Every business will have loads of knowledge to manage in different formats. There’s no one right way to do it all, so thinking through the types of knowledge your business, the intended purpose of this knowledge, and the format the knowledge is in will help you define the right systems for knowledge management in your business.
Types of Knowledge
One angle to take in thinking about how to best manage knowledge in your business is to think through the types of knowledge you need or want to maintain.
Most businesses will have a few things in common here. You have business processes and system documentation, Customer data and transactions, and product information among other info. You might have additional types of knowledge that are a little more unique to your business such as video, texts, and chat messages.
Thinking through the different types of knowledge you have to manage will help you come up with the right system to use.
Intended Purpose of the Knowledge
Another angle to take is to think through the intended purposes of the knowledge you need to manage.
Sharing information with Customers, managing historical records, and training new employees are all valid purposes for wanting to manage knowledge in your business.
Others might include maintaining research on new product ideas, being able to regularly improve processes, or supporting ongoing operations with “how-to” guides.
Make sure when you’re thinking about the intended purpose, you keep the purpose aligned to one or more desired outcomes in your business.
Format of the Knowledge
Closely related to the type of knowledge, the format of the knowledge will also have some impact on how you should think about knowledge management systems in your business.
If your business creates large mp4 video files every week, your needs will be much different than a business that doesn’t use video.
Perhaps you record a lot of handwritten notes. Managing and storing physical paper will create some unique needs that a completely digital business won’t have.
Summary
Each of these perspectives will give you insights into what type of knowledge management systems will best serve your business. Using a combination of two or all three will give you even better insights.
By spending some time and energy on improving your knowledge management systems, you’ll save time and money in the long run, making your business more effective and efficient, giving you the right information when it’s needed.
If you missed it from earlier in the week, take a few minutes and read through the intro to knowledge management systems post.
If you have any questions on knowledge management systems, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Brian
