Brief summary

Find & Follow describes a system that helps companies structure and make knowledge accessible in a targeted way. It replaces traditional onboarding with a digital guide system that empowers employees to perform tasks independently and accurately. Instead of memorizing information, employees should be able to easily find and apply it when needed. The goal is to relieve the burden on managers, standardize processes, and ensure the long-term quality of work.

General ideas

• Supervisors are overworked because employees are not properly trained.

• Companies usually rely on "shadowing" as a training method.

• This method is very time-consuming and overlooks tacit knowledge.

• The learning problem is actually a problem of knowledge transfer.

• Employees do not need to memorize knowledge, but only be able to recall it when needed.

• Basic knowledge should be taught, and operational knowledge should be documented in guidelines.

• Rote learning leads to errors and reduces efficiency.

• Even complex processes can be clearly described.

• Digital Guides: Digital guides are interactive, step-by-step instructions. They contain decision trees or clickable areas to guide employees through tasks in a targeted manner.

Contents

Types of knowledge

• Foundational Knowledge: Basic knowledge. It provides the background understanding needed to understand a guidebook.

• Actionable Knowledge: Company-specific knowledge that is directly needed to perform a task.

• Tribal knowledge: Knowledge that lies hidden in minds, emails, or chats. It is undocumented and dependent on individuals.

• Operational Knowledge: Practical knowledge that employees need to perform a task correctly.

Knowledge Ops Maturity Model

A 5-stage model for assessing a company's stage of development regarding knowledge transfer and determining where the focus should lie. The goal of Find and Follow is to progress further up the Maturity Model scale to the "Accelerate" phase.

1. Tribal: There is no documentation. Training is done through observation. Leaders must constantly intervene. Information is not centrally accessible.

2. Documentation: Some documentation exists, but it is hardly used. Employees continue to rely on their memory.

3. Guide: Digital guides exist and are used in daily work.

4. Training: Guidelines are used in training. Employees practice with them in real-world situations.

5. Accelerate: Process optimization. Knowledge transfer is fully integrated into the organization.

The 4 steps to implementing Find & Follow

A system for introducing and implementing the Find & Follow approach.

• Prepare: Create a foundation of digital guides.

• Training: Teaching and instruction of the basics.

• Empower: Enable employees to work independently with the guidelines.

• Adapt: Adjustment and continuous improvement of the system.

Prepare

Align & Define:

Everyone is introduced to the idea and brought up to the same level of knowledge. Find & Follow workshops are conducted to involve employees and determine which knowledge should be documented.

The Find & Follow Report serves to determine which knowledge will be included in the guidelines.

Design & Refine:

Digital guides are being created so that they are easy to find, follow, and understand.

• Findable: Employees can easily find the guide when needed.

• Followable: It is designed so that you can follow it without outside help.

• Scannable: The level of detail can be quickly assessed as needed.

The digital guides should be subject to the following rules:

• Titles should point to a task or problem, such as “How to…”.

• Technical jargon should be avoided.

• Short, task-oriented documents are better than long collections of text.

• Every process in the company is mapped.

• As soon as a process touches on different roles, a guideline is created.

• Longer tasks are broken down into steps.

• A guide covers all possible variables with suitable solutions.

• Decision trees are created for all "If...Then..." situations.

• Bullet points and screenshots illustrate the content.

• Expandable sections and headings make scanning easier.

• Checklists ensure completeness.

• Links to subchapters and basic knowledge promote understanding.

• Priority is given to those twenty percent of tasks that cause eighty percent of the problems.

The knowledge is broken down into small, easily understandable topics. Training sessions for basic knowledge should last a maximum of ten to thirty minutes. Recurring training sessions can be recorded as videos.

Train

During the training phase, employees are trained. They learn by applying the knowledge practically. The majority of the training consists of practical exercises. Success means that someone can use a guideline without assistance. Guidelines should always be used, regardless of the person's experience. Each guideline should explain: What, Why, When, Where, and How.

Empower

The work is deliberately geared towards digital guidelines. Questions should be avoided as much as possible through the use of these guidelines. Missing information and new questions are collected to regularly update the guidelines. If a guideline is missing, this is noted and passed on to the manager. If time allows, the manager creates the guideline directly. Otherwise, a note is made.

Adapt

Guidelines are tested and gradually improved. Changes are marked so that users can easily identify them.

Knowledge Ops Teams

Knowledge Ops teams are teams that implement the Find & Follow system. They consist of all individuals who train others or document processes.

Roles within the team:

• Knowledge

• Champion: One person per team. Creates and maintains guides, identifies knowledge gaps.

• Find & Follow Coaches: They lead the workshops, separate basic knowledge from applicable knowledge, create guidelines and train employees.

• Knowledge Ops Manager: Coordinates the Knowledge Champions and ensures alignment between teams.

Team rules:

• Experienced employees create guides instead of providing direct assistance.

• Managers focus on coaching, not on operational assistance.

• Upper management coordinates guidelines across teams.

• Staff at the front line consistently use guidelines instead of memorizing knowledge.

• Compliance officers and documentation specialists ensure that rules are followed and guidelines are implemented correctly.

Find & Follow Report

A report outlining what content needs to be included in the guidelines. It structures knowledge based on key criteria. The following points should be considered in this report:

• Tasks: The tasks that a role performs. Example: canceling an account.

• Requests: Requests that others make to this role, such as reports.

• Problems: Problems that the role is intended to solve.

• Questions: Questions that employees must be able to answer.

The report consists of a table that leads to the individual areas for which the digital guides are created.

• Topic Areas: Broad categories of activities, such as software or customer segments.

• Activities: Important actions within a topic area, e.g., processing transactions.

• Related Sub-Tasks: Small steps within the activities, e.g., finding accounts or checking data.

• Variables: Factors that influence how an activity is performed, such as customer type or access rights.

• Concepts: Terms or processes that must be understood as a basis.

This creates a complete structure for all tasks, types of knowledge, and training content within the company.

Structure of an F&F Report: