The authors were invited to evaluate the communication and information flow in a large manufacturing company that wanted to implement a knowledge management effort. They studied sample documents, analyzed communication processes, conducted two site visits, and produced a detailed report on their analysis of the communication flow. The paper covers how to conduct a site visit, how to structure on-site interviews, how to collect data, and how to analyze the data using well-established techniques and tools for communication optimization. We believe the results of our analyses are generalizable to other technical communicators involved in knowledge management efforts in manufacturing and industrial settings.
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