Daily Knowledge Valuation in Organizations

9Traceability in Problem-solving Processes

9.1. Introduction

Companies (and in general sociotechnical organizations) are facing problems every day. For the continuous improvement of products and processes, the major challenge facing companies is to solve problems and learn from them. The issue for companies is to address problems that arise at all levels in a streamlined and controlled way. This is why, for several years, they have systematized problem-solving by implementing processes dedicated to resolution. In the case of difficult problems, the resolution process may require a collaborative effort, involving actors dedicated to the different aspects of the resolution such as the management of the process, the expertise to identify the problem causes or the set-up and management of actions. The use of such processes is essential for the improvement of the company and needs expenditure; it is also important that the investigation is in-depth. Despite the investment required to solve these problems, it is very common that the information and knowledge generated during the resolution are stored using office tools (spreadsheets, for example) and no longer reused after the end of the process. However, the approaches used to solve a problem can often be validly used to solve other problems that may arise either later in the same place or at different sites of the company. Thus, we believe that significant value can be added by:

1. – facilitating the capitalization of information ...