Unique benefits of PortBlue approach

PortBlue modules combine the powerful presentation capabilities of PowerPoint or FrontPage with the dynamic calculation and what-if abilities of Excel - a mixture that allows an end-user to answer selected questions and to quickly drill-down to the appropriate solutions.

PortBlue's key innovation is its KCT software which can be used directly by non-programmers to create modules in real time without any IT support. In conventional knowledge management, knowledge is normally converted into text and graphics in the form of screen shots by a knowledge engineer and then "tossed over the wall" to an IT programming staff. The IT staff encodes the screens and then tosses them back over the wall, where they are reviewed, edited, and returned to the IT department to make the necessary changes. Numerous iterations of this exchange take place before the product accurately reflects the product that the knowledge engineer had envisioned. Not only does this entail substantially higher head-counts, it also requires complicated scheduling logistics and translation between "MBA-think" and "IT-think."

With PortBlue's innovation, in contrast, cycle times for producing modules are reduced from months to weeks, and the ability to add new information and features, with full interactivity with the prior material, is greatly facilitated. In short, PortBlue reduces the time and cost to market. PortBlue also reduces the time burden on the expert whose insights are embedded in the modules, facilitating the capture of knowledge faster when compared with conventional means. More cooperation from the expert means more and better content. Finally, technology innovation is decoupled from future module development, allowing the technology staff to concentrate on feature and functionality improvements.

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Advantages over alternatives

PortBlue compares very favorably with the other alternatives, namely

1. direct access to the expert,
2. access to practice notes, templates, sample documents, checklists and the like, and
3. other knowledge management software.

The first, the expert, can provide deep insight, but unlike PortBlue solutions, her insights are not scalable. The second, essentially documents of one sort or another, are by their very nature not interactive and customizable in real time, and unlike PortBlue modules, normally must be aggregated and synthesized to fit differing situational facts. The third, sophisticated knowledge management software, normally takes substantial time and cost to build, apply, and produce end product.


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