One of the dangers in any organization is that the hard-won know-how of our experts remains locked in their brains and is not shared. To beat this tendency, knowledge management should be a continuous activity in any quality system. So why not start by documenting your own knowledge as an expert?

Subject	Answer these Questions	Things to clarify
Foundational Knowledge	What reference materials do you use? How do you track technical trends?	Should a knowledge recipient own any of these reference materials? What are the best websites? Are there particular journals that you fi nd useful? What about associations?
Technical/Scientific	What kinds of problems do people come to you to solve?   What are the biggest risks in the project, process, or system you manage?	Can you describe a problem brought to you recently? What technical mistakes is a novice likely to make in that project or process?
Professional Network	Whom do you ask about technology trends and innovation? Whom do you contact for information about government regulations?	What is this go-to person’s complete contact information? What medium does he or she prefer (email versus telephone)? What is his or her background? How do you know this person?
Organizational	Who are the major stakeholders in the project, process, or system you manage? What are the biggest mistakes newcomers make in trying to get projects going here?	What are the positions of the major stakeholders? Where are there competing priorities? Can you give me an example of a newcomer mistake and suggest how to avoid such mistakes?
Interpersonal	Regarding team leadership, what criteria do you use to select team members? How do you ensure the team is connected to the overall business strategy? On a general level, how do you motivate people who report to you?	Why do you use these particular criteria? Have you ever chosen unwisely? What communication strategies are most effective? Can you give an example of what has really helped?

Once you’ve documented this knowledge, identify who else needs to know it, and then ensure the knowledge is transferred.