The research project deals with the development of an applicable method for the generation and maintenance of customer knowledge in service companies (especially in the area of trade).

Therefore customer knowledge is divided into three categories: customer, business processes and enterprise environment. The methodical implementation takes place in forms of these three categories.
Regarding horizontal co-operation the necessary information has to be made available to participants taking part in the process to allow the fulfillment of their tasks. In vertical regard improved process integration between the cooperating enterprises has to be provided, so that improved processes can be achieved by the use of a common knowledge base and the exchange of knowledge. Apart from the specification the maintenance of knowledge is of outstanding importance, since the relevant economical views are subject to highly dynamic changes.

Thus, apart from the consideration of static customer knowledge, the integration with approaches of Process Management is of importance, in order to enable the modeling of dynamic aspects. Consequently two modeling techniques are integrated: Event-driven process chains (EPC) for process modeling and a modeling technique developed on the basis of the MetaMIS concept for the modeling of the information needs. Among other things this project shows, how process modeling can be integrated with this modeling technique, so that a determination of information needs on the basis of business processes can take place and an illustration of these information needs is possible.
Customer Relationship Management is only one field of application for this method. MW KiD can be used everywhere, where information needs must be modeled, and in particular, where dynamic aspects are of importance. Not only information needs for decision makers on a management level, but basically for all participants, who are involved in business processes, can be modeled by the integration of Process Management approaches.