Validating knowledge creation indicators for the software industry: a field research through a structured questionnaire

Individual knowledge is the primary asset in the software industry and can lead its companies to achieve competitive advantage through Knowledge Management (KM) processes. One of the KM processes that stimulate innovation is the knowledge creation. However, this process needs monitoring to assess whether software industry companies are on the innovation way. An assessment is only possible through indicators which measure the KM processes performance. Based on a previous study of the review and discussion indicators for knowledge management and knowledge brokering in international development, we built a structured questionnaire to validate knowledge creation indicators. We applied it on twelve expert software project managers. By examining data from the structured questionnaire, we find twenty-six relevant indicators to monitoring the knowledge creation process for the software industry.