Why having a knowledge base is important

Having a knowledge base is crucial for businesses and organizations because it allows for the centralized storage and organization of important information and expertise. This can include customer support documentation, company policies and procedures, product information, and more. With a well-organized knowledge base, employees can easily access the information they need to perform their jobs effectively, reducing errors and improving productivity. Dan dalam lingkungan hari ini, menjadi semakin penting – setelah semua,  hampir setengah karyawan berjuang untuk menemukan informasi yang mereka butuhkan untuk melakukan pekerjaan mereka.

Additionally, a knowledge base can help to standardize processes and procedures across the organization, ensuring consistency and quality in service delivery. Ultimately, a knowledge base is a powerful tool for improving collaboration, communication, and knowledge-sharing within an organization, leading to improved performance and better outcomes.

7 steps to building a knowledge base

Step 1: Conduct research to determine knowledge base need

Understanding the utility of a knowledge base is one thing. Deciding on the purpose your knowledge base will fill for your organization is another. 

The first step in setting up a knowledge base is to determine the need your knowledge base will fulfill. Think about your audience. Do you want your knowledge base to support your employees, your customers, or both? Once you know which audience(s) you want your knowledge base(s) to serve, research where the biggest gaps in knowledge exist.

• What questions or topics do your employees or customers ask most often?
• What department is overwhelmed by requests for information on a consistent basis?
• What is your current response rate to employee and client questions and is that response rate getting longer?
• Apakah produktivitas di dalam organisasi Anda menurun karena informasi tidak dapat dibagikan dengan efisien?
• What serious gaps would exist if certain company employees left the organization and took their knowledge with them?

 The answers to those questions will help you understand if you do need a knowledge base and to begin thinking about how it should be structured.

Step 2: Determine type of knowledge base

Once you know that you need a knowledge base, you must determine what type of knowledge base would best serve your needs. There are six common types of knowledge bases. To decide on the type of knowledge base you may want to create, think about the audience the knowledge base will serve, how accessible you want the knowledge base to be to the general public, and whether you will host the knowledge base on your company server or rely on a provider to host it.

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Step 3: Develop knowledge base structure

Organization is a key component in creating an organizational structure for a knowledge base. You want all users to be able to quickly and easily find what they are looking for. Mengembangkan struktur basis pengetahuan Anda di awal proses Anda tidak hanya akan membantu Anda mengorganisir konten Anda seiring pertumbuhan basis pengetahuan Anda, tetapi juga akan menginformasikan desain navigasi dan membantu menjadikannya lebih intuitif bagi pengguna.

There are a number of different ways you can choose to organize your knowledge base:

