Knowledge transfer is characterized by transfer of understanding, about a context, from one unit (individual, team, department, organization) to another. Most organizations, spend a considerable amount of time documenting their understanding so that the knowledge transfer process becomes smooth and efficient. While Agile does not discourage documentation, it does place emphasis on “Working software over comprehensive documentation”. In a series of interesting experiments, Steve Bockman tried to figure out the best way to transfer knowledge in an Agile project.
For the experiment, Steve tried to transfer knowledge about a product which was an unusual paper plane in three ways. He used the following strategies,
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Documentation - The workers were given written instructions (22 steps worth) for building the airplane.
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Reverse Engineering - The workers were given a completed airplane which they could study in order to reproduce the steps required to build it.
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Mentoring - The “chief designer” built an airplane step by step and the workers replicated each step as it was performed.
The experiment was conducted with 8 participants for a total duration of 5 minutes for each scenario. The results were amazing.
Only 12.5 % people were able to complete the assignment by referring to the documentation. Using the reverse engineering method, 25% of the participants were successful and with the mentoring method 100% of the participants were successful.
This certainly points in the direction of healthy communication and mentoring as the best way to transfer and share knowledge. Steve added that this principle holds even more value for software development which is based on constant communication and feedback. According to him,
Let’s say I’m a developer who has discovered, and written the code to implement, a technique for binding some data to the controls in a user interface, and that this technique forms a pattern that my fellow developers want to know about. If you were one of my fellow developers, would you rather I (a) gave you a document I had written about the technique, (b) told you where the code was and suggested you figure it out for yourself, or (c) paired with you to implement the pattern for a new set of data?
Young Ye and Royce Fay, suggested another way of efficient knowledge transfer using Asymmetric pair Programming. The essence of this method is that apart from pair programming between developers, it also happens between developers and domain users. Again, the stress being on human communication than documentation.
One of the well known benefits of pair programming is quick knowledge sharing and transfer. Agreeing with this, Alan Skorkin suggested,
The most important benefit in my opinion is the fact that pairing is highly conducive to organic knowledge transfer (”pairing is knowledge sharing” for the poet in you). I believe this is key since in a large system there is literally no other way to do this well.
Thus, there is a general agreement that the best way to transfer knowledge is by communication, mentor-ship and working together. Though, some amount of documentation might be helpful, but solely relying on documentation would yield limited benefits.
FAQs
There are many methods that can be used to transfer knowledge, including training sessions, coaching, mentoring, documentation, and job shadowing.
What is the most effective way of knowledge sharing in a team in Agile? ›
The Agile cultural infrastructure includes values such as cooperation and knowledge sharing. Visualization is a communication technique used to manage knowledge in a visible and accessible form. This strategy helps Agile teams to support tacit knowledge sharing among team members.
What technique promotes Agile knowledge sharing? ›
Implement regular team meetings like stand-ups or retrospectives for sharing insights and learning. Encourage pair programming or cross-functional workshops to facilitate skill transfer. Create a shared digital space for documenting knowledge and best practices.
What are the three main types of knowledge transfer? ›
Sharing knowledge in organizations is a powerful driver of organizational growth and innovation. And every organization has three key kinds of knowledge: explicit (clear, written rules), implicit (learned from hands-on experience), and tacit (personal wisdom and insights).
What are the 5 types of transfer of learning? ›
Transfer taxonomies
| Type | Characteristics |
|---|
| Positive | Positive transfer occurs when prior learning assists new learning. |
| Negative | Negative transfer occurs when prior learning hinders or interferes with new learning. |
| Zero | Zero transfer occurs when prior learning has no influence on new learning. |
8 more rowsKnowledge sharing is the process of transferring information, skills or understanding between people and organisations. Crucially, it contributes towards organisational learning. Agile organisations rely on knowledge as a core resource that underpins all products and services.
What are the top 5 agile techniques? ›
There are 5 main Agile methodologies: Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), Lean Development e Crystal.
What is the agile learning strategy? ›
Agile learning is an approach to training development that emphasizes speed, flexibility, and collaboration. As a method of project management, agile learning came from lean manufacturing and software development.
How do you collaborate in agile? ›
Below are seven steps I've developed to help form successful agile partnerships:
- Focus on teams and collaboration. ...
- Prioritize customer and partner value. ...
- Break project work into small digestible tasks. ...
- Embrace experimentation and change. ...
- Take small risks. ...
- Accelerate time-to-value. ...
- Think agile.
Explicit knowledge is easy to articulate, communicate, and store. Tacit knowledge: is personal knowledge embedded in individuals from their experiences and involves intangible elements, such as personal beliefs, perspectives, and values.
A knowledge transfer plan systematically identifies, captures, and documents critical information from experts across a business. It also ensures that this information is structured, stored, and transferred to everyone who could benefit from it.
What is the difference between knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer? ›
In the literature, knowledge sharing is often confused with knowledge transfer. According to Tangaraja et al. (2016) , knowledge transferring is a broader concept as compared to knowledge sharing and knowledge sharing itself is one of the processes involved in knowledge transfer. ... ...
What are the 4 aspects of knowledge? ›
The four areas of knowledge include self-knowledge, academic knowledge, occupational knowledge and decision-making knowledge. Utilizing these four areas will help students with the decision-making process for deciding a major.
What are the four components of knowledge translation? ›
Formally, knowledge translation is defined by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as a dynamic and iterative process that includes the synthesis, dissemination, exchange and ethically sound application of knowledge to improve health, provide more effective health services and products, and strengthen the health ...
How 4 categories of knowledge differ from one another? ›
The first two types factual and conceptual, constitute knowledge of what,and the last two type, procedural and metacognitive constitute knowledge of how to. Similarly, factual and procedural knowledge constitute low level knowledge whereas conceptual and metacognitive constitute high level knowledge.
