Knowledge Management at

SAS and I-flex

A comparison
Submitted to

Dr Madanmohan Rao.

Submitted by

M Ramprabakaran.
M.Tech, ISiM, Mysore

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Knowledge management at SAS and I-Flex
Abstract

Knowledge Management is sufficient for an organization in the competitive world.

Organizations need more than a human capital to successfully distribute and use their
employee’s knowledge. Knowledge can be inexpensive but managing effectively is different. This
paper compares the knowledge management practices at SAS and I-flex, highlight the strategy in
developing the content in developing connectivity, contact, community, culture, capacity, co-
operation, commerce and capital, similarities and difference in implementing the strategy is also
listed.

Company background: SAS

SAS is the private sector company, works on business intelligence and data warehousing.
SAS has 38,000 customer sites around 115 countries in the world. SAS has 8500 employee in the
world. SAS has 175 offices around the world. In the beginning the company focus on statistical
tool, later SAS was adopted in universities, Research and development, they spending the
revenue between 25-30%. SAS provides end to end delivery to customer based upon the
following intelligence, they are

Enterprise intelligence

It is used for aligning the people for process, technology for achieving a common goal.

Organizational intelligence

It depends upon the Information technology to risk management, process and product quality.

Customer intelligence

On the basis of the requirement we need to make the strategy and maximize the customer
profitability.

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Intelligence architecture

Already an existing technology, by making use of the old one and provide high quality
information.

SAS introduced knowledge management in 1990; it‟s laid by Dr. Jim Goodnight, they started
transmitting the information through the mail address.[1]

Knowledge Management Initiative at SAS

SAS is the world largest private sector company, it enjoys one of the lowest employee
turnover in the IT industry, its understanding and commitment to people based knowledge
sharing, as an incentive for getting the people into coffee rooms to formally designed knowledge
support officers who assist the busy employees in creating, editing and translating the knowledge
assets, so internal marketing and technical infrastructure are the most important component of
SAS. It uses a knowledge management tool kid called “tool pool”, the employee post a question;
it will be answered by the customer.[1]

Company background: I-flex

I-flex provides IT solution to financial service industry. It offers wide range of products,
IT services and knowledge process outsourcing. The company helps the banking sector. It offers
process framework for banking, it is discussed bellow. I-flex has been ranked among the top 100
companies in Asia. It has alliance with IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle and Sun Microsystem.

I-flex has 540 customers in more than 110 countries. I-flex offers a tool called “FLEXCUBE”, it
gives complete product suite for marketing, consumer, and internet banking. Since it was
launched in 1997, across 90+ countries it has more than 225 finical institutes. [7]

Knowledge Management Initiative at I-Flex

I-flex knowledge management initiative is based on the capability maturity model

framework was developed by software engineering institute. I-flex tools comprises of i-share on
KM-portal, they are QuBase repository of methodologies, the Promotr project traning tool,
project closer document, I-CLEAR corporate learning repository, QPathi quiz program, I-
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Suggest process improvement scheme, K-Forum, K-Webcast conferences, all of the tool that are
explained bellow.[1]

Difference and dissimilarities of Knowledge Management Framework at SAS

and I-flex

The SAS and I-flex has different culture, environment and countries, because it has more
branches and lakhs of employee around the globe. Both the companies had adopted knowledge
management strategy for steady flow of information in the organization and also emphasis on
their business objectives. To emphasis on difference and dissimilarities, we can define through
frameworks for two companies, so it can be done by 8C factor i.e. connectivity, content, culture,
co-operation, commerce, capital, capacity, and community. The comparison is shown bellow.

Goal

The main goal of SAS is “Nothing of value happens without passion”. [1]

The main goal of I-flex is “Our knowledge is amassed thought and experience of
countless minds”.[1]

Connectivity

The connectivity technology used in SAS is video conferencing and audio conferencing,
video conferencing is used for sharing with their employees in aspect of meetings and
presentation. Web conferencing is used for communicating the customer and partner, and it also
used as an intranet based tool. Both conferencing techniques are available to all employees for
booking self- generated and also well planned meeting or presentation.[1]

The connectivity technique used in I-flex solution is Qubase, it acts an intranet library,
and it contains the intranet based repository of methodologies, checklist, templates, guides, and
tutorial. It will be very helpful for the employee in practicing their day-to-day activities.[1]

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Content

The content denotes the way of compressing and expressing the content.

