Knowledge management best practices in 2025: What IT teams should know
Turn your IT knowledge assets into a strategic advantage with tested approaches with Freshservice.
Oct 29, 20259 MIN READ
Support teams accumulate critical insights about your systems, services, and technology usage through daily interactions with end users. They often develop a more comprehensive understanding of how technology functions in practice than those who initially designed the systems. This perspective creates valuable organizational knowledge that, when properly managed, can transform service delivery and operational efficiency.
Capturing and sharing this expertise across the organization presents significant challenges. Knowledge management (KM) provides the framework and tools to systematically preserve, organize, and distribute this information. Read on to learn some ITSM knowledge management best practices in 2025.
What is ITSM knowledge management?
ITSM knowledge management involves systematically capturing, storing, and sharing valuable information within an IT service management (ITSM) framework. This process ensures that critical knowledge is readily accessible to support teams, enabling them to resolve issues efficiently and improve service delivery. By managing knowledge effectively, organizations can reduce the time spent searching for information, minimize errors, and enhance overall customer satisfaction.
Why is knowledge management important?
Knowledge management is important because it centralizes an organization's information and expertise to create consistent, well-informed employee support. Without a knowledge management system in place, your support operations may become disjointed, and agents may be left scrambling to find the resources they need to operate. You may also be prone to information silos, which are systems that manage information but can't communicate with other systems. These leave employees in the dark without access to the right resources.
Effective knowledge management practices can help avoid redundancy, reduce time spent on problem-solving, and enhance decision-making processes. This improves productivity and agility in adapting to market changes, giving your organization a significant competitive advantage.
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What are the key elements of a strong knowledge management system?
Understanding the foundational components ensures your system delivers reliable, accessible information when teams need it most.
Effective knowledge management systems require five interconnected elements working together.
Knowledge capture establishes processes for documenting insights from support interactions, project outcomes, and expert contributions.
Organization structures this information logically, grouping related content to facilitate discovery and understanding.
Taxonomy provides the classification framework that enables users to navigate the knowledge base intuitively.
Searchability ensures teams can locate specific information quickly through robust search functionality and metadata tagging.
Governance defines ownership, maintenance responsibilities, and quality standards that keep knowledge accurate and current over time.
These elements transform scattered information into an asset. Organizations that implement comprehensive frameworks report improved resolution times and reduced duplicate efforts across support teams.
12 knowledge management best practices
Let's learn some best practices for knowledge management that you can use to help your organization succeed.
1. Align knowledge management with company goals
When you identify your company's broader objectives, you can align your knowledge management by prioritizing knowledge activities that directly contribute to key performance indicators and long-term success. Alignment informs resource allocation, ensuring that efforts are focused on areas that will have the most significant impact on business growth and competitive advantage.
2. Determine the right knowledge management system for your business
When choosing a knowledge management system, consider the cost, ease of implementation, scalability, usability, and integration capabilities of the systems you are researching. Conducting a cost-benefit or SWOT analysis can help you determine your exact needs and guide your selection.
3. Maintain your knowledge base
Your knowledge management system is only as useful as the knowledge base it hosts. Proper maintenance includes the following:
Scheduling regular updates to keep information accurate and relevant
Creating guidelines, like a style guide, for recording valuable knowledge to keep it consistent and coherent across the board
Collecting user feedback
Conducting regular content audits to determine both specific and overarching areas for improvement
4. Leverage social media
Organizations can use social media platforms to create internal groups or forums where employees can exchange ideas, ask questions, and share knowledge. For example, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom are user-friendly platforms that enable easy communication and support for ITSM.
5. Document everything
Documenting processes, procedures, best practices, and lessons learned ensures that useful information is recorded and preserved for employees' future reference. This practice helps onboard new agents and maintain consistency and quality across your organization.
To encourage meticulous documentation, provide templates, tools, and training. This will ensure that all critical knowledge is systematically recorded and easily accessible.
6. Build a culture built around learning
Building a culture that prioritizes continuous learning and development is one of the best ways to increase revenue and productivity. Encourage employees to seek out new knowledge and share their expertise. Provide opportunities for training, professional development, and knowledge-sharing sessions to reinforce the importance of learning.
When employees see that their organization values and supports their growth, they are better equipped to provide excellent IT support. Additionally, they will be more likely to contribute to a vibrant knowledge-sharing environment.
