Knowledge is a quality of human entities acquired through the use of information, practice or performance of some actions. Knowledge results from the combination of experience, values, contextual information and expert insight. Organizationally, knowledge is embedded in documents, repositories, processes, routines, practices and norms. Knowledge Management consists of a set of principles, tools and practices that enable people and organizations to create knowledge and to share, translate and apply what people in the organizations know to create value and improve effectiveness.

Knowledge Management practices in the public organizations typically include:

1. Training of public officials to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills required to perform their specific work;
2. Networking by linking public officials and teams through networks, and supporting other possibly informal networks to share and extend knowledge;
3. Knowledge repositories for providing information on government business;
4. Using knowledge to support actions and decisions made by public officers; and
5. Making relevant organizational knowledge available to government stakeholders to support their decision-making activities.

KM initiatives in government include online government policy briefings, communities of practice, e-knowledge repositories, and knowledge-sharing platforms for government.

This project aims to develop policy recommendations, and establish the technical direction and guidelines for the development of a Knowledge Management Program for Macao SAR Government. It also aims to assist government agencies in developing their strategic, organizational and technical capabilities in the area of Knowledge Management.

The project will be designed to achieve the following objectives:

1. Prescribe policy guidelines for the development of KM capabilities in MSAR Government Agencies, based on outcome of the survey carried out in 2008 on international KM practices
2. Build comprehensive processes for developing selected KM initiatives in government
3. Provide training program on KM practices for government officials in Macao
4. Disseminate project outcomes through the e-Macao and UNU-IIST-EGOV portals

The project is funded by the Government of Macao SAR through Macao Foundation, part of the e-Macao Program portfolio, and UNU-IIST.

Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) is planned to be the major partner for this project.