Preserve Your Organization’s Critical Knowledge With Knowledge Maps

Knowledge mapping is an important exercise that should be performed early in an organization’s knowledge management (KM) journey and repeated regularly as KM capabilities and approaches mature. Knowledge mapping isn’t easy, but there is no better way to understand the most important knowledge-related risks and opportunities in your organization.

You’ve probably heard of process maps, so what is a knowledge map? Simply stated, a knowledge map is a visual representation of your organization’s knowledge. It can allow stakeholders to easily identify and prioritize knowledge, how it flows and any barriers or gaps that exist. 

Ultimately, knowledge maps help organizations:

• Identify, retain and replicate critical knowledge and expertise.
• Drive strategic improvements by understanding where knowledge exists and how it flows between people and systems in the course of everyday work.
• Articulate and promote global standards.

4-Step Process for Knowledge Mapping

You can follow this four-step process to help you get started with knowledge maps:

1. Identify critical knowledge areas: If you have process maps, start there. Otherwise talk to leaders and managers about what knowledge is critical to their areas of the business.
2. Draft a knowledge map: Speak to experts, process owners or teams who have insight into the knowledge areas to collect relevant information. 
3. Evaluate risks and identify opportunities: Review the map with stakeholders to prioritize knowledge. Then identify knowledge loss risks, knowledge sharing barriers and knowledge gaps. 
4. Act on the knowledge map: Use map insights to manage knowledge-related problems and select the best KM approach for specific teams and environments to improve knowledge flow across the business.

Related Article: How Your Taxonomy Can Support Your Knowledge Management

Tips and Proven Practices for Knowledge Mapping

Do your homework. KM teams should do as much pre-work as possible before initiating a knowledge mapping exercise. Review existing process maps and other documentation and interview stakeholders who interact with the expert(s) whose knowledge will be mapped.

Use a standard process and a skilled facilitator. Leverage a standard process supported by a standard template or question list to ensure consistent information is captured across groups. 

Validate the maps. Review completed maps for errors, inconsistencies, and missing data. Leverage the KM team, the individual or group whose knowledge is being mapped, the leader sponsoring the project, or even ask the employees who will use and learn from the maps.

Use a standard risk analysis methodology. Best-practice organizations use standard risk criteria to guard against bias and effectively evaluate risks across roles, processes, and functions.

Related Article: Knowledge Management Means More Than Just Mining Digital Exhaust 

Identify Gaps

• Knowledge that is needed but does not exist or isn’t documented. (Gaps)
• Knowledge that is held by a single person or small group that should be more widely available. (Islands)
• Organizational silos or weak links between groups and systems that impede the flow of knowledge. (Bottlenecks)
• Opportunities where knowledge that benefits one area could be leveraged more broadly. (Commonalities)
• Areas where one stakeholder group’s knowledge needs rely upon that of another group, which presents opportunities to streamline and standardize. (Interdependencies)

Take Action

• Develop targeted plans for knowledge documentation and transfer. Use maps to create knowledge documentation (e.g., articles, how-to guides, videos, checklists) or guide additional knowledge transfer activities (e.g., mentoring, webinars, job shadowing). 
• Improve the overarching KM strategy and approach. Use maps to surface areas where knowledge is duplicated, isn’t flowing, or needs to be documented. Identify subject matter experts and other stakeholders who can support the KM strategy and capture success stories. 
• Drive standardization of best practices. Use maps to build consensus around best practices and disseminate across the enterprise. Partner with process teams to embed best practices into processes, procedures and supporting documentation.
  

Related Podcast: Knowledge Management in the Attention Economy 

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