How to Define Goals and Objectives For Your Knowledge Management Technology

When you’re considering a new knowledge management (KM) solution, one of the first things you should do is define your goals and objectives. Knowing where you’re going, what you need to achieve, and how you’ll get there delivers several benefits, including helping you identify potential software vendors and narrowing them down to a shortlist.

To define the goals and objectives of your knowledge management technology, start by aligning your knowledge management technology goals with overarching business strategies and specific problems you aim to solve. Then, set clear, measurable objectives that detail the desired improvements and the timeframe for achieving them.

For a more comprehensive process, read on to learn how to set clear and actionable goals and objectives for your knowledge management technology assessment.

What Is the Difference Between Goals and Objectives?

Before we dive deeper into establishing your knowledge management targets, let’s start with a quick review of the definitions of goals and objectives. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are nuances worth highlighting. Providing clear definitions will help put everyone on the same page.

Goals represent broad, long-term strategic outcomes your organization aims to achieve. Objectives, conversely, are the specific, measurable, actionable, and time-bound steps that will guide you in reaching those overarching goals. Below are additional details that further differentiate knowledge goals and objectives, including some examples.

What Are Goals?

Goals are intentions. In other words, they are outcomes you would like to work toward. For example, a goal would be: To facilitate the processes of knowledge transfer between individuals and organizations by proactively rewarding knowledge creation, transfer, and use.

Goals can be defined by the following basic characteristics:

• They give organizations and teams a shared focus and purpose.
• They are broader than objectives but more specific than your corporate vision statement.
• They have a longer timeframe than objectives.
• They serve as a primary driver for strategic planning and resource allocation.
• They often articulate a desired future state or achievement that can be qualitative in nature.

A clear grasp of these characteristics is essential for formulating impactful goals. Well-defined goals provide crucial direction and purpose. It forms the foundation for specific objectives, ensuring that strategic initiatives effectively contribute to the organization’s overarching north star.

Knowledge Management Goals Examples

Defining the goals of knowledge management is a crucial first step towards leveraging enterprise intelligence and improving productivity. Goal Setting Theory findings indicate that effective goal setting can boost employee performance by up to 90%. To illustrate how these can be conceptualized, the following are several examples of strategic KM goals.

• Foster a culture of continuous learning: Encourage an organizational culture that prioritizes continuous learning, ensuring all employees have access to training and development resources.
• Enhance customer satisfaction through knowledge: Leverage knowledge management tools to improve customer service responses, aiming to increase customer satisfaction scores by 15% within the next year.
• Streamline decision-making processes: Implement systems that reduce decision-making time by 20% by ensuring that relevant data and insights are readily available to decision-makers.

These goals provide a strategic framework within which specific objectives can be developed. They highlight the overarching aspirations of your knowledge management efforts, guiding the direction of your specific activities and initiatives.

What Are Objectives?

Objectives are concrete, specific, actionable steps your organization will take to reach your goals. In this case, they are related to the role of knowledge management itself, which is to connect the knowledge of subject matter experts to the workers who need it to do their jobs effectively.

Objectives include these characteristics:

• They have measurable, precise timetables for action.
• They state who will do what and when.
• They can be assigned to specific staff members or departments.
• They can be crossed off when finished.

When organizations embody these characteristics, objectives transform broader knowledge management goals into a clear, actionable roadmap. They provide the essential details of who does what and when, offering clarity, accountability, and measurability to connect experts with knowledge seekers.

Examples of Knowledge Management Objectives

Having established what constitutes effective objectives, practical examples can further clarify how they are formulated to drive these tangible outcomes. To illustrate the concept of knowledge management objectives, consider the following examples:

• Develop a system that increases inter-departmental knowledge sharing by 30% over the next year by implementing collaborative tools and regular cross-functional meetings.
• Minimize document duplication by 40% within the next eight months by establishing a centralized knowledge repository that is accessible and searchable by all employees.
• Create a mentorship program to reduce knowledge loss due to employee turnover by 25% within the next 12 months, ensuring that critical knowledge is passed on effectively.