• User Type or Role: When you have different users or customer types, organizing your knowledge base by role is effective. Your users would be able to quickly tap into the knowledge that would be specific to them. Sebagai contoh, sebuah [basis pengetahuan HR](http://Step 3: Develop knowledge base structure Organization is a key component in creating an organizational structure for a knowledge base. You want all users to be able to quickly and easily find what they are looking for. Developing your knowledge base structure at the beginning of your process will not only help you organize your content as your knowledge base grows, but will inform navigation design and help make it more intuitive for users..  There are a number of different ways you can choose to organize your knowledge base:  User Type or Role: When you have different users or customer types, organizing your knowledge base by role is effective. Your users would be able to quickly tap into the knowledge that would be specific to them. For example, an HR knowledge base could be organized by breaking out specific information about your company with designated sections aimed at contractors, full-time employees, and part-time employees. Activity: If your audiences who will use the knowledge base need specific information about actions to take, organizing your knowledge base by activity works well. For example,  a knowledge base for a large travel agency may be organized by activities like planning your trip, booking tickets, and contacting an agent. Stage/ Experience of User: When you organize by stage or the experience of the user, the user of your knowledge base is quickly able to match their needs with your information. For example, a knowledge base for an online service may be organized by stages like getting started, upgrading service, and user tutorials. Product Type: You could also organize your knowledge base by product type. Sebagai contoh, sebuah bisnis furnitur mungkin mengorganisir basis pengetahuan mereka berdasarkan furnitur ruang tamu, furnitur kamar tidur, furnitur anak-anak, dan furnitur kantor.   Basis pengetahuan Anda akan terus berubah seiring dengan berkembangnya konten Anda, diedit, atau diarsipkan. Itulah mengapa penting untuk membuat kategori Anda cukup luas untuk mencakup berbagai konten yang dapat ditempatkan dalam subkategori berdasarkan topik atau tema.   Langkah 4: Menetapkan SMEs untuk membuat konten Basis pengetahuan Anda membutuhkan aliran konten yang menarik dan menarik secara konstan yang memenuhi kebutuhan khusus audiens Anda. Para ahli materi pelajaran (SMEs) dan seorang editor yang ditunjuk (atau dua) harus bertanggung jawab untuk mengembangkan konten untuk memastikan kualitas, akurasi, dan keefektifan semua konten dalam basis pengetahuan Anda yang didistribusikan kepada karyawan dan / atau klien Anda. Inilah cara proses itu bisa bekerja:  Manajer basis pengetahuan menentukan konten yang diperlukan untuk setiap kategori. The manager outlines the purpose of each piece of content, the primary messaging, keywords, and the call to action for each article. They also set the deadlines and are responsible for assigning content development to SMEs. SMEs are responsible for using their specialized knowledge to create content that follows the directions outlined by the knowledge base manager. SMEs also review edited content for accuracy. Editors review the content provided by SMEs and correct for spelling, grammar, style, and readability.  Because you will likely have more than one SME writing content for your knowledge base, you will need a style guide to make sure your content is consistent in look, tone, and feel regardless of who is writing or editing that content. Your marketing or communications department likely has a style guide that includes guidelines for punctuation, brand style, formatting, and more.   Step 5: Write knowledge resources You want to be sure your content is easy to understand and that your SMEs provide that content in an efficient manner. To do both, provide them with writing directions that cover these basics:  Clarity: Use action-based headlines to help your audience know at-a-glance what the content will explain. Explain all jargon or technical terms in clear language. Readability: Readers prefer content that provides information at-a-glance. That means paragraphs should be short and blocks of text should be broken up with headings, subheadings, bullets or numbered lists where applicable. Engagement: Include images, charts, infographics, or videos within content or as stand-alone content to increase engagement. Utility: Be sure to link to related articles within your knowledge base. This will help your audience easily find other resources that fully answer their questions. Value: Every piece of content in your knowledge base should offer a valuable solution or insight.   Step 6: Upload resources to shared platform A shared knowledge base platform is a software system that makes it easy for information to flow from your knowledge base to those who need it. The shared platform you choose will include the tools that extend the functionality of your knowledge base. For example, the shared platform software could include search tools, file sharing, analytics and reporting, a user feedback system, and more. The shared platform you choose should also be able to scale with the growth of your knowledge base.  Step 7: Update content often Updating content will be a regular activity in order to keep your knowledge base relevant and useful. Bergantung pada sistem perangkat lunak basis pengetahuan Anda yang memiliki analitik bawaan untuk membantu. The data you review will help you better understand:  The type of information people are accessing  How search traffic on once-popular articles changes When an article was first published and updated  Plan to have your SMEs review all content (on a rolling basis) throughout the year in order to update, optimize, or retire content as necessary. In addition, you should plan to update relevant content any time your company policies, products, or changes to your services.) could be organized by breaking out specific information about your company with designated sections aimed at contractors, full-time employees, and part-time employees.
• Activity: If your audiences who will use the knowledge base need specific information about actions to take, organizing your knowledge base by activity works well. For example,  a knowledge base for a large travel agency may be organized by activities like planning your trip, booking tickets, and contacting an agent.
• Stage/ Experience of User: When you organize by stage or the experience of the user, the user of your knowledge base is quickly able to match their needs with your information. For example, a knowledge base for an online service may be organized by stages like getting started, upgrading service, and user tutorials.
• Product Type: You could also organize your knowledge base by product type. Sebagai contoh, sebuah bisnis furnitur mungkin mengorganisir basis pengetahuan mereka berdasarkan furnitur ruang tamu, furnitur kamar tidur, furnitur anak-anak, dan furnitur kantor. 

