Ask HN: Organizing company knowledge?

The only time when people are absolutely required to document something is when it's a deliverable to a customer...so the customer needs to understand the product we're delivering to them.

We're all supposed to be using an engineering notebook to help document designs...but those really only come into play when someone leaves the company and the company is trying to retain as much IP as possible. Though they are incredible useful on an individual level.

Other than that, it really comes to down to finding time to draw a diagram or do a brain dump into a document describing how something works. Maintaining ICDs (Interface Control Documents) describing software/command protocols or hardware interfaces is pretty easy and provides a lot of information.

Effective knowledge management practices are something we think about a lot at Spoke (https://www.askspoke.com). We've studied other companies' practices and have come up with some organizing practices/principles:

1. Adopt the right tools: - Adopt cloud-based knowledge management tools that are simple to use. If new tools are overly complex, no one will use them. - Find solutions integrate with the applications employees are already using. (Be where employees already are, like Slack.) - A central source of information is best. If knowledge is spread across multiple tools, it will still be difficult for people to find.

2. Take advantage of new technologies: - Adopt tools and technologies that use AI to process and catalog resources. Ideal solutions may automate the processes of updating knowledge and/or automatically categorize and tag new content to make it easier to find. - Look for tools that use machine learning to improve as data is collected. Machine-learning technologies learn how people search for certain types of information, getting better over time at helping users find the exact information they’re looking for.

3. Document important processes: - Set aside time once a month for employees to create documentation on the tasks they’re responsible for. - Save all documentation on the cloud or some other shared server so everyone has access to it and to prevent document loss.

4. Find creative ways for employees to share tacit knowledge: - Establish a mentor program that pairs new hires with long-time employees. - Make sure managers know how to perform the most critical tasks that their teams are responsible for. - Set aside time for employees in related roles to cross-train. This will expand institutional knowledge, provide a source of backup when employees take time off, and reduce the likelihood of total knowledge loss caused by unexpected turnover.

But, as others have pointed out, adding a tool won't create knowledge. You need to foster a culture of creating documentation, writing notes, just writing everything down. It's so easy to relax after a hard problem, but if you document it, then it will be easier in the future.