What to do when tribal knowledge blocks new hires
If new hires keep asking the same questions, the problem isn’t them. It’s missing ownership of knowledge.
Step 1: capture the repeat questions
For one week, log every repeated question. Don’t fix the system yet. Just record the questions and where they came from (Slack channel, incident, ticket).
Step 2: assign owners to the top 10
Every question gets an owner, a short answer, and a source link. If you can’t name the owner, you don’t have an answer.
Step 3: add first checks
For operational questions, include the one dashboard or query that proves impact.
Step 4: close the loop with new hires
Ask new hires to use the answers and report any missing steps. Update immediately.
Step 5: turn repeat questions into backlog items
If the same question appears three times in a month, schedule a fix (runbook update, alert, or service change). Answers are a stopgap; fixes are the goal.
Tribal knowledge fades when you make ownership visible and easy to find.