Your company is a well-oiled machine … when everyone is at work.
Everyone does their part and it keeps your business moving as it should. Everyone is an expert in their specific areas. They hold all the knowledge to get things done.
So, what happens if Kim from manufacturing goes on vacation or Joe from human resources goes on paternity leave? Or what if Adele quits out of the blue?
You don’t want to be rolling in the deep. 😉
All their knowledge that keeps your company moving goes out the door with them. That is why knowledge management is so important. You don’t want to lose any knowledge dependent on who came into the office that day or who is working for your company.
You need to capture it to ensure your knowledge survives. You get that, which is why you are working on creating (or improving) your knowledge management strategy.
Working for ScreenSteps — a knowledge ops company that incorporates knowledge management — I’ve seen how having the right knowledge management plan is a game-changer for companies. They can save time and improve employee performance with their knowledge management plans.
How do you improve your knowledge management strategy? Here are a few best practices to help you strengthen your knowledge management plan for your business.
What is knowledge management?
Knowledge management is the process of collecting, creating, organizing, managing, and sharing information in your organization. It is focused on sharing company knowledge.
The purpose is to provide end-users with the company’s policies, processes, and procedures. Knowledge management deals with the operations and the how-tos.
Your knowledge management resources serve as your internal and/or external help center. You create and store information in your software so that end-users can search for and access the information when they need it.
Knowledge management best practices
There are many ways to manage your knowledge. Here are some of the ways to most efficiently and effectively manage your company information.
- Know your end goals before you start
- Have a plan
- Centralize your knowledge
- Make your guides easy to find
- Create guides that are easy to follow
- Provide a way to receive end-user feedback
- Create a strategy for keeping your knowledge management system up to date
- Measure how you use your knowledge
- Train end-users on how to use your knowledge management system
🔎 Related: 5 Best Knowledge Management Software for Standard Operating Procedures
Aim higher with a knowledge ops strategy
Knowledge management is a great solution to help manage your company knowledge if you mainly are looking to capture knowledge.
If you want your employees and/or customers to use the knowledge you document and handle procedures without asking supervisors questions, you need a knowledge ops strategy.
Knowledge ops, like knowledge management, helps your company capture, store, and share your knowledge. Additionally, it helps your employees receive training and build habits that save your business time and money.
Want to learn more about knowledge operations? Read this article that compares knowledge ops to knowledge management. That way you know which strategy will help your company achieve its goals.
