Knowledge Sharing and Integration: Core Activities for Knowledge Management

Knowledge Sharing and Integration: Core Activities for Knowledge Management

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 (incorporating knowledge from different domains, contextual knowledge, and project management knowledge). This concept belongs to the Manage Project Knowledge process, which is part of the Executing Process Group.

Why It Matters for the Exam

The PMI exam frequently tests the distinction between knowledge sharing and integration as the foundational activities enabling both knowledge reuse and creation. Expect scenario-based questions where you must identify which activity (sharing vs. integration) is being performed, or which knowledge type (explicit vs. tacit) is being managed. These questions appear in the Executing Process Group and Resource Management domains.

Key Points to Remember (for the exam)

  • Two Purposes of Knowledge Management: Reusing existing knowledge AND creating new knowledge
  • Two Key Activities: Knowledge sharing AND knowledge integration
  • Knowledge Types: Explicit knowledge (formal, codified, documented) vs. Tacit knowledge (personal, experience-based, hard to transfer)
  • Explicit Knowledge Characteristics: Can be codified using words, pictures, or numbers; includes manuals, procedures, documented processes; easily communicated through databases, registers, and web searches
  • Tacit Knowledge Characteristics: Personal, context-specific, difficult to formalize and communicate; hard to transfer to others or different projects
  • Main Output: Lessons learned register
  • Key Tools for Knowledge Sharing: After-action reviews, in-progress postmortems, storytelling, retrospective meetings, active listening, facilitation, networking

Typical PMI Exam Example

A project manager is leading a complex infrastructure project and wants to ensure that lessons learned from a previous similar project are reused. The team includes members from three different departments with specialized expertise. Which two activities are essential for achieving both knowledge reuse and creation? Answer: Knowledge sharing and integration.

PMI Exam Traps

  • Trap: Confusing knowledge sharing with information distribution

  • Reality: Knowledge sharing is about transferring both explicit AND tacit knowledge; information distribution is one-way delivery of explicit data

  • Trap: Thinking integration only means combining documents

  • Reality: Integration involves incorporating knowledge from different domains, contextual knowledge, AND project management knowledge—it's about synthesis, not just collection

  • Trap: Assuming tacit knowledge is easily captured in databases

  • Reality: Tacit knowledge is personal and difficult to formalize; it requires interpersonal techniques like storytelling and after-action reviews

  • Trap: Focusing only on creating new knowledge while ignoring reuse

  • Reality: Both purposes (reusing existing AND creating new) are equally important and both require sharing and integration

Important PMI Connections

Related ConceptRelationship TypeExam Attention Point
Lessons Learned RegisterOutput of Manage Project KnowledgeContains both explicit and tacit knowledge captured throughout the project
Organizational Process AssetsUpdated by Manage Project KnowledgeLessons learned become assets for future projects
Expert JudgmentTool used in Manage Project KnowledgeSources of tacit knowledge; requires knowledge sharing techniques
Information ManagementTool category for explicit knowledgeIncludes databases, registers, web searches—for codified knowledge only

Quick Review Questions

  1. A project manager wants to ensure that a senior engineer's specialized expertise is available to the team after the engineer leaves the project. Which knowledge type is the manager trying to capture, and which activity is most critical?

  2. During a retrospective meeting, the team discusses what went wrong and identifies improvements. Is this primarily supporting knowledge reuse, knowledge creation, or both?

  3. A lessons learned database contains documented procedures and checklists from previous projects. What type of knowledge does this represent?

  4. A project team includes members from engineering, marketing, and finance. The project manager facilitates a workshop to combine their perspectives on a new product feature. Which key activity is being performed?

  5. After-action reviews and storytelling are examples of tools for managing which type of knowledge?

PMBOK v8 Reference

Section 2.5 - Manage Project Knowledge (Executing Process Group)