(The link above leads to the book's website, which contains more resources linked to knowledge auditing and KM assessments.)



A comprehensive theoretical and practical guide to the operating principles of knowledge auditing. This book aims to help knowledge managers bring consistency and rigour to the way they identify and evaluate knowledge management needs. Patrick Lambe brings theory and practice together in a lucid and engaging way, and with numerous illustrative case studies.

This is an infographic poster of Straits Knowledge's knowledge audit process.

Posted on 25 February 2014

Most KM projects are top-down, infrastructure driven. They buy lots of confusing technology, then employ specialists to do all the heavy work for you, and then these specialists go round (a) trying to get you to dump your knowledge assets into their portals, and (b) trying to get you to collaborate with total strangers. Ever wondered why KM projects so rarely meet with stunning success?

Posted on 20 August 2002

Patrick Lambe on Knowledge Audits, Evaluation and Organisational Culture

This was an interview of Patrick Lambe by Ana Neves of Social Now.

Posted on LinkedIn on 4 July 2017

A global survey of 150 respondents who generously responded to Patrick's survey on knowledge audit perceptions and experiences.  These are the main insights:

1. There is a wide array of understandings of what a knowledge audit is (both in the research literature and in practice).

2. People experienced in knowledge audits focus less on audits for compliance, quality or benchmarking – more general perceptions of knowledge audits amplify the importance of those types.

3. Knowledge audits are composite activities, combining several audit types, most usually an Inventory of knowledge stocks and flows, combined with an internal or external review of KM practices.

4. People experienced in knowledge audits tend to narrow the range of audit types used in combination, compared with general perceptions.

5. If an Inventory Audit is not conducted, the most common types used are internal or external reviews of KM practices, and audits of the quality of KM.

6. Knowledge audits most commonly focus on knowledge stocks and flows, KM processes, strategic knowledge needs and KM capabilities.

7. Knowledge audits are most commonly used to understand organisational knowledge needs, as input to a KM strategy, and to improve operational-level KM.

8. Knowledge audits use a very wide array of methods, with interviews, workshops and surveys being most favoured. The most effective methods are considered to be interviews for their depth and richness, and workshops for building knowledge maps and building consensus.

9. The biggest challenges in conducting knowledge audits relate to getting reliable, comprehensive and accurate data covering non-obvious knowledge sources as well as the obvious ones. This is partially connected to how the audit is scoped, the engagement methods deployed, and how communications are managed, particularly in getting consistent understandings of the goals. The second major cluster of challenges relates to the time required for an audit, getting management buy-in, and getting participation from the right people.

10. The most cited benefit from a knowledge audit is its ability to build consensus and provide underpinning evidence for KM planning, and for a KM strategy and roadmap. A second major benefit (particularly relating to Inventory Audits) is its value in locating important knowledge and ensuring effective knowledge access and use.

Posted by Patrick Lambe on 4 April 2017

In this thought-piece, Patrick traces the origins of knowledge audits in the communication audits of the 1950s. Knowing the history of knowledge audits gives us access to the incredibly rich set of tools and approaches developed by organisational communications scholars and practitioners after the Second World War (and also, incidentally, those developed to support information audits in the 1980s and 1990s). The article also gives a framework for identifying different types of knowledge audits for different purposes.

Posted on 12 May 2015

Why Knowledge Should Not Be Described (Indiscriminately) As An Asset

This is a recording prepared by Chris Collison blending an audio recording and slides, from an SIKM Forum discussion on May 23, 2023. The session consists of about 30 minutes presentation, and 30 minutes discussion.

Hidden Seams: Auditing Knowledge, Information and Communication

This is the recording of a joint panel session by UTS Sydney and ISKO Singapore on Knowledge, Information and Communication Audits with Patrick Lambe, Gaynor Deal, Marilyn Mitchell, Stephen Bounds and Matt Moore on 25 November 2021.

What Is A Knowledge Audit and How Should We Scope One? Part I

This is part 1 of a session on Knowledge Audits by Patrick Lambe, delivered to ISKO Singapore on 5 February 2021. Part 1 covers definitions of types of knowledge audit, and how they relate to the larger audit landscape.

What Is A Knowledge Audit and How Should We Scope One? Part II

This is part 2 of a session on Knowledge Audits by Patrick Lambe, delivered to ISKO Singapore on 5 February 2021. Part 2 covers the considerations involved in scoping a knowledge audit.

Introduction to the Wheel of Knowledge

This video gives a brief introduction to the six knowledge types in the Wheel of Knowledge, which we use as a framework for mapping different knowledge types to key organisational activities.

Posted on 18 January 2021