Integrating an ISO30401-compliant Knowledge management system with existing business processes of an organization

Business process modeling is used by most organizations as an essential framework for ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of the work and workflow performed by its employees and for ensuring the alignment of such work with its strategic goals. For organizations that are compliant or near-compliant with ISO 9001, this approach involves the detailed mapping of processes, sub-processes, activities, and tasks. ISO30401 is a Management System Standard, introduced in 2018, establishing universal requirements for the set up of a Knowledge Management System in an organization. As ``ISO30401 implementers'' we regularly face the challenge of explaining our clients how the knowledge development, transformation and conveyances activities depicted in ISO30401 do integrate with existing operational processes. This article recaps process modelling principles in the context of ISO9001 and explores, based on our experience, how an ISO30401-compliant Knowledge Management System (KMS) entwines with all other processes of an Integrated Management System and in particular how it can be implemented by deploying the mechanisms of the SECI model through the steps of PDCA cycles.