Guide: knowledge management in the company

Knowledge management that happens in daily work.

Most knowledge bases do not fail because of the software, but because there is no time to write.

This guide explains what knowledge management is, which tools exist, what a knowledge graph achieves and why introducing it usually fails.

EIGHT BUILDING BLOCKS
TOOLS COMPARED
KNOWLEDGE GRAPH AND AI

AT A GLANCE

Knowledge management: the essentials first.

KEY POINTS

Knowledge management means capturing, organising and sharing knowledge so that others can work with it.
No tool covers everything: wiki, file storage, knowledge base, search and AI assistant each solve a different part.
Most knowledge bases go out of date because writing time is short and nobody notices when an entry is no longer right.
A knowledge graph connects things rather than files: machine, document, process and contact belong together.
What is measured is which questions stay open — not who contributes how much. Knowledge management does not assess people.

THE SHORT ANSWER

What is knowledge management?

Knowledge management is how a company handles its knowledge: it is captured, organised, shared and applied — and renewed when it is no longer right. Both are meant: the knowledge in documents and the knowledge in employees' heads.

The aim is simple: whoever has a question finds the answer without calling three colleagues, and whoever leaves does not take with them what others still need. Whether this works depends less on the software than on whether the knowledge comes in during daily work at all.

The eight building blocks of knowledge management.

The best-known model in the German-speaking world comes from Gilbert Probst, Steffen Raub and Kai Romhardt. It divides the work into eight building blocks.

1Knowledge goalsWhich knowledge does the company need, and what for?

2Identifying knowledgeWhat already exists, in documents and in heads?

3Acquiring knowledgeWhat is missing and comes in from outside?

4Developing knowledgeWhat is newly created, from projects and experience?

5Distributing knowledgeHow does it reach those who need it?

6Using knowledgeIs it actually applied in daily work?

7Preserving knowledgeDoes it stay when people leave or systems change?

8Assessing knowledgeWere the goals right, and what remained open?

TOOLS

Knowledge management tools compared.

Each tool solves one part. What matters is which question most often stays open in the business.

WIKIWiki and intranetGood for rules, processes and announcements. Lives on someone writing and maintaining it — otherwise it goes out of date.

STORAGEFile storageDrives and document systems keep files safe. What lies between the documents, they do not keep.

KNOWLEDGE BASEArticles for questionsStrong in customer service: one question, one article. Needs editors and rarely covers the expert knowledge of engineering.

LEARNING PLATFORMCourses and trainingGood for knowledge many people need to learn. Too cumbersome for the single question on Monday morning.

SEARCHEnterprise searchFinds documents across many repositories. You then have to read the answer out yourself.

AI ASSISTANTQuestions in your own wordsAnswers from company knowledge if the sources are connected — trustworthy only with a source. This is Explicio's approach.

WHY IT FAILS

Why knowledge bases go out of date — and what helps.

Almost every company has introduced a wiki at some point. The reasons it stays empty or goes out of date are similar.

Why it fails

there is no time to write, entries stay unfinished
nobody feels responsible for upkeep
search does not find what you mean
an entry is no longer right, and nobody notices

What helps

bringing in knowledge where the work happens — also as a voice message
follow-up questions when context is missing
every answer names its source
contradictions become visible, outdated content is superseded rather than silently overwritten

KNOWLEDGE GRAPH

What is a knowledge graph — and what does it do for a company?

A knowledge graph does not sort knowledge into folders, but by things and their relationships: this machine, this manual, this maintenance report, this process, this contact. What belongs together is connected — whichever repository it is in.

For daily work this means: a question about a machine also finds the tip from the voice message and the right section of the manual. If a tip contradicts the document, that becomes visible. And whoever takes over an area sees which knowledge already exists about it.

FOLDERSFile next to fileKnowledge lies where it was filed. The connections are known to whoever knows where to look.

KNOWLEDGE GRAPHThing next to thingMachine, document, tip and process are connected. The answer can bring the context along, with a source.

WITH AI

Knowledge management with AI: what changes.

AI can phrase and find. For it to manage knowledge rather than invent it, it needs limits.

AI can

understand questions in your own words, also in other languages
find the right passage among many documents
ask when a contribution is unclear
understand voice messages, photos and videos

AI should not

answer without saying where the answer comes from
assess people or keep rankings
decide alone where an action has an effect
conceal that it is an AI

This is how Explicio is built: every answer names its source, and a person decides on every action with an effect.

INTRODUCING IT

Introducing knowledge management: four steps.

Start small, where questions are asked most often today.

STEP 1 · CHOOSE AN AREA01Where is knowledge missing most?One area, one machine, one process — chosen by the matter, never by people. Involve the works council early.
STEP 2 · CONNECT02Use what existsRead in manuals, drives and reports instead of filing them again. The repositories stay as they are.
STEP 3 · ADD03Let it come in during workWhat is in no document is added by voice message, photo or text when it is explained at work.
STEP 4 · LET PEOPLE ASK04See what stays openWhich questions find no answer shows the next gap. Counted by topic, not by person.

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked.

What is knowledge management, simply explained?

How a company handles its knowledge: capturing, organising, sharing, applying and renewing it — so that questions get answered and knowledge does not leave with people.

What is a knowledge base?

A searchable collection of knowledge, often as articles on frequent questions. It is only as good as its upkeep; without editors it goes out of date.

What is the difference between knowledge management and knowledge transfer?

Knowledge management is the framework. Knowledge transfer is the part where knowledge passes from one person to others — for example before retirement.

More: capturing expert knowledge before retirement

What is a knowledge graph?

An ordering of knowledge by things and their relationships instead of by folders: machine, document, tip and process are connected, and an answer can bring this context along.

Which software do I need for knowledge management?

It depends on the question that most often stays open in the business. For rules a wiki is often enough; for expert knowledge that is in no document, you need a way to bring it in during daily work and query it with a source.

Does the works council have to agree?

Software that takes in contributions from employees is usually a technical facility within the meaning of § 87(1) no. 6 of the German Works Constitution Act — its introduction is subject to co-determination.

Source: page for works councils and data protection

NEXT STEP

Start with one area. Then decide.

After a short call we set up your test space. Bring in a manual and a voice message from one area — and then ask in your own words. The 30 days only start after that.

Request a quote Request a quote

Term: 30 days from the first knowledge
Checklist: eight questions for any platform
Works council: what an agreement covers