EVALUATING INFOVINE: A SYSTEM TO ENHANCE CORPORATE MEMORY

InfoVine is a software prototype which has been developed to enhance corporate memory and corporate consciousness. It has been implemented in the context of paint technology laboratory notebooks at Courtaulds Coatings Holdings Ltd. However, its possible business and industrial applications are far wider. InfoVine is designed to perform a task whose importance is only just beginning to be recognised: that of replicating the information roles of middle managers, and providing a dynamic record of organisational knowledge. The system collects, stores and makes available information about which personnel have expertise in which technical areas. This paper examines the evaluation process that InfoVine underwent at Courtaulds Coatings Holdings Ltd. The process was considered as an exercise in technology transfer and in promoting the use of the software within the organisation. The evaluation of InfoVine is considered in the light of proven criteria for good technology transfer. The methods used for system evaluation and the results of the evaluation are considered. The work on InfoVine has now moved into an exciting new phase. The closing section of this paper is concerned with new directions for InfoVine. These include abstracting the InfoVine principles to produce a generic system for enhancing corporate memory and corporate consciousness. New contexts for the development of InfoVine are also discussed.