Hubspot: Communities of Practice; Knowledge Management
This case study recounts the development of a refined Knowledge Management System and 0-1 platform
Background
I joined a dynamic UX organization within HubSpot during a period of significant transformation, supporting product design, research, and content strategy across multiple teams.
The org faced challenges in fragmented knowledge management, siloed practices, and inefficiencies in cross-team collaboration, leading to a need for streamlined processes and cohesive communities of practice to enhance knowledge-sharing and reduce wasted effort.
The overwhelming number of tools and scattered resources created a high cognitive load for team members, making it difficult to locate critical information or collaborate effectively. This inefficiency often resulted in misaligned efforts, delayed projects, and a reliance on manual workarounds or team knowledge keepers.
Challenges
Quality became a central priority within the org, but each team followed its own workflows for research and design, leading to inconsistent deliverables and variable quality across projects.
The absence of structured peer-to-peer learning or knowledge hubs meant that insights and expertise were rarely shared at scale, slowing overall growth.
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Solution
To address the fragmented collaboration and high cognitive load, I proposed and led the overhaul and streamlining of the organization’s wiki. Building on this work further, I organized and developed a comprehensive knowledge hub, integrating key documentation and processes into a centralized, accessible platform.
This effort also included the creation of a knowledge base to house critical resources for training and onboarding, as well as a peer-to-peer learning space designed to foster collaboration, share expertise, and promote continuous learning across teams.
Wiki Creation Process:
Audit Existing Resources:
Conduct an inventory of existing documentation to identify gaps, redundancies, and outdated content.Define Structure & Taxonomy:
Develop a clear and intuitive organizational structure with categories, subcategories, and tagging to improve discoverability.
Standardize Templates:
Create standardized page templates to ensure consistency in content format and style across the wiki.Content Consolidation & Migration:
Merge scattered documentation into the wiki, eliminating duplicates and updating outdated materials.Governance Model:
Establish guidelines for content ownership, updates, and maintenance to ensure information remains current and relevant.User Feedback:
Gather input from end-users to refine the structure and address any usability challenges.
Knowledge Base (KB) Creation Process:
Needs Assessment:
Identify key use cases for the KB, such as onboarding, training, or reference material, and prioritize critical content.Curate Core Resources:
Select and organize foundational materials that address frequently asked questions and common challenges.Integration with Tools:
Link the KB to existing systems (e.g., project management, research tools) to provide seamless access.Collaborative Content Creation:
Engage subject matter experts to contribute or review content to ensure accuracy and depth.Search Optimization:
Implement a robust search functionality with metadata and keywords to enhance content discoverability.Ongoing Evolution:
Design processes for regularly adding new content and archiving outdated material to keep the KB dynamic and relevant.
Results
The streamlined wiki structure reduced the time spent searching for critical information by 40%, as reported by team surveys, and increased engagement with documentation by over 50%.
Over 300% increase in wiki traffic
The introduction of standardized templates and a clear governance model ensured content remained up-to-date and relevant, with over 90% of pages reviewed or updated within the first six months.
Metrics showed a 30% decrease in repetitive questions to subject matter experts, enabling teams to focus on strategic priorities