Content in SAS

It provides an area called toolboxes, for exchange of tools, tips, and tricks by way of intranet
based application. The drawback in that is everyone started posting on the toolboxes, so it leads
to collection of large number of data and get stale. Some toolboxes have links that will be linked
into other pages, in some cases it will not be linked, to avoid the problem the SAS introduced a
tool called “Toolpool”. Toolpool is used to specify older content in one part and newer content
in another part. As a result they found 150 tooltips are available, during the first day in older
part. The dedicated groups that maintain the contents, registration information, encourage the
participants and help user. Obviously, the users who are posting the content will be monitored.
Message is sent to interested parties. There is entry for the new participants; they were added in a
separate column. There are two kind of subscription that are available they are weekly
subscriptions and monthly subscriptions. The subscription receives a bulk of messages, so large
number of mailing user and article are received and are posted in toolpool. [1]

Content in I-flex

Knowledge is most important factor, so knowledge management and information technology join
together create a knowledge sharing tool called “central repository”. In the central repository
the employee can store their policies, sharing of databases and organization document. It helps
the stakeholder in achieving their strategic business goal. [1]

Community

A group of department they combine together and they form the community; dui ties are
sharing their thought and experience. The communities that are progressed in SAS and i-flex are
shown bellow.

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Community in SAS

Toolpool allows the contributor to post the contribution. In most of the cases the contributor‟s
contribution will be failed. So the contributor will lose their scope and confident. i.e. The
contributor quickly discouraged with the poor contribution. The SAS community focuses on
bringing them back by providing support to each and every step of the next contribution of the
contributors. The SAS community that comprise of the following [1]

1. Building and supporting the user community

2. Supporting the contributors
3. Preparing the contribution standards
4. Educating contributors
5. Reworking contributors that do not meet the standards
6. Marketing
7. Managing the application
8. Preparing measures for balance scorecard.

Technical community

Toolpool provides shortcut for the tricks, tools, tips and technical papers, so the technical
community will be working under shortcut providing mechanism.[1]

Community in I-flex

To increases the organization growth, improving the performance through the intellectual
asset. So I-Flex had formed a community termed as “centralized knowledge”. The community
increases the strategy thinking and acts as a catalyst for generating new ideas; the community
also emphasis on knowledge sharing, so employee will learn from shared knowledge and they
create new ideas, product, increase the reuse and it spend most of time in marketing and lesser
time in production so it manages the cost better.

I-flex has launched the enterprise- wide strategy, for making competency in the organization. I-
flex will conduct meeting, in the meeting they focuses on the bottleneck issue. So it improves the

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current working environment, increases competitiveness and inventing new product for the
further environment.[1]

Culture

Culture is the way of sharing their thought; it is way of expression by interacting with
others. The culture that are followed in SAS and I-flex are shown bellow

Culture in SAS

In toolpool, culture followed here is „pointer to the one who knows‟, this means, if the
employee had contributed in toolpool, another employee want to add to the previous
contribution, or employee want to something new to the previous one.

The managing team, will directly link to the person who had done it. Employee will take her
guild lines and complete the task. This is one way of reducing transparency. The employee links
it to higher officer and they interact with each other, they will take his/her guild lines and
complete the task. This is another way of reducing transparency.

Pre-requisites for the work are:

(i) An open company culture is part of social life.

