No matter what your industry, every organization benefits from a solid foundation. In part one<\/a> of our blog series about Microsoft Teams<\/a> as a platform, we explain how and why your company should make Teams its digital work hub. Now we’ll discuss how adding Microsoft Viva to your Teams environment can help your company build a solid knowledge management (KM) solution and expand use cases within the platform.<\/p>\n Knowledge management, which has been around for several decades, is the act of identifying, organizing, storing and disseminating information within an organization. KM also includes the people, process, culture and enabling technologies used to manage this information.<\/strong><\/p>\n Key needs of nearly every organization, from small to large-scale include:<\/p>\n Many of these needs are included in KM. When knowledge is not easily accessible within an organization, employees spend valuable time seeking out relevant information, which impacts your company in terms of time and money.<\/p>\n While I was a Chief Knowledge Officer and Chief Information Officer for several years in the US Army, I recognized the benefits KM could bring to large organizations, but I was always disappointed at the limited KM enabling technologies at our disposal.<\/p>\n While the concepts were great, we could never achieve the significant benefits of having KM programs. And we weren\u2019t alone \u2013 a lack of simple, easily implemented and quality knowledge management technologies resulted in many organizations reducing or eliminating investments in KM over time.<\/strong><\/p>\n While the concept of KM has been around for many years, implementing a good KM system can be a struggle. In the past, this was especially true within the Microsoft<\/a> stack. While Microsoft offered many individual components related to managing information, it lacked a way to bring all the information, processes and technologies together. Without a unified platform, users can\u2019t make use of the information needed to develop a KM system that brings increased business value to the organization.<\/p>\n There is good news, though. The Microsoft stack has changed significantly over the past several years, primarily with two significant fundamental developments: the maturity of Microsoft Teams in support of knowledge management and the introduction of Microsoft Viva.<\/strong><\/p>\n Microsoft Teams is the technology that brings information and knowledge together under one umbrella. It connects the end user to the most relevant information and knowledge across multiple information flows within the end user\u2019s \u201cflow of work.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n When combined with well-designed teams (such as channels, tabs, bots, connectors, and so on), automation of business processes surfaced within Teams, easily accessed communications (chats, calls, meetings and voice over IP), and integrated with key enterprise applications (both Microsoft and third parties), an organization gains significant efficiencies. You gain a significant advantage over competitors when you save time and resources.<\/p>\n Enhancements in Microsoft Teams over the past three years have been astonishing. Microsoft continues to roll out new and improved features, and thousands of companies have built integrations between Microsoft Teams and third-party applications.<\/p>\n While these developments have resulted in efficiency gains and cost savings to numerous organizations, there were still some technological gaps associated with KM within the Microsoft stack.<\/p>\n Enter Microsoft Viva. Microsoft Viva has four primary components that empower people and teams to be their best:<\/strong><\/p>\n July 2022 Update<\/strong> \u2013 Microsoft has announced three new Viva modules to help:<\/strong><\/p>\n More details on each of these are provided below.<\/p>\n Microsoft Viva is a suite of applications that enhances overall KM within an organization. The real value comes when you combine or integrate apps with Microsoft Teams. As noted in my recent \u201cTeams as a Platform<\/a>\u201d article part one, bringing the key applications and information to the end user \u201cin the flow\u201d of their day-to-day work can provide a significant return on investment (ROI) and cost savings across the organization.<\/p>\n Here are specific improvements in KM these tools bring to an organization:<\/strong><\/p>\n Viva Connections is a curated, company-branded experience that brings together relevant news, conversations and resources in the apps and devices you use every day, including Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n Connections is included in all Microsoft 365<\/a> plans with SharePoint Online<\/a>. With Viva Connections, employees can find news, conversations and resources \u2014 everything they need to do their jobs well \u2014 all in one place.<\/strong><\/p>\n Viva Connections can increase employee retention by encouraging meaningful connections across the entire organization in a remote or hybrid workplace. Connections keeps everyone linked so they feel like they belong. Viva Connections can also help foster a culture of inclusion by empowering every employee to contribute ideas and share feedback about any topic.<\/p>\n This application is perhaps the easiest to implement and may be one of the best ways to bring key information to the end user. An added benefit is it is free. Implementing Connections requires the organization to have a modern intranet based in SharePoint Online that is well-managed, governed and updated with critical organizational information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Viva Topics helps connect people with knowledge and experts across the organization, enabling faster learning, better connections and innovation by making information and knowledge easier to find.<\/p>\n Topics applies Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify knowledge and experts, then organizes data into shared topics.<\/strong> AI automatically creates a page for each topic, similar to a Wikipedia page for an enterprise in which AI creates the first draft. Topic pages are surfaced as Topic Cards right in the flow of work in Office and Teams.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Viva Learning helps employees make learning a natural part of the day by bringing it into the flow of work with tools they already use.<\/p>\n You can easily find learning content across Microsoft, LinkedIn Learning, partner providers, learning management systems and your organization, all from within Microsoft Teams.<\/strong> And, you can set notifications for new learning activity. Other benefits include the following:<\/p>\n Improve productivity and wellbeing with data-driven, privacy-protected insights and recommendations. Insights brings together Workplace Analytics and MyAnalytics, plus new productivity and wellbeing experiences, into a unified Viva Insights app in Teams.<\/strong><\/p>\n Insights provides data-driven and privacy-protected data for individuals, managers and leaders. For example, employees get personalized insights (only they can see) that help them protect their time for breaks, focused work and learning in order to promote improved productivity and wellbeing.<\/p>\n Use this app to:<\/p>\nA Brief Introduction to Knowledge Management<\/h2>\n
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KM Can Benefit Organizations When Implemented Properly<\/h2>\n
Adding KM Solutions to Microsoft Teams<\/h2>\n
Feature Improvements Make Teams Even More Valuable<\/h3>\n
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Microsoft Viva Bridges Technological KM Gaps<\/h2>\n
Connections<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nTopics<\/h3>\n
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![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/viva-Topics-2.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nLearning<\/h3>\n
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![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Viva-Learning-1.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\nInsights<\/h3>\n
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![\"Microsoft](\"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Viva-Insights-1.png\")
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