Analyzing Approaches to Collective Knowledge Recall

People and organizations frequently need to recall past events that, for some reason, were not documented when they occurred. The successful reconstitution of past events depends on several variables, such as how long ago the event occurred, and whether key people are still available to tell what they know. Although it is sometimes difficult to restore all known events, an adequate recall process can get closer. This paper examines three knowledge recall methods and compares them in a set of controlled experiments. The group storytelling approach is used in two of the methods, one of which is supported by a groupware. The paper also evaluates the benefits and the drawbacks of using the group storytelling technology.