Continuity Management: Preserving Corporate Knowledge and Productivity When Employees Leave

Chapter 7. The Knowledge Continuity Assessment

We gathered as the A-Team to take on the specialized task of designing the knowledge continuity assessment. Roger was take-away-ready, and Cap'n Carlos sailed in just before the meeting began with the announcement of another retirement.

"What's our objective with the knowledge continuity assessment?" Cheryl asked as she opened the meeting.

"To determine how serious the knowledge discontinuity problem is," Roger quickly answered.

"Which means?"

"What's our annual job turnover rate?" Cap'n Carlos suggested. "Who at WedgeMark has unique knowledge? How big a knowledge hit do we take every time somebody leaves? What procedures do we have in place to prevent knowledge from leaving when people jump ship or walk the plank? Things like that."

"This is beginning to sound complex," Roger said, possibly with delight.

"No, it isn't," Cheryl reassured him. "It's a straightforward assessment with known criteria. We'll break into groups and brainstorm a knowledge continuity assessment. What is it? What does it require? How do we accomplish it?

As we explored developing the knowledge continuity assessment, we found that it was less complicated than we had thought, but just as critical. In fact, it is the assessment that sets up and guides the continuity management initiative, serving 10 important functions:

1. Develops the business case for continuity management by providing evidence of organizational knowledge discontinuities and their associated costs.

2. Identifies ...