These examples demonstrate how the objectives of knowledge management can be tailored to address specific challenges or opportunities within your organization. In setting precise targets, you can focus efforts on areas that will yield the greatest impact. The most important thing to answer is the following: What is KM trying to achieve?

How to Set Goals and Objectives for Your Knowledge Management Platform

Now that we’ve gone over the differences between goals and objectives, let’s look at how you can set them for your knowledge management technology.

Use this outline to streamline your evaluation of knowledge management platforms. In the process, include representatives from every group that the new knowledge management technology will impact. 

Be sure to include content creators, content consumers, and leaders from the various departments that will be impacted. Every perspective will add important insight to your process and final decision.

1.  Evaluate Current Content and Usage

Assess and document the variety and quantity of information your organization already has stored in databases and on the web, as well as the knowledge that specific employees possess through their personal experiences and knowledge. Note where each piece of information is stored and what format it currently exists in.

You should also examine how employees are utilizing the knowledge you currently have available. If you have a knowledge sharing platform with built-in analytics, you can review those analytics to see what users view, share, and comment on most frequently. If you don’t have this type of platform in place, you may need to use surveys to gain a better understanding of information usage at your company.

As you evaluate information usage, ask yourself: Can I identify any bottlenecks in knowledge sharing? The answers will be necessary to help write clear goals and objectives and guide your outcome.

2. Define the Problem to Solve

Identify the current knowledge-sharing issues your company faces and the problem areas impacting all relevant departments. Until you know your problem areas, you won’t be able to align technology solutions with your business goals and objectives.

One way you could conduct this analysis is by having employees take a survey about their current knowledge-sharing practices. For example, you could ask them to use a 1 to 5 scale to rate statements such as:

• I always know where to find the resources I need to do my job.
• My team has to start from scratch every time we start a new project.
• It’s difficult to find out if anyone else has already done similar work.

You could also conduct interviews with employees to collect more qualitative data about knowledge sharing at your company. These interviews are a good opportunity to ask employees what they think is working well and what could be improved. This will help you identify resources that are worth investing in and processes that are worth refining.  

3. Understand User Needs

The insights gained from understanding user needs are directly translated into relevant and compelling goals and objectives for the KM platform. 

For instance, if a primary user need is quicker access to troubleshooting guides, a corresponding goal might be “To accelerate problem resolution for technical support staff,” supported by an objective like “Reduce average search time for critical support documents within the KM platform by 30% within six months.“

Goals and objectives rooted in user requirements are far more likely to drive platform adoption and demonstrate tangible value, as they are focused on solving actual problems rather than implementing technology for its own sake. This user-centric approach ensures the platform’s design and features directly enhance operational efficiency and user satisfaction.

4. Align KM Goals with Overall Business Strategy

Without a clear link between your KM goals and your business strategy, KM initiatives risk being perceived as isolated IT projects or administrative overhead, rather than strategic enablers. 

Conversely, when KM goals directly address and support broader company objectives, the platform transitions from a mere repository of information to an indispensable tool that actively contributes to the organization’s success. 

The process of achieving this alignment involves a deliberate effort to understand the organization’s strategic landscape. This involves thoroughly reviewing strategic business plans, annual reports, and departmental objectives to identify core priorities and challenges where enhanced knowledge flow can have a significant impact. It also requires actively engaging with senior leadership and key stakeholders across different business units.

5. Develop SMART Objectives

Once you have defined the broad strategic goals for your KM platform, the next critical step is to develop SMART objectives. This framework transforms your overarching ambitions into tangible, actionable targets. For a KM platform, this means moving beyond general aims like “improving knowledge sharing” to create precise statements. 

Each objective should be Specific, with clarity on target outcomes using the platform and who is involved. It must also be Measurable, by assigning metrics to track the platform’s impact; Achievable, confirming realistic targets given your resources and the platform’s capabilities. Likewise, it has to be Relevant, with each objective directly supporting a broader KM goal and aligning with the organization’s mission, and Time-bound, setting deadlines for completion.

