Ideas.com

Context organizes its projects as open systems -- as construction sites unencumbered by walls or fences. Clients watch and critique the iterative Web-development process, observing each step via the Project Homepage -- a password-protected Web site on which consultants post a project's latest status report, along with lists of bugs and risk factors. "There's nothing wrong with letting a client see our mistakes," says Liwer. "This is all about trust, and trust is built through sharing strengths and weaknesses."

This open process works for Hearst Distribution Group, which recently hired Context to build its book-ordering solicitation system. The result is one of the first sites to let publishers view orders in real time -- which means that they can quickly increase a print run or alter a book cover, depending on sales figures. Nolan Bennett, senior vice president of the book division at Hearst, checks the Project Homepage daily. "You can see everything right away -- the testing, the conversations back and forth," he says. "The Context team solves problems in a matter of hours."

Armed with laptops, Contextians capture a client's feedback in meetings and then transcribe it directly onto the Project Homepage. One client dubbed the process "Borging," because it reminded him of the alien race in Star Trek that assimilates entire cultures. Context likewise tries to absorb everything -- in part to improve its work on individual projects, in part to increase the company's collective intelligence. (Unless a client specifies otherwise, all Context teams have access to every Project Homepage, so that they can review their colleagues' work and borrow material for their own projects.) Of course, "the Borg is evil," says Ward, who nonetheless ordered Borg figurines for his project team. "We're just trying to leverage 100% of everything that's available in the company."

On every project that Context undertakes, the initial wave of ideas comes from a Web Opportunity Workshop, or wow. Inspired by its experience with BMG, Context conducts an intense, weeklong brainstorming session in order to understand the scope and technical requirements of each project. Before consultants start writing code, they listen to a cross-section of people who will use the site that's being developed. Then they translate the project into a series of "use cases" that trace the transaction process for various types of users. Typically, a client will have a general idea of what the site should do -- but it's up to Context to provide the applications and technical know-how to make the site work. Throughout the development process, a change committee votes on new ideas that could affect the direction and scope of the project. In that way, Context continues to live by a paradox that's critical to its culture -- by supporting both the creative freedom necessary for brainstorming and the structure necessary to focus and filter ideas.

The ongoing communication between Context and its clients, aided by the Project Homepage, keeps surprises to a minimum. It also helps clients learn enough to manage their Web site once the development work is done. For Context, there's another benefit: fresh ideas from an outside source. After reviewing the company's test methodology, for example, one customer suggested a shortcut that people at Context hadn't thought of. As a result, Context was able to reduce the total number of steps in one of its new-product tests from 250 to 200.

Your Problem Is our Problem

It's always nice when a project unfolds as planned. It's also rare. The reality at most companies, even smart companies, is that life is filled with unexpected setbacks, problems, and technical glitches. That's why one of the big tests of the power of a knowledge network is whether it helps to solve the latest make-or-break crisis.

One of the best ways to solve an urgent problem is to find "the right people" to work on it: people who have faced it before, or who have so much expertise in a relevant area that they're likely to figure out a solution fast. At Context, those people are called "gurus." Context staffers who encounter a problem in the field simply issue a 911 message -- "Contextian down!" they write -- and IAN helps them find people who can help. Consultants don't have to call on anyone in particular, nor do they need to remember who knows the most about which applications. IAN automatically compares the topic of a 911 message to the technical specialties listed in the "Colleagues" records. That way, the alarm goes out only to those most qualified to put out the fire. "IAN works like a partner in this case," says Mary Durham. "It says, 'Excuse me, I know you're an expert at this. Something needs your attention.' "

Until recently, 911 messages traveled by email -- which meant that gurus couldn't receive them unless they were online. Now, as well as sending email, IAN issues an electronic page. Like doctors on call, gurus are reachable anytime -- which provides a valuable safety net for people in the field.