Let’s face it: Technology changes in software development aren’t rare events, they’re practically the background noise of our industry. Especially in the evolving .NET world, where frameworks, tools, and deployment models are constantly shifting, staying on top means more than just learning new tools or technologies. It means preserving, sharing, and actively managing knowledge before it walks out the door or gets buried in yesterday’s code.

Because here’s the kicker: Much of your team’s know-how isn’t in a shared wiki, it’s in someone’s head. And when that someone leaves or gets hit by the proverbial bus (or just takes a vacation), the knowledge gap becomes painfully real. While tools like wikis do exist, they’re often neglected due to time pressure or simple lack of prioritisation. “We’ll document it later,” they say and then, of course, never do.

So, the big question is: How do we organise knowledge transfer in a way that makes technology transitions a source of innovation, not a sinkhole of lost expertise? This post highlights the key insights from my Executive MBA thesis on knowledge management during technology change and offers practical guidance for leaders and software architects. I spoke with internal and external experts, and surveyed team leads at a Swiss software SME to gather hands-on perspectives.

Beneath the Surface Problems: What Leaders Are Saying

Within teams, knowledge transfer tends to run reasonably well, thanks to meetings, mentoring, documentation (when it’s maintained), and good old on-the-job training. But when it comes to sharing knowledge across teams? That’s where things fall apart. Just 11% of team leads called cross-functional exchange “good.” The remaining 89% flagged it as an area needing serious attention.

Wikis are in place, that’s the good news. The bad? Their content is often outdated, incomplete or simply not useful. Much of the real knowledge stays locked in the heads of a few seasoned developers. The main obstacles? No time, few structured formats for sharing, lack of motivation to write things down, and sometimes outright resistance to new tools and technologies.

What drives people to share their knowledge anyway? Simple: Feeling appreciated and seeing that it actually helps someone. Recognition and visible impact, those are the magic ingredients.

What Leaders Can Actually Do About It

First things first: Make knowledge management a strategic priority, not just a “nice-to-have.” Set specific knowledge goals and track progress. That could mean counting updated wiki pages, completed online courses or team certifications. What matters is that you measure what you want to improve.
Then, roll up your sleeves and implement targeted measures on the ground:

• Make space to think: People need time to learn, document, and innovate. Don’t expect miracles if every hour is booked for delivery.
• Build a no-blame culture: Mistakes happen and when treated as learning moments, they’re goldmines for knowledge transfer.
• Create an expert directory: An internal “Yellow Pages” helps teams find the right person fast. Just make sure it’s kept up to date.
• Maintain a technology radar: Keep track of emerging trends and potential knowledge gaps. Keep it updated regularly to ensure informed decision-making.
• Bring in outside knowledge: Hire experts, use platforms like Pluralsight.com or collaborate with universities and user groups. If you don’t have the knowledge, go get it.
• Leverage retrospectives: Scrum retros are the perfect chance to review what was learned and what still needs to be shared.

To share knowledge effectively, blend structured documentation (wikis, videos, FAQs) with real human interaction, like expert forums, tech days or communities of practice. Set up cross-functional boards or working groups to keep ideas flowing across silos.

And to keep all teams on the same page, host internal tech days to showcase new tools, frameworks or updates. Don’t forget to support informal learning too, through on-the-job training and peer learning.

Make It Easy to Find and Worth Using

Documentation needs to be more than a digital dumping ground. It should be user-friendly, visually clear, and above all, searchable. Smart, AI-powered search features are no longer optional. Give users a way to flag outdated, broken or redundant entries, and make that feedback loop part of the system.

Assign ownership for different knowledge areas. Each “topic owner” keeps their slice of the wiki accurate and useful. And to stay on top of things, organise regular “Clean-up Days” where these owners can update content together, because if you don’t make time for maintenance, it simply won’t happen.

Looking Ahead: Knowledge Management Is Never “Done”

Just because a technology migration is over doesn’t mean the knowledge work ends. In fact, the half-life of IT knowledge is frighteningly short, often a year or less. That means continuous learning and sharing isn’t optional. It’s your organisation’s insurance policy for the next change lurking around the corner.