Social Media: Are you In or OUT?

Why Knowledge Management?

 

Knowledge Management is a discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving, and sharing all of an enterprise’s information assets which may include databases, documents, policies, procedures, and previously uncaptured expertise and experience in individual workers (Koenig, 2018).  Among others, knowledge management in organizations is important because it enhances the productivity and efficiency of the organization and retains valuable information within the organization.

I am sure that any organization especially mine will benefit from knowledge management.  When I joined my organization in 2001, my predecessor had already retired leaving no trace of any document or information related to my department.  I had to build up and work triple to gather references and information crucial to my functions and responsibilities.  It was a hard first year for me. 

Knowledge management enables my organization to have organized documentation of knowledge necessary for the uninterrupted and quality delivery of services in the absence or separation from service of any personnel.  Life will go on in the organization as they say with knowledge management as no one is indispensable.  This will enable a smooth transition in case of retirement, save critical information like ordinances, economic data, policies and history within the organization and improve the speed and quality of decision-making, problem-solving and innovation.

However, the implementation of knowledge management is without challenges.  On top of the list is the limited knowledge of employees in knowledge management.  Currently, we have a very poor filing system, weak documentation and an absence of information systems to facilitate knowledge management.

One becomes powerful with the knowledge he or she holds but I believe that knowledge has to be shared to empower others.  I teach my staff to empower them to continue doing our mandate in my absence.  I cannot have a monopoly on knowledge; I share because I am badYet frendly.

Reference:

Koenig, M. (2018, January 15). What is KM?Knowledge Management Explained. Retrieved from KM World: https://www.kmworld.com/About/What_is_Knowledge_Management

 

Online Shopping

Online shopping is an activity of buying products or services over the internet(Market Business News).  It has become so popular today, especially with the pandemic.  I became a fan since I tried to use it.  

Check out this video that tells about my thoughts on online shopping.  My friends also have their own thoughts about online shopping as avid users.

LGU Governance and Business Intelligence

 

One of the banner programs of my organization is focused on lowering cases of teenage pregnancies in our locality. This is because in the survey which was conducted by the provincial government, my locality ranked first in the whole province with the most number of teenage pregnancy cases.  I believe that the decision of our local chief executive to prioritize programs to decrease teenage pregnancies has been based on relevant information as a product of “business intelligence”.

Business Intelligence (BI) refers to platforms, processes, applications, and technological infrastructures that collect, store, process, evaluate and translate data into meaningful information which are easily understood by executives and managers thus enabling them to arrive at sound decisions. It is important to my organization, especially in terms of allocating its resources and delivery of basic services. 

Business intelligence enables real-time information and fast analysis of data thus assisting my organization to set priorities based on the demands of the moment, allocate for programs, projects and activities crucial to the development of the community and hasten the implementation of development projects.  Without business intelligence, my organization will be investing in programs and projects that are not responsive to the needs of our community like barking on the wrong tree as they say.   Our organization cannot invest in nutrition without relevant information about malnutrition and it cannot appropriate without available funds. Business intelligence helps us visualize these needs of our locality.

Good local governance is about delivering an excellent state of development; it is about a performance that is informed and data-driven. Its delivery is made manageable with the optimal use of business intelligence.

Outsourcing IT Security

 IT systems have brought lots of benefits to the world of business especially now that the pandemic has made major changes in their operations.  IT systems enable the organization to produce real time data crucial to decision making, facilitate operational efficiencies and cost reduction and help better communication and customer services among others.  But organizations cannot just sit tight with these benefits because IT has its own vulnerabilities and has been subject to security breaches and cyber threats.  So companies has to ensure that IT security is among their priorities because these malicious threats may far greater affect their businesses than the value they get from IT. 

IT Security is a set of cyber security strategies that prevents unauthorized access to organizational assets such as computers, networks and data (CISCO(n.d), What is IT Security retrieved from https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/what-is-it-security.html). 

As technology advances so do IT systems and cyber criminals so IT must be handled by experts and periodically reviewed and updated to ensure that it is steps ahead of cyber threats.  So I believe that IT security should be outsourced by organizations especially those that lack the structure and competency to handle IT security.

