Project Management for Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) Projects

  Knowledge Shelf  

Knowledge process outsourcing projects form a distinct class of projects within the outsourcing industry. Particularly in India, KPO projects started as an offshoot or even an afterthought of standard business process outsourcing (BPO) projects. An illustrative representation of the differences between BPO and KPO organizations is shown in the Appendix at the end of this document. KPO projects are more analytical and cerebral in nature and demand intensive cognitive and research-based activities. Because cerebral processes are more uncertain, there is a much higher risk of delivering successful outcomes in such projects.

 For the most part, KPO projects can be one of the following three types:

1. At the lowest level, these projects collate and process  information in the forms of legal briefs or primary analysis of data/numbers-based information that can be used for better decision-making.
2. At a higher level, these projects classify and document  information for use by a less experienced person to be as effective as an expert in that domain.
3. At the highest level, these projects design/develop new capabilities. Essentially, the focused research and development of complex products or systems, in varied domains, resemble such services.

KPO projects work toward leveraging knowledge and skills of veterans in a domain. Genuine veterans in …

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