7. Regularly audit knowledge
Regular audits of your organization's knowledge assets help ensure the information remains accurate, relevant, and valuable. Proper auditing can involve the following practices:
Reviewing the knowledge base for outdated content
Identifying knowledge gaps
Assessing the effectiveness of knowledge management strategy and practices
Monitoring performance metrics
Adapting knowledge to emerging technologies or new organizational priorities
This process enables organizations to keep their knowledge repository up to date and aligned with current business needs and industry standards. Conducting regular audits also brings to light areas for improvement.
8. Measure the knowledge metrics
Accurate knowledge metrics are essential for understanding the effectiveness of your knowledge management efforts. To track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to knowledge usage and impact, employ reporting and analytics tools.
Free tools for knowledge base enable you to gain valuable insights into how well your knowledge management solution serves your organization. It does so by analyzing metrics such as the number of knowledge base views, article usage frequency, and resolution rates of issues using knowledge articles.
9. Leverage AI and automation
AI-powered tools can help organize, categorize, and retrieve information more efficiently than humans, reducing the time and effort required for manual management practices. These tools can also create information and contribute to a larger knowledge base. Automation can streamline routine tasks, such as content updates and distribution, letting employees focus on more complex activities that AI cannot do.
10. Create well-defined knowledge policies
A clear framework is necessary for managing and sharing information within any organization. Policies should outline the procedures for each step of the knowledge management process, as well as the related roles and responsibilities of employees. Clear guidelines ensure consistency, security, and compliance with regulatory requirements. They should be updated as needed to keep up with any advancements or changes.
11. Encourage knowledge sharing
When leaders actively participate in and champion knowledge management best practices, it sets the tone for the rest of the organization. By demonstrating a commitment to sharing knowledge and engaging in learning opportunities, company leaders can inspire a culture where employees do the same. Effective leadership also involves providing and using knowledge management resources to encourage widespread participation.
12. Give employee incentives
The success of your knowledge management system depends almost entirely on your employees. By offering rewards, recognition, or career advancement opportunities for employees who actively contribute to and use your knowledge management system, you can motivate others to do the same.
Incentives can take various forms, such as financial bonuses, public acknowledgment, or access to exclusive training programs. Once employees understand the personal advantages of using the system, they will be more likely to contribute to its success.
ITSM and ITIL-aligned knowledge management practices
Having established core best practices, let's examine how knowledge management integrates with established IT service management frameworks.
Knowledge management plays a central role in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes by providing the information foundation that supports efficient service delivery. In incident management, agents access documented solutions to resolve issues quickly without reinventing solutions. Problem management relies on knowledge articles that capture root cause analyses, preventing recurring incidents.
Change management benefits when teams document configuration details and implementation procedures. This reduces risk by ensuring everyone follows validated approaches. Service request fulfillment accelerates when standard procedures exist in searchable formats that both agents and end users can access.
The ITIL framework specifically identifies knowledge management as a practice that enables other processes. Organizations that align their knowledge management efforts with ITIL principles create consistent service delivery while continuously improving based on documented lessons learned.
How to implement knowledge management best practices
Moving from understanding to action requires a structured implementation approach that addresses both technical and cultural dimensions.
Assess current state: Evaluate existing knowledge resources and identify gaps in documentation coverage. This baseline helps you prioritize where to focus initial efforts and measure progress over time.
Define governance structure: Establish clear roles for content creation, review, and approval. Assign knowledge managers who champion the initiative and ensure standards are followed consistently across teams.
Select appropriate tools: Choose a knowledge management platform that integrates with your existing ITSM tools and supports your team's workflow. The system should make contributing and finding information easier than the current methods.
Create foundational content: Document your most common issues and their resolutions first. This delivers immediate value and demonstrates the system's usefulness to encourage broader adoption.
Train and support users: Provide hands-on training that shows agents how to search effectively and contribute new articles. Ongoing support helps overcome resistance and builds confidence in using the system.
Monitor and iterate: Track usage metrics and gather feedback to identify what works and what needs adjustment. Continuous improvement based on real usage patterns ensures the system evolves with your needs.
Use Freshservice, a proven framework for implementing knowledge management best practices.
How do organizations track knowledge management performance? Metrics and KPIs for KM
Understanding whether your knowledge management efforts succeed requires measuring specific indicators that connect to business outcomes.
First-contact resolution rate: Track the percentage of issues resolved during initial contact without escalation. Higher rates indicate your knowledge base provides agents with the information they need to solve problems immediately.
Average resolution time: Measure how long it takes to close tickets. Effective knowledge management reduces this metric by eliminating time spent searching for solutions or waiting for expert input.
