Capture practical know-how in conversation
"Please describe your work" quickly leads to a list of tasks. You learn more when the person explains a concrete case. Ask about decisions, exceptions and the information that mattered.
Part of this knowledge is used every day without having been written down. The term tacit knowledge is also used for it. Conversations make connections accessible; for practical skills, working through tasks together may be needed as well.
Begin with a recent, suitable case
Choose a case that is appropriate and permitted to discuss. Ask how the task started, what information was available and what the person checked first.
Ask them to show important details in a template or a neutralised example. Confidential information should not be disclosed without the necessary agreement.
Questions that make a decision visible
What told you that this case needed a different approach?
Which information influenced your decision?
What could you not have decided without it?
What other option did you consider, and why did you set it aside?
When would you involve someone else?
What should a colleague check before continuing?
These questions are conversation aids. There is no need to ask all of them or follow a fixed sequence.
Explore the apparently minor step
Consider a fictional example. Before sending a report, someone compares a figure with another source. The workflow says only “check report”. The colleague taking over does not know what to compare, which criterion applies or what to do about a discrepancy.
A useful follow-up is: “Which figure do you compare with which source, and what happens if they do not match?” This example is invented for explanation.
Separate the account, interpretation and approval
Record what the person actually explained. Mark your own inferences as inferences. When something remains unclear, ask a further question or leave the issue open.
The responsible specialist then reviews the prepared description. A summary does not replace their agreement. An individual's working habit should not become an official organisational rule without review.
Plan the move into practice
A conversation can explain terms and reasons behind decisions. Independent performance may still require instruction. Record which parts need to be described, demonstrated or practised together.