Knowledge Handoff Framework (KNOHA)

Knowledge handoff in institutions with complex dynamic processes that span across multiple staff and personnel often fail with catastrophic consequences.  Knowledge gaps, inaccuracies, and latencies in communication between the incumbent and replacement personnel are the principal reasons for such failures.  To address this problem, a team lead by Knexus Research Corp. (KRC) proposes to develop KNOHA (Knowledge Handoff Framework) for the DARPA KMASS program to assist with knowledge management technologies selection and evaluation. We will ground the KNOHA framework in theories of human communication and include novel techniques for characterizing knowledge, handoff context, and metrics for reliably measuring knowledge utility.  In Phase I, we will develop approaches for identifying and characterizing knowledge, identify and model contextual factors, and computational approaches for identifying the gaps and inconsistencies between mental models of incumbent and replacement personnel. We will assess their utility for selecting handoff knowledge. We will develop a preliminary software architecture and concept of operations for integrating KNOHA with KMASS products and develop a Phase II plan for validating and verifying the KNOHA framework and KMASS products with human subject evaluation across multiple application domains.  Our team includes thought leaders with a deep and broad expertise and fielded applications in process modeling, cognitive tasks analysis, and concept mapping.  Our team also includes experts in AI and machine learning with applications to knowledge discovery, information extraction, and text mining.  KNOHA framework development and validation will be guided by our consultation with subject matter experts in health care and project management.