(ii) A proactive attitude, where the people beyond asking question what they see.[1]
Culture in I-flex
In I-flex had introduced a collaborative partnership, the people from the different
geographical location will arrive join together in a common place, they will interact with the
employees and they will share their thoughts, the way of interacting with the employee and
sharing their thoughts can be done by three ways they are:

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 (i) K-forum
Normally most of the industry, while undergoing the project, the group will
contain some unsolved issue. The unsolved issue that is taken to account, the group
will interact will the person from different geographic location. Finally the problem is
solved[1]
(ii) K-webcast
The k-webcast is another initiative that has been received by the employees. In
this they will conduct an audio presentation of 30 minutes, followed by question and
answer session of 10 minutes. It is best method, because the employee will gather
more knowledge than the class room session.[1]
(iii) I-share
In the intranet, they will provide a content column such as thought center,
technology corner, and lesson learnt, each and every updates of the employee will be
updated. [1]

Capacity
The capacity is means building an environment. How SAS and I-flex are building an
environment are shown bellow
Capacity at SAS
Some of the employee in SAS is good in technology, but weak in communication, another
issue, is the employee are strong in communication, but weak in technology. In such cases SAS,
has created a knowledge support officers, will take care of the people. Every employee will co-
operate with knowledge support officers, share their knowledge if there are technically capable
of doing, otherwise knowledge support officers will guide the task. The training will be
conducted before starting up a new project. The training will be given by skilled technical
person, and writers. In the training part they focus on communication part and technical skills.
Dedication of work is necessary. Finally at the end of day, the employee will feel happy and
sends a „Thank you‟ mail to the trainer. [1]

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Capacity at I-flex
I-flex had adopted a framework, “Capability Maturity Model”, I-flex had developed a
process automation tool, which include Qubase, Promotr, and i-CLeaR. These tools enable the
organization to effectively manage and distribute the process-related knowledge that is generated
through implementation and practice of the defined quality process.
Qubase:
Qubase, it acts an intranet library, and it contains the intranet based repository of
methodologies, checklist, templates, guides, and tutorial. It will be very helpful for the employee
in practicing their day-to-day activities.[1]
Promotr
Promotr works is to monitor the entire process, the data that will be capture from the
Qubase library and he/she will analysis the data generated from the organization, to evaluate its
process capacity at any point of time. After evaluating the process capacity, he/she will make a
note of defect density, defect leakage. And finally he/she will publish the I-flex baseline
report.[1]
I-CLeaR.
Capture experience learning mechanism, they captured at the end of the project, this is
stored in Project Clear Document (PCD), PCD is implemented using I-CLeaR.[1]

Co-operation
Co-operation at SAS
In SAS, the management, staff and marketers unite together and they form a knowledge
management strategy, to break down the barriers in the knowledge exchange. They classify the
knowledge management strategy into three barriers they are:

(i) Lack of time

(ii) Lack of awareness of knowledge management
(iii) Lack of awareness of knowledge

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Lack of time

Normally in the company, the employee will finish their project or work during the last
minute, these sometime will not give up a good quality work, in order to avoid this situation,
knowledge management research and expertise consider the senior manager as the key factor,
senior manager will provide right time the employee right job, i.e. what is the interest of
employee on. So the employee will take keen interest by doing the job, so the outcome would be
very successful. [1]

Lack of awareness of knowledge management

CEO will create awareness to all levels. The awareness that is made by CEO is by
making the internal success visible and builds on them. [1]

Lack of awareness of knowledge value

People will have confusion while contribution, in order to avoid the confusion, the
knowledge research officer will conduct a meeting; the people share their doubt with expertise.
The expertise provide an elaborate solution, it will be helpful for contributors for making a good
contribution.[1]

Co-operation at I-flex

On the basis of the user feedback tools, document can be categorized into logical
relationship in I-CLeaR.( I-CLeaR means Capture experience learning mechanism, they captured
at the end of the project, this is stored in Project Clear Document (PCD), PCD is implemented
using I-CLeaR.). Document can be categorized by the following- ownership (e.g. sales and
product group), location (e.g. Bangalore) and types of document (e.g. proposals). [1]

Commerce

Commerce focuses on trying to expose the talent of employee, provide them price and
award.

