Designed and led the first phase of an enterprise Knowledge Management (KM) initiative, turning decades of large-scale project experience into a structured, reusable asset.
The Client
A major Iranian industrial EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) firm responsible for delivering complex cement plant projects across Iran and the Middle East.
Industry
Engineering & Construction | Knowledge Management | Project Delivery Excellence
The Challenge
Following the completion of several large-scale infrastructure projects—including Darab, Dashtestan, Shahr-e-Kord, and Hama (Syria)—the client recognised a growing risk: the loss of valuable experiential knowledge held by project managers and engineers.
The challenge was clear: how do you capture, structure, and reuse project knowledge across teams and future engagements, especially in a culture where tacit know-how often leaves with the individual?
The Solution
In collaboration with the Industrial Management Institute (IMI), I designed and implemented a KM framework focused on:
- Knowledge Capture: Conducted structured interviews with senior project leaders to extract lessons learned and undocumented insights.
- Conceptual Model: Created a knowledge taxonomy aligned with the EPC project lifecycle — enabling findability, reuse, and learning loops.
- Document Management: Categorised and indexed more than 80,000 project documents based on the project lifecycle stages.
- Knowledge Portal: Designed and launched a SharePoint-based portal to allow secure, searchable access to lessons, documents, and expert knowledge.
Technologies Used
- SharePoint 2007
- SQL Server 2005
- Structured Interview Frameworks
- Knowledge Taxonomy Design
The Result
The project established a sustainable knowledge management foundation — enabling the organisation to:
- Access over 80,000 documents and 300+ key lessons with advanced search
- Reduce project onboarding time
- Prevent knowledge loss during leadership transitions
- Begin embedding a knowledge-sharing culture within a traditionally delivery-focused environment
This KM initiative became a model for future knowledge-driven transformations in Iran’s EPC and infrastructure sectors.
Recognition & Impact
This project was officially recognised as one of the Top Industrial Initiatives by the Ministry of Industry and Mines of Iran. It became a national benchmark for organisational knowledge retention in complex engineering environments.
Additionally, I was honoured as the Top Knowledge Management Expert for my leadership and delivery of this initiative — a recognition that reflected both the strategic value of the solution and its cultural transformation impact across the organisation.