Is Your Organization Truly Model-Based or Does It Still Rely on Tribal Knowledge?

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When organizations talk about going model-based, most think about tools, data structures, and integration.

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But here’s another real roadblock: tribal knowledge.

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For decades, many companies have relied on tribal knowledge, the one engineer who knows why a certain design decision was made, the veteran program manager who “just remembers” why a requirement was skipped, the unwritten rules everyone follows but nobody documents.

👉 In a model-based governance environment, there is no place for tribal knowledge.

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Why? Because models don’t guess. Models don’t “just know.” Models need precision, traceability, clarity, and a single source of truth. In other words models need to be clear, concise, and valid!

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Here’s where the CM2 standard becomes the bridge:

1️⃣ Define before you design. Governance first, modeling second. A model built on unclear rules is just a prettier version of chaos.

2️⃣ Kill the “expert memory” culture. Replace it with accessible, documented decision logic that anyone can trace and trust.

3️⃣ Shift mindset, not just software. Transitioning to model-based governance is not about digital tools replacing documents, it’s about replacing assumptions with accountability.

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And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

• Legacy habits will resist. People like being the keeper of knowledge. However, these experts are crucial in translating their tribal knowledge into models and sharing it with everyone.
• Model-based governance exposes gaps. What was once hidden in coffee corner conversations now demands formal resolution.

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But the payoff? 🚀

• Faster impact analysis and planning of changes. Get more done with the same amount of time and resources. 
• End-to-End traceability baked-in, that allows you to innovate and be more agile.
• The ability to scale your organization’s knowledge, not just its headcount and without depending on who’s retiring next year.

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The organizations that succeed don’t just “install” a new tool; they lead a cultural transformation. They make it safe for people to let go of tribal knowledge, and they prove that documented, model-based governance is not bureaucracy, it’s freedom. Freedom from firefighting, rework, and guessing.

Transitioning from a document-based to model-based isn’t a technology challenge; it’s a leadership challenge.

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So I’ll leave you with this:

💡 When your organization says it’s going “model-based,” are you tackling tribal knowledge head-on or just deploying a new tool?

Check out the other How Do YOU CM2? posts.

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Copyrights by the Institute for Process Excellence

This article was originally published on ipxhq.com & mdux.net.