document Management. Results of the research indicate that the state of documentation was indeed in need of improvement. Employees estimated that the lack of uniform working methods and tools cause the employees to waste time, lessens the quality of work, and has a negative effect on both employee and customer satisfaction. Proper document management was seen as an important tool to better the overall communication and knowledge sharing both inside the organisation and with business partners and clients.