Whether staff are retiring, leaving the institution, or transferring within the University of Iowa; their departure from their position can leave a significant gap in the valuable knowledge gained and demonstrated over time by the outgoing employee.
Knowledge Transfer Document
The Knowledge Transfer Document has been developed by University Human Resources to be a resource utilized by the outgoing employee and their supervisor to capture critical knowledge and enable the transfer of knowledge to others in the unit, including a new employee. The goal of this document is to ensure business continuity and provide supervisors with a clearly documented resource to help onboard new staff to facilitate a seamless transition.
The Knowledge Transfer Document is a template to document the following information:
Roles, Responsibilities, and Processes
Ongoing and Upcoming Projects
Tools, Resources, and Records
Key Contacts, Stakeholders, and Communications
Additional Items for Consideration
NOTE: Units are encouraged to use this template as a starting point, adding additional relevant information depending on unique position, departmental, or organizational needs.
Using AI to Support Knowledge Transfer
- Record and transcribe position conversations. Have the outgoing employee speak conversationally with their supervisor or a colleague about their role — recurring tasks, seasonal rhythms, informal workarounds, stakeholder relationships. Record with consent, generate a transcript (Teams, Zoom, etc.), then paste it into an AI tool and ask it to draft SOP-style documentation organized by topic or process.
- Let AI interview you about your position. Prompt an AI tool to act as an interviewer: "Ask me questions about my position one at a time to help document my role for my successor. Start with my core responsibilities." The AI follows up naturally, drawing out tacit knowledge that structured forms tend to miss. Save the transcript and use it to populate the Knowledge Transfer Document.
- Identify gaps in existing documentation. Upload or paste your current SOPs, process notes, or the completed Knowledge Transfer Document and ask AI to flag what appears to be missing, unclear, or assumed. Prompt: "What questions would a new employee have after reading this that aren't answered here?"
- Turn bullet-point notes into readable documentation. Many people jot notes in shorthand that only makes sense to them. AI can expand terse notes into full prose documentation — ask it to rewrite your notes as a step-by-step guide written for someone unfamiliar with the role.
- Build a glossary of role-specific language. Every position accumulates acronyms, system names, internal jargon, and informal shorthand. Ask AI to read through your notes or transcript and pull out terms that would need explanation for a new hire, then help draft definitions.