Outsourcing however has its challenges also.  Issues on quality of IT security, cost of outsourcing, legal issues that may arise during the contract implementation and breach of IT security by service providers themselves accompany outsourcing of services.

These issues can be mitigated if the organization will craft a plan/strategy that will effectively address this outsourcing project to include risk management.  Careful evaluation of the capacity and integrity of the service providers and the provisions of the contract is crucial to making the outsourcing project a success.  Routine performance evaluation and monitoring of the IT security and service providers are also  activities that the organization need to ensure that risks associated with outsourcing are limited or avoided.

note:  guns used in the picture are toys(for presentation purposes only)

Risk Management and Budget Linkage

 

“Please make yourself available for a training on risk management or else be ready to be replaced by someone who will. This project will not fail with you!”  My team members will hear this the moment risks are ignored. I will demand that risk management be given the same attention as time, scope and cost management when undertaking a project.

Serious consideration of risks in project management is a MUST or else one has to be ready for shutdown, to abandon work, to be charged for breach of contract or to miss the opportunity for a better project implementation. Positive risks (opportunities) should be embraced and exploited while negative risks (threats) should be avoided, if not should be mitigated to ensure that impact is manageable.  

I don’t like negative surprises especially in my line of work.  Managing the organization’s limited finances taught me to be overly meticulous of project proposals especially the portion “budgetary requirements”.  Is everything included and do estimates reflect cost escalation, delivery charges,  taxes and time delays are just two of the questions I ask when evaluating a project proposal’s budgetary requirements to ensure sufficiency and accuracy of the appropriation, completion and functional use of the project.    I cannot be complacent because the burden of looking for additional budget/funds to complete a project rests on my shoulders and any miscalculations/mismanagement of project variables will affect the cost variable. 

Risks are expected in every project that is why contingency/back-up plans are crafted.  Deviations may happen but should not be beyond the acceptable variance or else the project will fail and objectives will not be met as the above picture I label as "Half Concrete, Half Budget in Progress".   I cannot be happy with this as I am always on top of threats because I am badYet frendly. 

IT & BUDGET CONNECTION

 

   It is a non-working holiday for me without my phone, computer and WIFI connection.  I can’t pass the day without watching my favorite K-drama on Netflix. My life is simply a DRIVERLESS CAR without information technology.

    My work rotates around processes that involve our organization’s budget. My ultimate goal is to ensure that a budget deficit does not happen and prevent expenditure to exceed appropriation. I might end up retiring from work early or worst, take a vacation in a barred cell. Information technology helps me to easily, timely and accurately prepare, release, execute and monitor our local government unit's budget. It enables me to comfortably generate and submit reports, access, store and process budget data/information crucial to decision-making.   I cannot imagine myself looking like a columnar pad without information technology. So OBSOLETE!

    Information technology also helps me facilitate faster communication, reduces cost and time spent on doing my job and helps me stay connected with work wherever I am. With our eBudget system, I can check available budget in seconds.  

    Personally, my phone helps me manage my activities and finances at the comforts of my home.  I am a user of online banking, group chats, distance learning modality, Shopee, Lazada, Grab and food panda among others. I watch my favorite "Gracious Revenge" on my laptop or phone anytime and I get to monitor my son even at work.  

"Gracious Revenge"

Gracious Revenge. (2020). [Photograph].retrieved from https://Asianwiki.Com/Images/c/Cd/ Gracious_Revenge-P11.Jpg. https://www.google.com/search?q=gracious+revenge&rlz=1C1GCEA_enPH925PH929&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiEltmog_T1AhUILJQKHQ4iCPcQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1366&bih=625&dpr=1#imgrc=xf7FRvZx108ghM

    Truly, I have become dependent on the use of information technology in my everyday life but I am also well aware of its negative effects. So I make sure that my engagement tops the best part of IT. Certainly, I have ready alternatives when IT DISCONNECTS or BREAKS DOWN because delivery of public service and my life continue on despite of setbacks.  I want to always be proactive and badYET frendly.