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4 Knowledge Capture and Codifi cation

If written directions alone would suffi ce, libraries wouldn ’ t need to have the rest of the universi-
ties attached.
— Judith Martin (1938 – )

This chapter addresses the fi rst phase of the knowledge management cycle, knowledge
capture and/or creation. The major approaches, techniques, and tools used to elicit
tacit knowledge, to trigger the creation of new knowledge, and to subsequently orga-
nize this content in a systematic manner (codifi cation) are presented. These approaches
represent a multidisciplinary methodology that integrates what we have found to be
successful in a variety of other fi elds such as knowledge acquisition for the develop-
ment of expert systems, instructional design techniques for course content creation
and organization, task analysis techniques used in the development of performance
support systems, and taxonomic approaches that originate from library and informa-
tion studies. Knowledge capture and codifi cation are the primary activities involved
in knowledge retention strategies and the management of strategic human capital.

Learning Objectives

1. Become familiar with the basic terminology and concepts related to knowledge
capture and codifi cation.
2. Describe the major techniques used to elicit tacit knowledge from subject matter
experts.
3. Defi ne the major roles and responsibilities that come into play during the knowl-
edge capture and codifi cation phase.
4. Outline the general taxonomic approaches used in classifying knowledge that has
been captured.