Knowledge Transfers (KT) are among the most unproductive activities that Teams perform nowadays. Don't get me wrong, it is really good to share the knowledge and to instruct whoever will develop an activity. But the difficulties involved in the KT and some other ingredients make it just a formality that doesn't increase any value.

What is a KT?

It's a process through which someone (person or team) transfers the knowledge they have in a certain topic to someone else, who is going to be responsible for that topic in the future.

It contains two actors. The Giver (has and shares the knowledge) and the Receiver (receives and internalizes the knowledge).

When are KTs performed?

There are different scenarios in which you may need to have a KT:

• A person is leaving the Project / Team / Company.
• A Team is ceding the responsibility of an activity or project to another Team.
• A person is handing over some activity so they can work on something else.
• A person shares something with the Team so the rest of the Team members can also act on that.

Difficulties involved in the KT process

There are a lot of difficulties involved in the process, which tend to be underestimated. This is the main reason why the KTs are usually a waste of time for all the participants. Some of these difficulties are:

• The participants are not interested (Givers and/or Receivers).
• The Givers don't have good teaching and presentation skills.
• The Receivers don't have the required skills to take over the activity.
• The Receivers are presented with a solution for a problem they never thought about.
• There are not enough time and effort invested in the KT.
• The Team thinks that the effort should be done only by the Givers. But actually, most of the effort should come from the Receivers.

Strategy for creating a successful KT

Choose the actors carefully

It's relatively easy to know who should be the person or team giving the KT because is responsible for the activity today and will hand it over.

But many times the Receivers are incorrectly designated and this creates a lack of interest or skills to understand what is being shared with them.

This wrong decision may be caused by the fear of having the only team member that dominates one topic leaving and feeling that your team is now vulnerable.
Imagine that you have a monthly activity that is performed by one person. There is no point in putting 10 people together to receive the KT. Only one (or two at the most) are going to perform it shortly. So it's better for them to have a good understanding so they can do the activity a few times and then hand it over to other team members when the right time comes.

Some other times, the team members with the right skill set for taking the activity are too busy to receive the KT, so less experienced colleagues are assigned to it. They will surely miss something because they don't have a solid foundation to understand everything that is being shared with them.

Plan the KT according to the "knowledge"

What is being transferred? The way in which you structure the KT, the involved activities, and the time used should depend on that.

If it is about an ongoing or frequent activity, the best way is to follow the next 3 steps:

1. The Giver creates some session explaining what the activity is about, and why this activity should be performed. They also explain the main topics involved in the activity.
2. The receivers check on their own the documentation or any technical detail they have regarding the activity.
3. The receivers do the activity with the support and help of the giver (reverse shadowing).

If the activity is not that frequent, and shouldn't be performed in the near future, then the same 3 steps described above can be followed, but the 3rd step will be a simulation, as real as possible. Maybe based on the last times that this was performed.

The KT can also be about some product that was delivered and the receiver team should understand how it works so they can support or change it in the future. In these cases, the following 3 steps can be iterated from the more general ideas to the more particular ones.

1. The givers present the content.
2. The receivers review the documentation or technical information on their own.
3. Q&A Session.

The number of iterations and time invested in each activity will vary depending on the KT content.

It's always important that the receivers invest time on their own to check the subject after or before the sessions, depending on what the sessions are about.

Choosing the right content

"The right content" term is too subjective (and indeed it is). But it is important that the level of detail and the type of content match the KT objectives. It should also be considered when and how each type of content should be shared (some things fit better in a meeting or session, and some other things should be shared for offline analysis).

For example, when you are giving a KT, you don't want to "read out loud" a process, program code, blueprint, etc. You should just explain the background, reason, and main points of it, and refer to the documentation so the Receivers can dig deeper into it according to their own pace and interest. Then you can plan a follow-up session containing a Q&A and explaining more details.

If you explain too many details, chances are that all of them are forgotten before the audience needs to apply this knowledge. So it's better to provide the tools for understanding the scenario and the solution, so they are also able to change it (improve, adapt, etc.) in the future when the scenario changes.

Creating the Questions before giving the Answers

It's very common that the receivers of a KT experience one of the following feelings:

• I understand what you are saying... But why should I worry about this?
• I'm sorry, but I don't really get what this is all about.

The main reason for having these kinds of sensations is that the content was "dumped" into the receivers even before they had the need for that information. They should first understand "the whats and whys", so they are open to receiving "the hows".

For example, if you are going to explain a "special" process that you do for a client, which is different than the same process for the rest of the clients, you first need to explain:

• What particularities this client has.
• What happens if you apply the same process that you use for the rest of the clients in this one.
• Why those issues will happen.

Once the receivers understand that, they will wonder how these issues can be addressed. So they are prepared and waiting for the answer that you will provide them.

So in this way, it's easier to explain the "special" process highlighting the differences it has with the standard one, and relating these differences with the previously mentioned issues.

Keep the Giver interested

This may be the hardest part, as the KT may not be a priority for the Giver. They already know the topic, and it won't be their responsibility in the future, after all. Different scenarios can take place:

1. There are some situations in which the KT is required so one person can move on and take a bigger responsibility. So in that case it shouldn't be an issue, as the interest lies on the Giver's side.
2. But what happens when a Team is taking over an activity from another Team or Company? In these cases, the most common option is to include the requirement of an acknowledgment from the receiver to consider the KT done. Usually, some of the Giver team members will be (or would like to be) absorbed by the Receiver team, so having them involved in the KT is a good idea because they may want to cause a good impression.
3. The most difficult scenario may be the one in which the giver is leaving the Company. Their head is already placed on the future, and they think that they "are not getting anything out" of this KT. If you are a giver in this situation, let me tell you that you are wrong. There are many things involved also for you in these cases:
   • Your reputation. You should perform your job honestly and professionally until your last day in the Company. One of the most beautiful compliments I received in my professional life came from the customer IT Director who told me: "You were Professional the first day you came here and are still being Professional today that you are leaving".
   • You will train your teaching and presentation abilities.
   • Your skills are already well known in the Company, but your attitude and character are the ones that may give you the best opportunities in the future. This is a "small World".

Ready for your next KT?

Whether you are a Giver, a Receiver, or a Manager who is planning KTs for their team, consider the items mentioned in this article and get the most out of the KT. Share this with your Team, so you can go together in the same direction. It will get way better with some practice.