Date of Award

9-2011

Degree Name

MS in Industrial Engineering

Department/Program

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Advisor

Tali Freed

Abstract

This report focuses on the design of a university knowledge management system (KMS), and how such a system can provide the framework for students and faculty to partake in, share, and collaborate on research activities. The collaborative environment of a university KMS, or research network, must be established in order for a university to maintain its reputation as a competitive research institution and to develop its faculty and students outside the classroom. A research network may contain a variety of features, some of which include faculty profiles, forums, communication portals, publication links, biographies, faculty keywords, interest areas and contact information. Several web-based systems provide the capabilities required for a well-functioning research network, including creating a customized system in-house. Thus, the existence of various alternatives often leads to great difficulty selecting, designing, and/or customizing a feasible system. The systems engineering process allows a university to evaluate and select the most desirable research network to suit its needs while maintaining decision objectivity. Once a system is selected, the university must integrate the research network into its existing research organization through a structured implementation plan, which includes system implementation schedule, functionality, required resources, and cost analysis. In addition, this report includes a case study performed at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). In this case study, the KMS design and systems engineering process are applied to Cal Poly, in an attempt to satisfy Cal Poly’s need for a robust research network. An implementation plan developed for Cal Poly is presented, as well.

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