Practice the English used for structured knowledge transfer: documenting tribal knowledge, handover sessions, and reducing bus factor.
0 / 8 completed
1 / 8
What is 'tribal knowledge' in a software team context?
Tribal knowledge is undocumented expertise — things people know but have never written down. It creates risk because if those people leave, the knowledge is lost.
2 / 8
What is 'bus factor' (or 'truck factor') and why is it discussed in engineering teams?
Bus factor quantifies knowledge concentration risk. A bus factor of 1 means one person leaving cripples the team. Knowledge transfer and documentation are the primary mitigations.
3 / 8
Which of these is the most effective way to capture tribal knowledge?
Asking experts to 'write everything they know' rarely works — the blank page is daunting. Structured walkthrough sessions with a scribe are more effective and produce immediately reviewable documentation.
4 / 8
How would you request a knowledge transfer from a colleague who is leaving?
Effective knowledge transfer requests are specific (what area), structured (sessions with note-taking), and action-oriented (output is documentation). Vague requests produce little output.
5 / 8
What does 'institutional memory' mean?
Institutional memory is the sum of what an organization knows — past decisions (and why they were made), failed approaches, key relationships, and context. High turnover erodes it; documentation preserves it.
6 / 8
How would you explain the importance of documentation to an engineer who says 'the code is self-documenting'?
Code shows the how; documentation captures the why. The reasoning behind architectural decisions, known limitations, and past failures are invisible in code but critical for maintainability.
7 / 8
What is a 'handover document' and when is it written?
A handover document captures: what the role/system involves, current status, known issues, key contacts, pending work, and important context. It prevents the new owner from starting from zero.
8 / 8
Which of these is the best language for encouraging knowledge sharing in a team?
Collaborative, positive framing ('let us document it together', 'build a second owner') encourages knowledge sharing. Blame-based framing ('your responsibility') creates defensiveness.