The pursuit of knowledge has always permeated my journey. This subject still inspires me, mainly due to the profound transformations we are experiencing and the need to rethink how to leverage knowledge to propel project success. Building on my academic research at the intersection of knowledge management and project management, it is both timely and essential to reflect on the current challenges and possibilities that arise when these two disciplines converge.
Conditions for Knowledge Management in Projects
Given the intangible nature of deliverables in service companies, project knowledge management in this sector became the focus of my MBA dissertation. The following year, I co-authored an article [1] that examined the conditions for effective knowledge management in projects.
Drawing on a literature review, conceptual model development, and multiple case studies, the research identified the following enablers of effective project knowledge management: Organizational Structure, Top Management Support, Organizational Culture, Incentive Systems, Processes, People Management, Integration and Trust-Building among Project Team Members, and Information and Communication Technology.
The Changing Context of Projects
More than ten years later, these conditions remain relevant, yet recent global disruptions — such as the pandemic, digital acceleration, workforce transformation, and climate pressures — have profoundly reshaped human relations and organizations.
This scenario has had a profound impact on project environments. Adaptability and flexibility became indispensable capabilities for responding quickly to change. Hybrid project management approaches gained traction. Hybrid work emerged as a global trend, reshaping collaboration models. In an increasingly volatile, complex, and uncertain environment, value delivery became a central measure of project success.
Foundations of Knowledge Management
Peter Drucker [2] emphasized the importance of knowledge in the post–World War II period and framed it as the central resource of the emerging “post-capitalist society”. Decades later, the debate remains essential: knowledge continues to be a strategic tool for competitive advantage, productivity, innovation, and differentiation.
Nonaka & Takeuchi [3] were pioneers in the discussion of organizational knowledge creation, observing innovative Japanese companies. They proposed the SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization) model, the “knowledge spiral,” which describes the dynamic interaction between tacit knowledge (subjective, personal, hard to explain, rooted in beliefs and experience) and explicit knowledge (objective, codified, such as manuals and documents).
Although organizational knowledge creation goes beyond projects, these — as temporary endeavors delivering unique products, services, or results [4] — are particularly fertile environments for knowledge generation, while also benefiting from organizational knowledge and insights from other projects. Yet their very temporality poses a challenge, as effective knowledge management depends on continuity.
Knowledge in the PMI Sources
This article highlights two key PMI standards, which offer complementary insights into project knowledge management. However, the subject is also addressed across other PMI references.
The PMBOK® Guide – 7th Edition [4] emphasizes the importance of knowledge management in projects, advocating for the systematic capture and transfer of knowledge to improve project outcomes and organizational learning. It emphasizes continuous learning throughout the project and highlights the risk of knowledge loss at closure. This edition also links knowledge management to tailoring decisions and cites the PMO’s role in facilitating knowledge transfer.
The Process Groups: A Practice Guide [5] treats knowledge management as a core element of Organizational Process Assets, emphasizing that governance frameworks must include processes to capture and transfer knowledge. It assigns project managers responsibility for integrating people, processes, and knowledge, while PMOs may lead knowledge transfer. The Manage Project Knowledge section highlights the value of tacit knowledge, trust, and motivation. The guide references various tools and techniques, such as communities of practice, mentoring, workshops, and organizational knowledge repositories – the latter often embedded within Project Management Information Systems (PMIS).
Current Challenges and Opportunities
In this context, three contemporary shifts are particularly relevant for knowledge management in projects:
- Digital Acceleration and Artificial Intelligence
AI and advanced analytics underscore the importance of structured, high-quality data. Smaller organizations may struggle with data volume, but well-organized project registers, such as lessons learned, issue and risk logs, can both support future learning and provide training data for predictive models. AI tools can also enhance accessibility and decision-making by providing personalized search results. Therefore, it is critical to identify where AI can be effectively integrated into project knowledge management processes.
- New Work Models and Tacit Knowledge Sharing
Hybrid and remote collaboration intensifies the challenge of sharing tacit knowledge, which traditionally thrives in face-to-face interactions. Creating trust, psychological safety, and intentional opportunities for informal exchange becomes critical to avoid knowledge silos and loss of knowledge. Seamless communication tools are essential to bridge relationships.
- Volatility and Knowledge Cycles
With faster innovation cycles, knowledge can quickly become obsolete. Project managers need to integrate continuous updating and curation into their knowledge practices — ensuring relevance and adaptability over time.
These shifts also highlight the need for new roles within project teams and additional competencies for project professionals, such as data literacy, knowledge curation, and ethical information management. At the same time, organizational policies must ensure data protection and security, aligned with regulations, while maintaining openness for effective knowledge sharing.
Toward Knowledge-Centric Project Management
In today’s landscape, professionals and organizations must recognize knowledge management as a strategic asset, not a bureaucratic exercise. Embedding it into project work is imperative, with project managers, team members, and PMOs acting as curators of organizational learning.
To achieve this, organizations should sustain mechanisms for continuity beyond project closure and leverage technology to strengthen integration, collaboration, and knowledge processes.
Ultimately, knowledge management must be reframed as an ongoing, value-driven practice — not a collection of tools, repositories, or isolated activities, but rather a discipline that keeps knowledge relevant and fosters collective learning to drive sustainable project success.
References
- Mezzena, P. Z. V., Yokomizo, C. A., & Corrêa, H. L. (2012). Condições para gestão eficaz do conhecimento em projetos: Estudos de casos múltiplos em empresas brasileiras de serviços [Conditions for effective knowledge management in projects: Multiple case studies in Brazilian service companies]. Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração (ANPAD). Retrieved from https://arquivo.anpad.org.br/diversos/down_zips/63/2012_ADI1712.pdf
- Drucker, P. (1993). Post-capitalist society. HarperCollins.
- Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press.
- Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
- Project Management Institute. (2022). Process groups: A practice guide. Project Management Institute.
Priscila Z. Vendramini Mezzena is a seasoned Project Manager and Product Owner with expertise in architecture, construction, IT, and product development. With an MBA and key certifications (PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, PSM I, PSPO I), she excels in consulting and leading diverse projects. Passionate about knowledge-sharing, she launched a blog in 2024 and has volunteered with PMI since 2006,
holding leadership roles at PMI São Paulo and was a PMI Project Success Insight Team member. She currently serves as a Women PowerUP volunteer.