202110231440 Knowledge is the backbone of a product organization

One of the single most significant contributing factors to the success of a product organization is its collective knowledge.¹ There are two kinds of knowledge in an organization:

1. 202110231457 Tacit knowledge is what people understand in their own minds. It is not commemorated anywhere permanent.
2. 202110231459 Explicit knowledge is commemorated and defined, allowing others to find and share in it.

It's a good idea for organizations to turn the tacit knowledge of their individuals into explicit knowledge so that it lives beyond the tenure of the individual (202202011405 Teams abstract individuals over time and 202204301406 Teams should own critical knowledge).

202110231449 Externalization of knowledge in the 202110231445 The SECI model of organizational knowledge also shows how making knowledge explicit enables it to grow organically.