Whenever we’re asked about the ROI of Knowledge Management, the usual responses quickly emerge — usage analytics from knowledge libraries, downloads, engagement on communities of practice, hours saved by reusing existing content, and the productivity boost from quicker access to information.

And yes, all of these are important. They’re tangible, they’re easy to track, and they speak in a language that leadership often wants to hear.

But here’s the truth we rarely talk about: some of KM’s biggest wins are the ones you can’t always measure on a dashboard.

Click here:

https://www.kminstitute.org/blog/beyond-metrics-the-hidden-roi-of-knowledge-management

Latest Release: New AI Video Series Launched!

Welcome to the new (short-video) series on AI and KM and a sneak peek at the Certified AI Manager (CAIM) class, the ground-breaking new program that's getting rave reviews worldwide.

Not just for Knowledge Managers - this program benefits anyone needing to learn new AI methods to boost performance and future-proof your career.

EPISODE 1: Why We Need an AI Centre of Excellence...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSI_txJx2cU

Hosted by Rooven Pakkiri, acclaimed KMI Instructor for the CKM in Europe and Certified AI Manager classes for Europe and North America.

Three new episodes will be launched in July, and more over the next few months.

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Join us for our next CAIM Class (US): July 28-31

Main CAIM page: https://lnkd.in/e9d-4e52

Details/Registration: https://lnkd.in/e6djCwFR

Check out the Testimonials at the event pages above. Get a (no-obligation) quote today at: training@kminstitute.org

We recently caught up with Rooven Pakkiri, Instructor for the new Certified AI Manager (CAIM™) program, for his thoughts after teaching our first two CAIM™ classes.

Students demonstrated AI in action for tasks like Taxonomy, Information Architecture, and Ticket Deflection, and even used AI to help develop use cases and redesign the AI Centre of Excellence, and their feedback has been tremendous!

Full Article here...

Course Info here...

Next class is June 23-26, details here...

Contact KMI for a quote or more info at: training@kminstitute.org

I just read Toward a Practical Solution for Capturing Knowledge for Software Projects, and honestly, it nailed something I’ve seen over and over: We don’t usually lose knowledge because someone forgot. We lose it because no one captured it while it still mattered.

This paper lays out a simple idea: instead of writing up documentation later, try embedding key knowledge into the work itself. Things like adding reasoning to requirements, linking decision notes to test plans, capturing “why we didn’t do that” right next to the final design.

It’s not just for software. Any project with shifting teams, changing tools, or fast-moving decisions can benefit from this. It reminded me how much time gets wasted rehashing decisions or repeating mistakes, all because the context disappeared.

Have you tried embedding knowledge into live work instead of saving it for after-action reviews? What worked? What didn’t?

Click here to read the article on academia.edu

KMI will update this section with news and updates on a regular basis.

Stay tuned!

We talk a lot about big KM systems and long-term strategies, but sometimes the real magic is in the low-budget, high-impact fixes. What’s a small KM improvement you made (or witnessed) that made a big difference—without a formal budget?

Bonus points if it was scrappy, creative, or duct-taped into greatness.

I’ll share one in the comments, but to kick this off, here’s a short read:

Click here to read the article: What are the quick wins in KM, and where are the long term benefits? (Nick Milton)

Curious to hear what’s worked in your world.

It's been a busy month here at KMI!

We just finished a private Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM) class for US Southern Command in Miami, FL (in person) for a large group of 30 students, May 12-16.

This week, we're running three classes:

CKM Public Class for North America, May 19-23

Certified AI Manager Class for Europe (European Debut), May 19-22

CKS (Specialist) in Knowledge Transfer, May 20-21

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We're excited about the programs coming up in June. See details at www.kminstitute.org. Contact us for today for more info on these programs and much more, at: training@kminstitute.org

Some of our KM Articles we've posted for May:

Innovation Doesn’t Just Happen in Strategy Rooms — it’s Born in the Bylanes of Experience

Click here...

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Why Knowledge Management is Critical for Bid Success and Beyond- A Real World Bid Use Case

Click here...

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Knowledge Summit Dublin

June 23-24, Trinity College Dublin Ireland

Save 10%! Use code: KMI

Details and Registration: https://www.knowledgesummitdublin.com/

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Semantic Data Europe

June 26, London, UK

Save £200! Use code: KMI200

Details and Registration: https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/semantic-data-europe-

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2025/26th European Conference on Knowledge Management

Sep 4-5, Lahti, Finland

Save 20% for in-person attendance; use code: KMWP20

Save 10% for virtual attendance; use code: KMW10V

https://www.academic-conferences.org/conferences/eckm/

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Semantic Data New York 2025

Oct 14, New York Hilton Midtown Hotel

Save $200! Use code: KMI200

Details and Registration: https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/semantic-data-new-york-2025/

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KMWorld 2025 Conference & Expo

Nov 17-20, JW Marriot, Washington DC

Save 30%! Use code: VIPKMI

Details and Registration: https://www.kmworld.com/Conference/2025

Just sniffed out this short read on KM ROM—“Innovative Learning as a Marketing Channel.” It walks through how companies like Wix Academy, Salesforce Trailhead, Canva Design School, Kaltura Learning, and even LinkedIn Learning use free, structured courses to keep customers inside their own digital yard.

