These are the questions Compass asks for this practice, and the levels it scores you against.
Identifying which people carry knowledge that would be lost if they left, and which processes depend on that knowledge.
How well do you know where critical undocumented knowledge sits in your workforce?
Level 1 → 5World class at level 4
- We have no visibility — we discover knowledge gaps only after someone leaves
- We informally know who the key people are but have no systematic record
- We have a rough list of key knowledge holders and the processes they own
- A formal knowledge-risk register maps each critical holder to the processes they carry, with a risk rating if they were to leaveWorld class
- The knowledge-risk register is reviewed annually; succession plans are linked to every high-risk holder
Conducting a structured interview or walkthrough with the knowledge holder to surface and record tacit expertise.
How do you currently capture tacit knowledge from experienced workers?
Level 1 → 5World class at level 4
- We don't — knowledge transfer happens informally on the job if at all
- We shadow experienced workers but capture nothing formal
- We have informal conversations and take notes, but no consistent interview structure
- We use a structured interview guide covering processes, troubleshooting, lessons learned, and edge casesWorld class
- Structured knowledge interviews are conducted annually for all critical holders; video walkthroughs supplement written capture for complex processes
Organising captured knowledge so it is findable and usable by other operators and new hires.
How accessible is captured process knowledge to the people who need it?
Level 1 → 5World class at level 4
- Captured knowledge lives in documents on someone's desktop or in email — effectively inaccessible
- Documents are on a shared drive but poorly organised; people can rarely find what they need
- A shared knowledge repository exists with basic indexing by process area
- A searchable knowledge base is accessible to all operators; content is reviewed for accuracy by subject matter expertsWorld class
- The knowledge base is integrated into onboarding and standard work; usage analytics show whether new hires are accessing it
