SUSTAINABILITY OF PAVEMENT RESEARCH PROGRAMS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, REALISTIC POLICY OBJECTIVES AND QUANTIFIABLE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The University of Waterloo’s Center for Pavement and Transportation Technology, CPATT, is committed to knowledge management as a cornerstone of it’s long term strategic planning and sustainability. Knowledge is considered as an asset; it has value, and thus should be integral to asset management. In CPATT’s approach, three basic types of knowledge are used: • Explicit, which is essentially documented information • Implicit, or “know how”, and • Tacit, which is related to human creativity or innovative capabilities. A case example research initiative incorporates the following strategic elements: • Identifying the activities of CPATT within explicit, implicit and tacit types of knowledge • Considering knowledge management (KM) and succession planning as synonymous • Establishing the rationale for KM, identifying the key components and establishing the costeffectiveness • Ongoing program of training and skills development • Developing realistic policy objectives, measurable, key performance indicators, and implementation targets • Establishing a comprehensive governance structure.