KM-based Project Team of CoPS in Manufacture Industry

Complex Product System (CoPS) plays an important role in an organization, zone economy, and country economy. As prime part of CoPS, CoPS in manufacture industry is having more and more powerful effect to an organization's success and a country's economy. However, Inherent characters of CoPS in manufacture industry, e.g. multi-discipline technology integration of product, cross-organization in management, and high risks, cause management of CoPS in manufacture industry confronting many problems. The root of above problems lies in the complex knowledge trait of CoPS in manufacture industry. A project management team whose structure is suitable for knowledge management (KM) can be useful for solving above problems. This paper aims to check the effectiveness of KM in CoPS in manufacture industry, and further check what kind of team structure is suitable to KM tasks in order to solve the problems met with by CoPS in manufacture industry. Through analysis of one typical case in large new shipbuilding, it is found that KM should be an important function in CoPS in manufacture industry. A dynamic cross-organization multi-layer project team is proposed; this dynamic project team structure fits for KM than both the matrix organization's structure and the project-based organization's structure in the management of CoPS in manufacture industry. This research can be used to guide the management practice of CoPS in manufacture industry, and also can facilitate further studies on KM in project environments of CoPS in manufacture industry.