Knowledge Management: Connecting People to Create Knowledge

PMBOK v8 Definition

Knowledge management is concerned with managing both explicit and tacit knowledge for two purposes: reusing existing knowledge and creating new knowledge. The key activities that underpin both purposes are knowledge sharing and integration. Knowledge management tools and techniques connect people so they can work together to create new knowledge, share tacit knowledge, and integrate the knowledge of diverse team members. This is performed through the Manage Project Knowledge process, which belongs to the Executing Process Group and the Project Resource Management Knowledge Area.

Why It Matters for the Exam

Knowledge management questions appear frequently in PMI exams, particularly in situational questions where the project manager must decide how to capture, share, or integrate knowledge across the team. The exam tests your ability to distinguish between explicit and tacit knowledge management approaches, and to identify which tools connect people to information versus tools that connect people to people.

Key Points to Remember (for the exam)

Two Knowledge Types: Explicit knowledge is formal, systematic, and can be readily codified using words, pictures, or numbers (manuals, procedures, documented processes). Tacit knowledge is personal, context-specific, and difficult to articulate or codify.
Two Knowledge Purposes: Knowledge management serves two purposes—reusing existing knowledge and creating new knowledge. Both purposes rely on knowledge sharing and integration.
Tools Connecting People to Information: These tools are effective for sharing simple, unambiguous, codified explicit knowledge. Examples include: methods for codifying explicit knowledge (e.g., producing lessons-to-be-learned entries for the lessons learned register), lessons learned register, library services, information gathering (web searches, published articles), and the project management information system (PMIS) with document management systems.
Enhancing Information Tools: Tools that connect people to information can be enhanced by adding an element of interaction (e.g., including a “contact me” function so users can get in touch with the originators of the lessons and ask for advice specific to their project and context).
Interaction and Support: Asking for help is generally quicker and easier than trying to identify search terms. Search terms are often difficult to select because people may not know which keywords or phrases to use.
Key Objective: An important objective of knowledge management is converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge when possible.
Process Integration: Knowledge and information management tools and techniques should be connected to project processes and process owners.

Typical PMI Exam Example

A project manager is leading a complex software development project with team members from three different countries. The project has completed its first phase, and the lessons learned review revealed that several team members had developed unique solutions to coding challenges. The project manager wants to ensure these solutions are available for future phases. Which approach should the project manager take?

Answer: Use knowledge management tools that connect people to information, such as documenting the solutions in the lessons learned register and storing them in the PMIS with a “contact me” function to allow future team members to reach the solution originators for context-specific advice.

PMI Exam Traps

Trap: Confusing explicit knowledge with tacit knowledge management tools Reality: Explicit knowledge uses codification tools (registers, databases, documents); tacit knowledge requires people-to-people interaction and collaboration
Trap: Assuming all lessons learned are captured only at project closure Reality: Determining how and when lessons learned and retrospectives will be conducted throughout the project helps support knowledge management
Trap: Thinking knowledge management is only about storing information Reality: Knowledge management has two purposes—reusing existing knowledge AND creating new knowledge through sharing and integration
Trap: Believing that search tools alone are sufficient for knowledge access Reality: Asking for help is generally quicker and easier than identifying search terms; interaction enhances information access

Important PMI Connections

Related Concept	Relationship Type	Exam Attention Point
Lessons Learned Register	Key Output of Manage Project Knowledge	Contains codified explicit knowledge from lessons-to-be-learned entries
PMIS (Project Management Information System)	Key Tool for Knowledge Management	Includes document management systems for storing explicit knowledge
Organizational Process Assets	Input/Output Relationship	Knowledge created during the project becomes organizational process assets for future projects
Quality Assurance	Related Process	Both processes benefit from knowledge sharing to prevent variances in otherwise stable projects

Quick Review Questions

What are the two purposes of knowledge management according to PMBOK v8?
Which type of knowledge is best shared through tools that connect people to information, and which type requires connecting people to people?
How can tools that connect people to information be enhanced to improve knowledge transfer?
What is the key objective of knowledge management regarding tacit and explicit knowledge?
Why is asking for help often more effective than using search terms for finding relevant information?

PMBOK v8 Reference

Section 2.1.6.6 - Manage Project Knowledge (Executing Process Group, Project Resource Management Knowledge Area)