Building a Mature Knowledge Management Program at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has approximately 37,000 civilians and soldiers delivering engineering services to customers in more than 130 countries. Tasked with building infrastructure, reducing the impact of natural disasters, restoring ecosystems, providing U.S. hydropower capability, and building military facilities, the federal agency is the world’s largest public engineering, design, and construction management organization. 

The agency’s KM program coordinates cross-disciplinary programs such as continuous process improvement, Lean Six Sigma, organizational development, and quality management while discovering and deploying critical knowledge. All nine USACE divisions and the majority of the 43 USACE districts around the country are engaged in the effort to ensure the agency’s KM program matures. USACE Chief Knowledge Officer Ian D. Pfaff and John Davis, the KM representative for the Southwestern Division of USACE, spoke with APQC executive director Cindy Hubert about the organization’s KM journey to increasing maturity.