How to audit your startup's 'knowledge debt' in 30 minutes

Knowledge debt is like technical debt, but worse. It's all the context, decisions, and "why we built it this way" that exists only in people's heads.

When those people leave, the debt gets called in.

Here's a 30-minute audit I run with every new team member to surface knowledge debt:

TEST 1: THE QUESTION TEST (10 min)
Ask your 3 newest team members:

• "What's the most common question you've asked?"
• "How long does it take to get answers?"
• "Where do you find information?"

🚩 Red flags:

• Questions take 30+ min to answer
• Same questions get asked repeatedly
• "I just ask [specific person]" (single point of failure)

TEST 2: THE DEPARTURE TEST (10 min)
Ask yourself:

• "If [senior person] quit tomorrow, what knowledge would we lose?"
• "How long would it take to rebuild that understanding?"

🚩 Red flags:

• Can't answer the questions
• Estimate >1 month to rebuild knowledge
• "We'd be screwed" response

TEST 3: THE EFFICIENCY TEST (10 min)
Track for one day:

• Count "where is this?" questions
• Count "how do we do this?" interruptions
• Count hours spent searching for information

🚩 Red flags:

• 10+ questions per day per new person
• Seniors spending 20%+ time answering questions
• Team lead is a walking wiki

SCORING:

3+ red flags = Critical knowledge debt
1-2 red flags = Manageable but needs attention
0 red flags = You're doing something right

WHAT TO DO:

If you have critical knowledge debt (we did):

1. Acknowledge it's a SYSTEM problem, not a PEOPLE problem
2. Invest in knowledge systems (not just documentation)
3. Make information searchable, not just stored
4. Connect your tools (code + meetings + tasks)

We built Syncally to solve this for ourselves, but the framework works regardless of tools.

Run this audit. Share your red flag count below.