Knowledge Management was heralded as the tool that would enable companies to pool the information contained in individual employees' heads. What it became was an expensive database that no one ever used. It failed because it didn't address the needs of managers or take account of the human element in passing information from one point to another. This report, based on two major research projects, bridges the gap between knowledge management theory and practice, between the apparent potential and deliverable reality, between communication and conviction. As the report identifies, the key is for the developers of knowledge solutions to directly identify with the needs of their business users, rather than attempting to 'convert' them.Contents include: A historical perspective on knowledge management Presenting knowledge management in terms of the issues facing business today The Need for Knowledge: A View across the Organisation Putting knowledge to the test: satisfying front line requirements Putting People in the Picture: The Importance of Knowledge Communities The Virtual Workplace: Structuring a Knowledge Portal Sustaining Knowledge Management: Building for the Long Haul Linking Knowledge Management to the Rest of the Business *Knowledge Management Technology: Choosing the Future