You know the value of a great employee. This is the person who builds relationships, solves problems before they escalate, and becomes a reliable resource when something goes wrong. Over time, they accumulate the institutional knowledge necessary to create shortcuts, exercise role-related judgment, and provide context beyond “this is the way things are done.”
The trouble is that carrying this institutional knowledge in their heads turns them from an asset to a risk if they make a career move, get sick, take a vacation, or retire.
When institutional knowledge lives in a person, the business becomes dependent on that specific human being. Plus, the knowledge in their head is not easily accessible by the team or anyone else. You may not realize how much your staff relies on a single employee until that person has a family emergency or gives notice. Then you find out very quickly, and that’s not fun.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. That is to document the processes they use and the knowledge they hold, so the business can function even in their absence.
How Fragile Is Your Business?
It’s time to assess and identify the weak spots in your company.
This doesn’t just apply to people who are bottlenecks. It could also apply to areas that could become bottlenecks, but are being held together by duct tape and one person’s knowledge base.
You can probably think of at least one employee right now whom many people rely on throughout the company. If they get sick or take time off, things could go down the drain quickly. And, as you think about this, please consider that the person you’re looking for might be you.
Often, business owners know everything about a company and will share that knowledge sparingly. Not because they are bad people, but because they're incredibly busy.
So, if you want to become less busy while also being able to take a vacation without worrying the whole business will collapse, then this article is for you!
Alternatively, if you know that a few people in your company have a deep trough of proprietary knowledge that is not documented and stored in an accessible location, then this article is for you, too.
Turning One Person's Expertise Into Company-Wide Knowledge
The solution is simple, but it’s not something a busy business owner or employee wants to hear. That is, you need to start documenting your knowledge.
Here’s a brief overview that will help you get started:
- Identify where your company is at the highest risk. This might be a common bottleneck or an area that fails anytime you have to step away from the office.
- Create a series of questions designed to extract knowledge from you and other key employees. The questioning should follow along the lines of: a. What department are we talking about? b. Where is the point of failure? c. How do you solve this issue? d. What other solutions have you put in place, and how did they work out? e. What’s the logic behind your solution? f. Is there history/context that most employees wouldn’t have?
- Get another employee to interview you or interview the key employee yourself. Having another person there to ask the questions can lead to natural follow-up questions, which is helpful.
- Document your process. You can film yourself walking through a situation or write it down as you go. However you do it, document it.
- If this is being done with another employee, get them on board with it. Find what they need. Maybe they’d like some assistance, or perhaps they want an uninterrupted vacation. Maybe they could use some help with onboarding/training more employees in their department. All of these issues can be solved by documenting the key processes listed above.
- Repeat the above five steps for other higher risk areas. Then repeat them for lower risk areas until each role in the business is documented.
- Schedule a review. Set up a documentation review for three to six months from now to ensure new knowledge is documented and training materials are updated.
- Use the information documented. Include this information in onboarding materials and ensure the knowledge is available for reference so employees can understand what to do and why without having to ask you or another key employee.
A great employee with specialized knowledge is incredibly valuable, but so is their peace of mind and ability to rest and recharge. Additionally, their knowledge is vitally important to the success of your business. Don’t be held up by one person’s knowledge base. Democratize it and make it available to all.
If you are ready to reduce your company’s risk profile, then it’s time to schedule a free initial consultation with Business Success Consulting Group. We will help you turn your employees’ knowledge base into a system the whole company can rely on.