Your knowledge base will constantly change as your content expands, is edited, or archived. Itulah mengapa penting untuk membuat kategori Anda cukup luas untuk mencakup berbagai konten yang dapat ditempatkan dalam subkategori berdasarkan topik atau tema.

Step 4: Establish SMEs to create content

Your knowledge base requires a constant inflow of interesting and engaging content that specifically meets the needs of your audiences. Para ahli materi pelajaran (SMEs) dan seorang editor yang ditunjuk (atau dua) harus bertanggung jawab untuk mengembangkan konten untuk memastikan kualitas, akurasi, dan keefektifan semua konten dalam basis pengetahuan Anda yang didistribusikan kepada karyawan dan / atau klien Anda. Inilah cara proses itu bisa bekerja:

• The knowledge base manager determines the content necessary for each category. The manager outlines the purpose of each piece of content, the primary messaging, keywords, and the call to action for each article. They also set the deadlines and are responsible for assigning content development to SMEs.
• SMEs are responsible for using their specialized knowledge to create content that follows the directions outlined by the knowledge base manager. SMEs also review edited content for accuracy.
• Editors review the content provided by SMEs and correct for spelling, grammar, style, and readability.

Because you will likely have more than one SME writing content for your knowledge base, you will need a style guide to make sure your content is consistent in look, tone, and feel regardless of who is writing or editing that content. Your marketing or communications department likely has a style guide that includes guidelines for punctuation, brand style, formatting, and more. See how a knowledge manager can help create and enforce guidelines.

Step 5: Write knowledge resources

You want to be sure your content is easy to understand and that your SMEs provide that content in an efficient manner. To do both, provide them with writing directions that cover these basics:

• Clarity: Use action-based headlines to help your audience know at-a-glance what the content will explain. Explain all jargon or technical terms in clear language.
• Readability: Readers prefer content that provides information at-a-glance. That means paragraphs should be short and blocks of text should be broken up with headings, subheadings, bullets or numbered lists where applicable.
• Engagement: Include images, charts, infographics, or videos within content or as stand-alone content to increase engagement.
• Utility: Be sure to link to related articles within your knowledge base. This will help your audience easily find other resources that fully answer their questions.
• Value: Every piece of content in your knowledge base should offer a valuable solution or insight. 

Step 6: Upload resources to shared platform

A shared knowledge base platform is a software system that makes it easy for information to flow from your knowledge base to those who need it. The shared platform you choose will include the tools that extend the functionality of your knowledge base. For example, the shared platform software could include search tools, file sharing, analytics and reporting, a user feedback system, and more. The shared platform you choose should also be able to scale with the growth of your knowledge base.

Step 7: Update content often

Updating content will be a regular activity in order to keep your knowledge base relevant and useful. Bergantung pada sistem perangkat lunak basis pengetahuan Anda yang memiliki analitik bawaan untuk membantu. The data you review will help you better understand:

• The type of information people are accessing 
• How search traffic on once-popular articles changes
• When an article was first published and updated

Rencanakan agar SME Anda meninjau semua konten (secara berkala) sepanjang tahun untuk memperbarui, mengoptimalkan, atau menghentikan konten jika diperlukan. Selain itu, Anda harus merencanakan untuk memperbarui konten yang relevan setiap kali kebijakan perusahaan, produk, atau perubahan pada layanan Anda. Mesin verifikasi Guru memastikan pengetahuan Anda selalu terbaru.

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