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Knowledge management comes in many different forms. Geisinger Medical Group offers a practical—yet simple—example of how knowledge can make a difference at lowering surgical costs while reducing the number of postoperative complications. 

But simple checklists cannot capture the depth and breadth of knowledge that most organizations possess. 

• Cross-training programs such as mentoring, shadowing, and other training programs allow employees to observe how other people work while learning business knowledge.
  
  
• Users can access and share documents with granularity through cloud storage tools such as Google Drive and Box.
  
  
• Web-based content management systems such as SharePoint and Microsoft Teams allow teams and individuals to publish and update information on their intranets.
  
  
• Social networking tools let teams communicate and collaborate on documents and store history, allowing employees to access previously discussed information. These tools include Facebook Groups, Slack, and Workplace.
  
  
• Chatbots are the natural evolution of knowledge management. Artificial intelligence chatbots respond to knowledge requests and questions using machine learning. Employees no longer have to wonder whom to ask, where to find the information they need, or how to access that information. Because chatbots learn and maintain data over time, the relevant information can be found and immediately available, regardless of where it is located in the company.
  
  

Knowledge of the Future: A Look at What to Look For

Knowledge as a Service helps technical support and service organizations fix their most challenging problems with exceptional support and technology. Although a capable vendor of knowledge management software should not only provide organizations with the tools and expertise to build and manage knowledge daily, they must also be an extension of your knowledge support team and fully invested in the success of the organization. 

When selecting a Knowledge as a Service vendor, look for these value-added services: 

• Content expert: Choose a vendor that can provide access to a network of technical experts who can develop customized knowledge solutions and deliver them to end-users in a user-friendly format. 
  
  
• Comprehensive knowledge base content: Look for a vendor that provides a prebuilt knowledge base of solutions covering commercial off-the-shelf applications; the solutions should provide comprehensive features, functionality, and usage information. 
  
  
• Knowledge authoring services: Look for a vendor that provides access to customer-specific knowledge authoring services. 
  
  
• Converting existing content: Find a vendor specializing in converting existing content from your organization's repository regardless of the format. 
  
  
• Knowledge improvement: The ideal vendor should be nimble enough to address any issues or missing content in your existing knowledge base within a reasonable timeframe. 
  
  
• Cloud-based knowledge analysis: Search for a vendor that can provide real-time analytics and your organization's latest knowledge. 
  
  
• World knowledge crowdsourcing: Check out vendors who support crowdsourcing to share knowledge and see how organizations worldwide are creating and leveraging knowledge. 
  
  

Knowledge Management Best Practices

In each of these Knowledge Management phases, there are plenty of best practices that can take you from beginner to expert knowledge execution. These best practices are explicitly focused on IT service delivery but can be used in any knowledge management. 

• Be aware of your problems.
  
  Know your challenges before starting a Knowledge Management program. Knowledge Management involves more than investments in technology – organizations must foster a culture of knowledge management that makes it possible.
  
  Develop a culture that makes it easier to create, find, and share helpful knowledge. The first step is to clarify what Knowledge Management means at the individual level:
  
  
• How many Tasks are There in your Knowledge Management System for the IT Department?
  
  Some challenges result from common mistakes such as inadequate understanding of the ITIL framework or capturing knowledge alone. Instead of treating knowledge management as a separate activity with isolated tasks, you should integrate Knowledge Management practices within existing processes and business activities. By tightly integrating your knowledge management, you ensure that all critical business operations are supported by the knowledge associated with them, reducing delays and complexity of processing the knowledge as a separate process.
  
  
• Take Advantage of Knowledge, Not Just Manage it
  
  Knowledge Management initiatives' goals may be lost when resources and frameworks are merely designed to manage the knowledge rather than exploit it.
  
  The Knowledge Management program in your company should bring about the changes necessary to effectively utilize available knowledge. Measure the impact of Knowledge Management programs on scalability across technology and people.
  
  Conduct surveys to understand the experience end-users have when creating, sharing, and consuming knowledge. 
  
  

Instead of boring the employees with long articles, present your knowledge in a more user-friendly way. Replace lengthy articles with short, actionable guidelines. Adopt a consistent, standardized format for all documentation to make it easier for employees to find the answers they need urgently.

ITSM technologies offering AI capabilities can work through the information and bring the most helpful knowledge to appropriate users when needed, in a standardized and convenient format.