A few lines that made my tail wag:

• Learning isn’t just support material; it’s the product demo and the community hook rolled into one.
• The best platforms don’t bury you in PDFs—they map content by role, skill level, or “trail” so you can fetch exactly what you need.
• Gamification (badges, levels, trails) turns “training” into an excuse to come back for another treat.

Have you built—or been pulled into—one of these brand-owned academies? What kept you engaged (or made you bolt)?

We're a small org. I don't have a KM title, but I just spent two days trying to figure out which SOP version was the right one to use and this is not the first time. What lightweight tools/ processes would you recommend to help?

We all know where it should go. Where does it actually go?

Real answers only. Bonus points if it blew up an entire team.

Hi Everyone,

If you have any questions about Creative KM (the class or how to implement it in your organisation) feel free to ask or share experiences in this channel.

I know lots of people have taken the class and are finding ways to bring it into their organisations to create knowledge sharing cultures.

Thanks, Stephanie

FYI: our next Knowledge Transfer Certification class is coming up May 20-21, featuring award-winning KMI Instructor John Hovell!

Class meets online 9am-3pm ET and both days are recorded. This is one of our special classes delivered just a few times/year (next class ETA is Fall, '25). Now is a great time to join us if you can!

Details here...

Our next Business Taxonomy & Ontology Certification class is coming up May 13-14.

Class meets online, 9am-4pm ET and both days are recorded.

Details here...

Have a question for us about KM? We're here to help...

Everyone talks about Knowledge Management like it’s a standard discipline—document the thing, structure the thing, share the thing. But in practice? It’s all over the place.

Some orgs treat KM like a compliance checkbox.

Others expect it to do culture change, onboarding, automation, and lunch ordering all at once.

So let’s reset.

What’s your version of “good KM”?

What do you actually expect a KM function to do?

Bonus points if your answer includes something weird, painful, or wildly aspirational. We’re not judging.

You plan the rollout. Train the team. The process is solid.

But two weeks later, no one’s using it. Or worse—they’re pretending to.

I’ve watched beautifully built KM systems collapse from lack of adoption. Not because the content was wrong, but because the timing was. Or the “why” wasn’t clear. Or the change just… landed cold.

Sometimes a hallway chat works better than a training module.

Sometimes documentation fails because it never had a chance.

So let’s talk real life.

What’s made change stick in your world?

What’s quietly undone it?

(Asking for every KM lead who’s launched a new tool and found out two months later no one clicked past page one.)

We talk a lot about structure, governance, frameworks... but sometimes the best KM solutions don’t look like KM at all.

One time I solved a documentation mess with a quiz. Another time, I used a chatbot to help users avoid the knowledge base entirely.

I’ve seen someone use memes to train agents better than any guide ever could.

So what’s your most creative KM fix? The ones that felt weird but worked.

The ones that made people say “Wait… you did what?”

Bring the hacks, the workarounds, the brilliance dressed in chaos.

Bonus points for unofficial solutions that outperformed the competition or malicious compliance turned into a company win.

You want things labeled and organized, but if the system’s too rigid, people just stop using it. They’ll copy and paste their own versions, start saving outside the tool, or worse… update nothing at all.

I’ve worked on teams with great intent and a terrible folder structure.

We made rules, but no one followed them.

We standardized everything, forgetting to factor in user preference.

Where do you draw the line between structured and flexible?

When is a standard helpful, and when does it just become extra steps?

Most KM systems were built like digital libraries. Static. Indexed. Categorized.

...but that’s not how people learn or share in real life.

The latest shift toward “KM 3.0.” is based in a more interactive sort of knowledge management. Structure unchanged, but searches are enhanced by AI to cater to each user's need. Instead of hunting through folders, you just ask. The response is tailored to your patterns, leading to an intuitive system.

Where can this go wrong? I'd love to hear the "dark side" of this trend.

Relying solely on page views can paint an inaccurate picture of KM effectiveness. It's time to question the metrics we prioritize. Have you encountered situations where traditional metrics didn't reflect the true value of your KM initiatives?

(question inspired by this article on Knowledge Management Metrics to track for business success)

Some argue that labeling knowledge as 'tacit' is a convenient way to avoid documenting it. Is this a valid concern or an oversimplification?

Do you believe the emphasis on tacit knowledge hinders the documentation process in your organization?

If you'd like to know more about Tacit and Explicit knowledge, click this link.

Excited about our next Business Taxonomy & Ontology Certification class!

Join your peers online May 13-14! Earn Certification in this hot topic in just a few days from your home office or work.

Click here for details...

Check out the intro video...