Some tools automatically create
competence profiles by mining various sources of information. Profiling mechanisms
extract terms and phrases from e-mail communications and documents produced or
shared by individuals. Each user profile provides a detailed index of an individual’s
knowledge, experience, and work focus. A set of profiles, therefore, represents a
composite ‘snapshot’ of the expertise within an organization. Competence
management addresses a very important problem of learning software organizations,
‘the need of knowing who knows what’. Much knowledge can be recorded for other
organizations, but nevertheless the assets of a software engineering organization are
mainly its employees and their tacit knowledge. As a knowledge intensive industry,
software organizations are heavily dependant on tacit knowledge, which is very
mobile. Competence management can help build structures and frameworks for
capturing key information that can help retain some knowledge when employees
leave or become unavailable.