Alliance Plans Software to Manage Skills

Four major corporations and a computer software company said Tuesday they will jointly develop software to better manage “corporate knowledge,” or the skills and know-how of their employees.

Digital Equipment Corp., Ford Motor Co., Texas Instruments Inc., U S West Inc. and Carnegie Group Inc. (a Pittsburgh-based software company) said they contributed $10 million to the initiative, which was begun in 1988 but not announced then.

The alliance, called the Initiative for Managing Knowledge Assets, is aimed at developing advanced software to capture the skills and knowledge of employees and make it available to others through a computer.

“The ability to manage these assets, just as companies manage their capital or financial assets, is one of the most important ways in which companies can retain a competitive advantage,” said Ted Smith, technical director of U S West Advanced Technologies Inc.

The consortium hopes to computerize skills including design, engineering, financial analysis, marketplace knowledge and knowledge of a company’s policies, practices and goals. The group calls the computer technique “knowledge processing.”

The five companies said they will use the new software themselves and sell products based on it. Smith invited other companies to join the nonprofit group.