Cultivating Snack Savvy with Knowledge Management
Case study: Intellex Knowledge Management consultant transfers 35 years of popcorn expertise
THE CLIENT
Fortune 100 snack companyTHE NEED
Our client, an industry-leading Fortune 100 snacks company, needed knowledge management expertise after acquiring a leading popcorn manufacturer. A key subject matter expert from the acquired company would not be staying on after the deal closed. Our client needed to capture his expertise and transfer it to their team. They engaged Intellex to connect them with a seasoned knowledge management professional who could get the job done.TAKEAWAYS
The CPG Expert Needed:
Knowledge management
The Skills Needed:
- Capture and transfer expertise from incumbent employee
- Cognitive task analysis
- Skills building
Time to Placement:
3 weeks
Client Satisfaction Level:
The snack manufacturer plans to bring our expert back to train their internal knowledge management team on his process, which includes cognitive science, CTA, and skills building.
THE SOLUTION
Intellex tapped consultant Brian Moon, an authority in the field of knowledge management who is skilled in eliciting and organizing complex information. Moon worked with the popcorn company’s R&D manager whose specialty – wet pop engineering – was crucial for delivering the high-quality snack for which our client is known.
Moon got to work conducting a thorough knowledge transfer. He leveraged cognitive task analysis (CTA), which helps people understand the cognitive processes and mental activities used to perform tasks and solve problems. With CTA, Moon would break down complex tasks into their specific components to gain a deeper understanding of the R&D manager’s role.
Specifically, Moon gained insights into how the R&D manager and wet pop expert approached tasks and made decisions. Part of this process involved conducting semi-structured interviews that allowed Moon to capture details of the R&D manager’s lived experience. Once he organized the information and data he obtained, he then shared the documentation with our client.
THE RESULTS
Our client has shared Moon’s analysis with their lead engineers, providing them with clear guidance on the wet pop process, including recommendations for troubleshooting. With this transferrable knowledge, they’ll be sure to continue manufacturing their delicious popped product.
And that’s not all. The snack manufacturer plans to bring Moon back to train their internal knowledge management team on his process, which includes cognitive science, CTA, and skills building. Doing so is an essential next step because much of their R&D team will retire in the next five years. Once Moon’s training is complete, our client will be prepared to transfer decades of knowledge and experience. They’ll ensure that, no matter where the experts are, their invaluable knowledge will remain.
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