Knowledge transfer plans are a crucial part of onboarding new hires and minimizing the losses of team members that decide to leave an organization. So, what is a knowledge transfer plan? A knowledge transfer plan is a collection of data that explains how an organization runs, and it contains information that is needed by its employees.
There are plenty of ways to implement a knowledge transfer plan into a company, and different organizations have different needs that can’t be met by one standard system. Understanding the benefits of creating a plan to transfer knowledge and how it can positively impact a company, however, will be advantageous to the organization and its members.
Why Create a Knowledge Transfer Plan?
Knowledge transfer plans are beneficial for multiple reasons. They aid in the process of acclimating new hires to a work environment, and the knowledge is kept even when an employee leaves the company. In addition, they become a hub of current and accurate information about the company accessible to all. A good knowledge transfer plan will keep all essential data in one place and make it easy for all team members to view.
When employees leave an organization, company knowledge usually leaves with them. Whether it’s documents, projects, and spreadsheets they had stored on a computer or just general knowledge they gained through experience on the job. Either way, retaining this information and making it accessible to current employees and future hires is essential to increasing the productivity of a company.
By creating an efficient knowledge transfer plan, organizations can save time, money, and energy that would otherwise be spent trying to recover or recreate lost data, or trying to get new employees accustomed to the various procedures of a new company.
Keys for Creating an Effective Knowledge Transfer Plan
There is a lot to consider when constructing a knowledge transfer plan. It is a long process with many parts but can be broken down into simple components and that way it becomes easier to create knowledge transfer strategies.
Deciding What Information Should Be Kept
The first step in creating a knowledge transfer plan is deciding what information needs to be preserved. This is data that is important enough to be readily available to all team members for easy access. A few good starting places might be:
- Day-to-day company procedures
- Basic access numbers and logins
- Protocol for daily tasks
Another idea to consider is information that top employees know that others might not. Figuring out what sets them apart and making that information accessible is a good way to get everyone on the same page.
Collecting Knowledge
Some knowledge is easy to obtain, like access numbers, codes, and passwords. This information can easily be written down into a document, making the transfer process quite simple. Other information lies in the application of knowledge, like performing certain tasks or performing a skill. This is a bit harder to communicate but can still be written out in a way that makes sense.
In most companies, some tasks can only be learned through observation. Creating a protocol for new hires to shadow a current employee is something that a good knowledge transfer plan should account for. It is important to determine what skills might fall in this category and what people or departments should be responsible for passing along this information. Some companies even hold informational interviews where new hires can ask questions of more tenured employees to pick their brains about tasks they’ll soon be expected to complete on their own.
Establish a Process for Transferring Knowledge
A great deal of the information companies choose to include in knowledge transfer plans can be easily written down or shared in the form it was created in. Documents like spreadsheets, PowerPoints, or Word Documents can be saved with all necessary information. Other visual media like graphs and charts can condense information and make it easy to view.
Another important step is to figure out which knowledge transfer platform works best for the information a company is trying to preserve. For less straightforward knowledge, video recordings or audio clips can be useful. Some pieces of information that might be preserved this way include the explanation of certain procedures or an example of an employee handling a tough situation properly. For information that is stored this way, a protocol for teaching new employees should be established with the creation of the knowledge transfer plan itself.
A few common digital platforms that are used for knowledge transfer plans are Google Drive or SharePoint. There are other similar programs where information can be standardized, stored, and kept up to date. Another idea to consider is to account for duplications of information, and only keep the most recent data to avoid confusion or outdated practices.
Final Words on Knowledge Transfer Plans
Knowledge transfer plans are an integral part of any organization. Recently, they have been dissected and studied to provide insight into how companies can shape their own to expedite employee onboarding, to create an accessible compilation of all important information, and reduce knowledge loss when team members decide to leave. There are many possible effective knowledge transfer systems, and no two companies will likely implement the same procedures, but there is a lot to be learned from looking at other existing knowledge transfer plans.
Creating an efficient knowledge transfer plan takes time, but it is worth it in the end. The convenience and ease of having all necessary information laid out will save organizations from the hassle of looking through old documents and emails to find a piece of data that they could easily access with the click of a button.
Establishing a knowledge transfer plan is only half the battle. Once it’s in place, it’s up to the organization to properly implement it and use it to their advantage. These systems are great tools and when executed appropriately, can save tremendous amounts of time, money, and energy.