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Commerce at SAS

In SAS, after the production of product, experts will be called. The employee has to share
their work in front of all communities and experts. Any operation that will not work during
production of product; it will share with the higher officers and experts, so redundancy will be
reduced. If the employee has done extra works, it gives more impression to the higher officers.
There are also prices for the team, if they had done product extremely well. [1]

Commerce at I-flex

Q-pati - In I-flex, the purpose of creating interest in the employees for understanding and
appreciating organizational process. they will conduct quiz program on weekly basis, there is a
special prize for winners. [1]

Similarities of knowledge management at SAS and I-Flex

The SAS and I-flex had set up goals and aims for smooth flow of knowledge
management. Both the company capture‟s the required information, to satisfy their business
objective and serving the customer better. The similarities for SAS and I-flex are:

Language

I-flex uses SQL and PL/SQL, because I-flex was under taken by Oracle finance solution.
Oracle support SQL, PL/SQL.

Same language are used by SAS, they are also in addition to use other language like Mysql,
Sybase, and Data warehouse application.

Since both SAS and I-flex, are working under the same area called as “Database”

The culture determines the way of expressing the content. Language falls under this category. So
language follows the Culture factors, of the 8c‟s.[2], [3]

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Domain

Both SAS and I-flex are working under banking sector

Domain of banking of SAS and I-flex

SAS focus on the risk management. Risk management involves the entire customer relationship
and ROI. SAS includes a pre-built data model, process and technique that speed up both
implementation and results and gives us the fast track of significant ROI.

I-flex is user-friendly and flexible to add values to banking operation. I.e. in core banking, allows
us to make the transaction faster.

Both SAS and I-flex are working in different areas, but they coming under the same domain
called as “Banking”. [8], [9]

Benchmarking

In I-flex the organization uses Government Risk and compliance (GRC), GRC integrated
governance risk and compliance offers a principle-structured strategy. Government Risk and
compliance (GRC) is producing by following an integrated component of a great organization‟s
way of doing business enterprise. Government Risk and compliance (GRC) is a put together
location of goals within just an organization. The main focus of GRC is avoiding Risk

In SAS, the leverage of sector is monitored. The key focus of SAS, is Risk management based
upon analytics. It is helpful for the company for long term investment and be successful in
capital market. It helps us minimize exposure and maximize capital efficiency.

Both the company‟s focus on the risk management as the key factor. So both the companies use
the same benchmarking. Benchmarking denotes the practice of product and policies. It uses
knowledge management benchmarking emerge that are geared uniquely towards a particular
industry, i.e. banking, (since they are working under the same domain) vertical function or
horizontal function.

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The capacity denotes the building an environment. Using the benchmarks industry builds the
environment. So benchmark follows the capacity factor of 8C‟s. [4],[5],[6]

Connectivity

For capturing the content, preserving the content, connecting between the people between
the different geographical locations, both the companies have adopted a knowledge management
tool for I-Flex its “central repository”. For SAS, it‟s “Toolpool”. The entire employees are
provided to access the knowledge management tool, to share their tricks, and tips. [1]

Commerce

Commerce in I-flex,

I-suggest: the theme was announced, so the people will be focusing on the theme, the best theme
will be awarded prices. [1]

Commerce in SAS,

In SAS, after the end of the product, the group (usually people will be doing project in groups),
the best work for the group will awarded prices.

In both the company, they are encouraging the employee to focus more on their work, by
providing the prices and award. [1]

Conclusion

Whatever we have learned that is not a big deal, we have to capture the information and
we have to store. The storing can be done by organization, so organization distributes to all
employees. So knowledge management plays an essential tool in the environment. Most amount
of time is saved by using the knowledge management tools.

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Reference

1. “Leading with Knowledge” by Dr. Madanmohan Rao, chapter 1, 7, 14.

2. http://www.freebase.com/view/en/flexcube/-/computer/software/languages_used

3. http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/lrdict/63026/HTML/default/viewer.htm
#a002441943.htm

4. http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/elmer906dean-664800-grc-governance-
risk-and-compliance/

5. http://theplacementpapers.50webs.com/i-flex.html#

6. http://www.sas.com/news/preleases/070808/SAScapitalmarketspractice.html

7. http://www.humanfactors.com/asia/iflex.asp

8. http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/itechov/60309/HTML/default/viewer.ht
m#a003260793.htm

9. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_FLEXCUBE

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