Knowledge management is foundationally a philosophy that encompasses how knowledge is created, organized, utilized, and optimized to generate the most value. The definition of knowledge management evolves with our understanding and meaning of the term knowledge. Keeping up with the continuously evolving knowledge management space, G2 has made some changes to its taxonomy to reflect the market better.
The evolution of knowledge management
Traditionally, knowledge wasn’t as democratized as it is now. When it comes to an organization, knowledge refers to information created by a person that helps people get their job done. This can include formal documentation such as financial and accounting reports, processes, team organizational charts, meeting minutes, client contracts, and informal information such as notes from brainstorming sessions, blog drafts, and action items from weekly team meetings.
| Organizations have understood the benefits of making information more accessible to their employees, partners, and customers. This includes: |
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With the benefits of knowledge sharing and the exponential increase in the amount of information available, companies started looking for tools that could help optimize it in order to reap the benefits. This led to the rapid evolution of the knowledge management software space in the past decade.
Knowledge management software aims to capture and distribute knowledge, allowing members, partners, and customers of an organization to access and use the information effectively. Having a centralized repository where this knowledge is stored helps create a single source of truth in an organization, eliminating confusion and reducing the time taken to find information.
The following testimonial from a knowledge management software user best captures the tool's benefits:
“Knowledge management software allows us to have knowledge resources for new and senior staff on company processes, technical explanations of software features, and a mass notification tool for questions. This has started to create a level of transparency between leadership, product, and customer success in a way that was impossible before. The culture has changed to become less ‘you would have only known that if you were here 6 months ago during XYZ situation.”
Knowledge management software has now progressed to include features such as:
- Robust functionality: Knowledge management tools have evolved to allow users to do more with their knowledge. These tools can now store various file types, have stronger search abilities, allow for more collaboration, and have analytics capabilities. They are also more customizable, so organizations can set up folder structures and user permissions that best suit their needs.
- Systems based on use cases: While one knowledge management system can store all the information required by a business, sometimes it’s easier to have different systems that cater to specific needs. Common use cases include contact center representatives, sales enablement purposes, and company intranets.
- Integrations: With knowledge being stored in various places, such as internal messaging systems, emails, and enterprise CMSs, knowledge management tools now have integrations to capture knowledge from these sources to allow users to search across multiple repositories.
How G2 has adapted to these changes
Currently, on G2, the Knowledge Management category acts as a parent category, under which there are four subcategories: Knowledge Base software, Q&A Platforms, Standard Operating Procedures software, and Work Instructions software.
The Knowledge Base subcategory is more loosely defined in terms of functionality and use case, while the other three subcategories are more granular and use case driven. This is because knowledge base software can be used across multiple industries and for several different purposes. However, Q&A software has a more narrow functionality, with the primary purpose of providing a platform that enables employees or customers to ask and answer questions. Likewise, standard operating procedures and work instructions software have specific use cases, primarily helping businesses document their workflows and processes. This is particularly useful in industries that require hands-on, mechanical tasks such as manufacturing, oil and gas, and field service.
Recently, G2 updated its taxonomy. Previously, we had some products listed under the Knowledge Management parent category, while the rest were listed under one or more subcategories. We removed all products under the parent category and placed them in the subcategories to eliminate confusion. Although products in these different subcategories may have different functionality and use cases, they may still compete against each other. For that reason, all these products still roll up into the Knowledge Management parent category, for which we publish quarterly reports so buyers can compare products across all four subcategories.
The G2 Grid® below contains all the products from the four knowledge management subcategories that have met the 10 review threshold required to be included in Grid® Reports.
We also updated the Enterprise Wiki subcategory, now renamed Knowledge Base. The term “wiki” didn’t accurately represent the products in the category as such products are more collaborative and have less structure and security controls. On the other hand, “knowledge base” encompasses a broader range of knowledge management tools with varied functionality. Wiki is now an attribute in the Knowledge Base category, which buyers can use to filter the category if they’re specifically looking for a wiki product.
G2 understands that the market is constantly changing. The research team aims to stay on top of those changes to make sure that when buyers explore our taxonomy, it is reflective of what’s happening in the software industry so that they can make informed and confident purchasing decisions.
Want to learn more about Knowledge Management Software? Explore Knowledge Management products.
Priya Patel
Priya is a Senior Research Analyst at G2 focusing on content management and design software. Priya leverages her background in market research to build subject matter expertise in the software space. Before moving back to Chicago in 2018, Priya lived in New Zealand for several years, where she studied at the University of Auckland and worked in consulting. In her free time, Priya enjoys being creative, whether it’s painting, cooking, or dancing.