Knowledge reuse rate: Monitor how often existing articles get referenced during ticket resolution. High reuse rates show your content addresses real needs and agents trust its accuracy.
Self-service success rate: Calculate the percentage of users who resolve issues through the knowledge base without contacting support. This metric directly demonstrates return on investment (ROI) by reducing ticket volume.
Article feedback scores: Collect ratings on whether articles helped resolve issues. This qualitative data identifies content that needs improvement and validates what works well.
Content coverage gaps: Identify issues that lack documented solutions. These gaps guide content creation priorities and reveal emerging problems that need attention.
These metrics prove the value of knowledge management investments and highlight opportunities for continuous improvement. Regular reporting keeps stakeholders informed and maintains organizational commitment to knowledge initiatives.
Enhance your knowledge management capabilities today with Freshservice!
Effective knowledge management is crucial for the IT team to provide quality service and maintain a competitive edge in any industry. Freshservice offers a cost-effective, scalable ITSM solution to help your organization capture, share, and utilize information efficiently.
With its intuitive interface and robust features, Freshservice makes it easy for teams to document processes, store critical knowledge, and access information on demand. It offers ready-to-use AI and automation without coding, and it integrates seamlessly with thousands of apps to maximize your knowledge management capabilities.
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FAQs related to knowledge management best practices
What is knowledge management?
Knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing an organization's knowledge and information. It involves systematically capturing and distributing knowledge to improve performance and achieve business objectives.
Why is knowledge management important?
Knowledge management is important because it centralizes an organization’s information and expertise to support consistent, well-informed ITSM. It can help avoid redundancy, reduce time spent on problem-solving, and enhance decision-making processes.
How can I encourage knowledge sharing within my organization?
Encouraging knowledge sharing involves implementing incentives, providing user-friendly platforms that facilitate easy sharing, and creating a culture that values collaboration. Company leadership should model knowledge-sharing behaviors and emphasize their importance through regular communication and training, motivating employees to share their expertise.
How often should knowledge be updated?
Knowledge should be updated depending on the nature of the information and the pace of change within your industry. For fast-evolving fields like technology or healthcare, updates might be needed monthly or quarterly. In more stable industries, annual updates may suffice.
Why is implementing knowledge management important for ITSM and business operations?
Knowledge management transforms how IT teams deliver services by centralizing critical information that accelerates incident resolution and reduces repeated work. When support staff access documented solutions instantly, they resolve issues faster and maintain consistent service quality across all interactions. Your business gains competitive advantages through faster response times, better resource utilization, and the ability to scale support operations without proportional increases in staffing costs.
How does the ITIL framework influence knowledge management best practices?
ITIL establishes knowledge management as a core practice within its service value system. The framework provides structured approaches for capturing and sharing knowledge aligned with incident, problem, and change management activities. Following ITIL guidance helps organizations implement standardized knowledge management processes that integrate with existing workflows. This ensures knowledge activities support service improvement objectives while maintaining consistency with recognized industry standards.
What are common challenges when implementing knowledge management practices?
Organizations face employee resistance when documentation is viewed as extra work rather than value-adding. Cultural barriers and limited time result in incomplete information, undermining system credibility. Technical challenges include selecting appropriate platforms, establishing effective search functionality, and maintaining content quality. Clear governance structures and demonstrating tangible benefits help address these obstacles and motivate participation.
How can knowledge management practices improve incident resolution and support metrics?
Knowledge bases enable technicians to access proven solutions immediately, reducing research time and escalations. This decreases average resolution time and increases first-contact resolution rates. Consistent application of documented procedures reduces errors and ensures all team members follow best practices regardless of experience level, improving service quality, preventing incidents, and enhancing customer satisfaction scores.
What are the benefits of strong knowledge management practices?
Effective knowledge management reduces operational costs by minimizing time spent searching for information. It also eliminates duplicate problem-solving efforts. Strong practices preserve institutional knowledge when employees leave, preventing critical information loss that disrupts operations. Organizations experience improved service consistency, faster onboarding for new staff, and enhanced ability to scale support operations as business needs grow.
What are the security and compliance considerations in knowledge management best practices?
Knowledge repositories often contain sensitive information about system configurations, security procedures, and business processes that require appropriate access controls. Your organization must implement role-based permissions so that only authorized personnel can view or modify specific content categories. Compliance requirements may mandate retention policies, audit trails, and documentation standards for certain types of knowledge content. Regular reviews of access permissions and clear guidelines about what information can be documented help you maintain security while enabling effective knowledge sharing.