Mitigate the risk of losing engineering expertise and retain your organisation’s knowledge base and workforce capability with practical processes and procedures.
With a looming skills shortage and trends like the great resignation, engineering organisations are at risk of losing invaluable engineering knowledge.
Senior and experienced engineering staff are at or near retirement age. Engineers are in high demand. And experts of all ages are changing jobs. When your organisation loses expert staff, it can weaken your capability. It can also compromise business continuity.
But few organisations really know if they're at risk of losing critical knowledge because:
- they have not identified and specified at-risk capability
- they have not quantified risks associated with specific knowledge loss
- ways to transfer hard-to-write-down knowledge are poorly understood
- knowledge retention planning is rare and ad hoc
This course gives you practical tools and techniques to retain critical engineering knowledge, even when experienced staff leave. You’ll learn how to develop a plan for broader knowledge risk identification, prioritisation, and mitigation in your workplace. And you’ll develop a Personalised Knowledge Transfer Plan for a chosen expert.
After completing this course, you'll know how to identify knowledge risk and have a toolkit of processes and procedures to retain this knowledge and your organisation’s capability.
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*1% credit card surcharge applies.
Any questions?
Contact us
Please register at least two weeks before the scheduled course start date.
We can customise this course for groups of six or more.
You choose the time, place, duration and format.
Find out how we can help you and your team by completing an enquiry form or calling us on +61 3 9321 1700.
- Identify, describe, and quantify 'knowledge risk' in your own organisation
- Assess knowledge risk priorities and plan their mitigation
- Apply a process to identify high-priority experts for targeted knowledge transfer actions
- Develop practical, actionable, individual Knowledge Transfer Plans for key experts
- Receive feedback and guidance on plans to address your key knowledge risks
Is this course for you?
This course is relevant for engineering leaders and experts, human resource managers, workforce planners, capability leads, practice managers and risk managers.
There are no prerequisites for this course.
This highly interactive course is split into two sessions, two weeks apart, to give you time to apply your initial learnings in the workplace and discuss the outcomes.
The sessions will be delivered online in a classroom style environment via Zoom.
Session One
3.5 hours
The opening session introduces concepts and processes that are the foundation of effective knowledge risk management in engineering settings. You’ll be given a toolkit of processes and tasks to try out at work, ahead of session two.
Self-paced learning and application in the workplace
Up to 3-hours, self-paced
Over a two-week period, you’ll focus on applying knowledge risk management in practice. You’ll have guides and a toolkit to follow and develop a thorough understanding of critical concepts. Before session two, you’ll provide some feedback to the facilitator on your progress.
Session Two
3.5 hours
During this session you’ll discuss and review the self-paced learning and application of concepts over the last two weeks. You’ll also learn about advanced knowledge risk management practices to finalise a Knowledge Transfer Plan for an expert, and plan the next steps.
Topics we'll cover
Session One
Getting started
- Knowledge risk and its mitigation
- Challenges in working with ‘knowledge’
- Special issues – knowledge in engineering settings
Identifying knowledge risk in your organisation
- Applying the ICU framework
- Applying the knowledge lifecycle model
Targeted Knowledge Transfer from experts – who, what and how
- Identifying and verifying the expert’s critical, “cant’ buy” knowledge
- How to transfer different types of knowledge
- Who’s the recipient of expert knowledge?
Self-paced learning and application in the workplace
- Apply learnings from session one at work, including methods and processes
- Communicate on progress with the facilitator before session two
Session Two
Review and discussion of workplace knowledge activities
- Surprises?
- What worked?
- What didn’t?
- Implications for your next step?
Finalising the Knowledge Transfer Plan for your expert
- Review and finalisation of a Knowledge Transfer Plan for your chosen expert
Developing your overall knowledge risk approach
- Consolidate your critical knowledge assets – assessment, priorities, and payoffs
- Your target group for dedicated knowledge transfer planning
- Learning from experience (projects, solving unique problems, continuous improvement) – issues in learning identification, sharing and retention
- Next steps for you and your firm
Dr Kate Andrews has focussed on preventing knowledge loss and improving knowledge value for more than a decade. She developed and refined her processes and methods in and for engineering firms. Her interest is in practical tools and techniques firms can apply effectively.
In her consulting practice, Kate’s specialises in knowledge risk mitigation, knowledge strategy and improving knowledge processes in projects.
Kate’s practical experience is complemented by a PhD in knowledge management (QUT 2000). She has lectured at university in this field in Australia and overseas. She has also developed and taught knowledge retention subjects in the Executive Masters of Complex Project Management through QUT.
She has a special interest in knowledge retention in project-based organisations. Kate was a member of the national committee that developed Australia’s original Knowledge Management standard (AS5037–2005). The international standard ISO/DIS 30401 supersedes this standard.
Provided a great insight into the processes of knowledge risk.
Most valuable aspect for me was the identification of what is unique and critical knowledge.
