When to document what you know

When starting the process of documenting your institutional memory, you will want to be diligent about documenting whatever you can. But there are often so many things to record that the process can seem overwhelming and it can become difficult to remain committed. Here are a few times that can be used as triggering events to give you special reason to renew your attention to preserving your institutional memory:

• New equipment: Any time you add new equipment, document what it is, why you added it, why you chose it over comparable items, and what it does. Note where you got it, how to reach the people who can fix it, and what you'll need to do to maintain it.
  
• New people: The arrival of new people within the institution is an ideal time to note lots of valuable information. How were they chosen? What are the expectations of them? To whom do they report? Who reports to them? Why are they needed? With whom do they cooperate or collaborate? What did they need to be told upon arrival?
  
• New policies: When new policies are instituted, they become a part of the institution. Why were those new policies implemented? What old policies did they replace? Why was a change necessary? Perhaps most easily overlooked: What would make the policy invalid? When should it be reviewed for effectiveness?
  
• Vacations: A vacation for one person is an ideal time for everyone else to assess what the vacationer knows and how it relates to keeping the institution afloat. To auditors, mandatory vacation periods are essential to good internal controls (if someone is away and a sudden change emerges in cash receipts, for instance, it serves as a valuable warning flag that something is awry.) To those hoping to preserve institutional memory, a vacation is a valuable opportunity to discover the gaps left behind in the institution's knowledge and procedures when someone is away.
  
• Seasonal changes: When the seasons change, so do many of our habits and patterns. Just as a farmer does different chores during planting season and during harvest season, so do most institutions have their own seasonal changes. It's vital to record what the institution does to prepare for those seasonal changes, as well as how it behaves differently when those seasons arrive.