We discuss establishing SMART objectives in the next section, providing a more straightforward guide on following these criteria. Remember that narrowing knowledge-sharing goals into intentional, logical objectives determines the success of your initiatives.

6. Estimate the ROI of Knowledge Management Technology

It’s tough to pin an exact dollar value to effective knowledge management because there are so many variables in play. However, you can develop an educated estimate to help you evaluate new technology and processes.

One way to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of knowledge management technology is through its cost savings. If you could save time each week by reducing the time your employees spend searching for information, how much would your company save based on your employees’ average salary? You can use Bloomfire’s ROI calculator to come up with an estimate.

Identifying the estimated monetary value of your knowledge management efforts will not only help you set concrete objectives, but it will also help you justify a budget for certain technologies and resources.

7. Determine What Success Looks Like

To finalize your knowledge management technology goals and objectives, your team will need to come together to examine all options and determine the final results. 

Once you agree on a set of goals and objectives, you’ll need to track the metrics associated with the objectives to measure your progress. Tracking these knowledge-sharing metrics will help you determine your return on investment so that you can validate the use of knowledge management technology.

While the road to choosing and launching a new knowledge management platform is demanding, the effort will ultimately be well worth it. Knowing first what your goals and objectives are will ensure that you select the best possible vendors for consideration — and, in the end, choose the technology solution that is best-suited to your organization’s and employees’ needs.

Getting SMART With Your Objectives

A structured approach to crafting the objectives of knowledge management will help confirm that they are clear, focused, and capable of driving tangible results for your KM initiatives. As you start setting objectives, make sure you’re tying them to the SMART outline:

• Specific – Be clear about what needs to be done. Everyone involved should understand the suggested technology path and know how they can contribute to its success.
• Measureable – Establish specific measurement variables important to your organization to gauge success. For example, reducing the average amount of time employees spend searching for information each week or achieving a defined participation rate in a knowledge-sharing platform may be important to your company.
• Attainable – Are there sufficient resources, staff hours, and budgetary allotments available to achieve your goals and objectives? Be sure to accurately estimate the amount of staff resources required to achieve your stated goals.
• Relevant – Do the objectives support the goals, and do the goals support your organization’s knowledge-sharing mission?
• Time-bound – When should the objectives be completed or measured?

Organizations can transform their knowledge management objectives from abstract aims into concrete, actionable plans when applying the SMART criteria. This ensures each objective is well-defined, trackable, and realistically achievable. As a result, this increases the likelihood of successful KM implementation and realizing tangible KM benefits from your initiatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main goal of knowledge management?

The primary objective of knowledge management is to create an environment where information is readily accessible and easily shared, thereby enhancing productivity, innovation, and informed decision-making. It enables organizations to effectively harness their collective expertise for sustained growth and success.

Why is it important to set clear knowledge management goals?

Clear goals provide direction, facilitate decision-making, and ensure that knowledge management initiatives contribute positively to the organization’s strategic objectives. In short, they help ensure these efforts deliver real, targeted results.

How do I align knowledge management objectives with business strategy?

To align knowledge management objectives with business strategy, first thoroughly examine your organization’s core strategic goals. Then, craft specific KM objectives designed to support the achievement of these business goals directly. Finally, demonstrate and communicate how these KM efforts contribute to measurable business success to ensure ongoing support.

Drive Knowledge Management Success With Clear Goals and Objectives

Setting clear knowledge management goals and objectives, and aligning them with your organization’s strategy, creates a focused and integrated approach. It enhances knowledge sharing, decision-making, and innovation. Overcoming challenges and leveraging the right tools and technologies will further propel your knowledge management initiatives.

This blog post was most recently expanded and updated in May 2025.

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About the Author

Betsy Anderson

Betsy leads the customer success and implementation teams at Bloomfire and is a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM) from KM Institute. Passionate about the people side of knowledge engagement and knowledge sharing, she brings real-world experience in tackling the challenges companies face with knowledge management.