When experience retires — and knowledge goes with it
The imminent loss of decades of expertise
At the SüdBank AG a decisive moment is imminent:
After more than 30 years, the head of risk management is retiring. He knows every detail of internal processes, knows which reporting requirements apply in which situation and how regulatory requirements such as MaRisk, BAIT or GDPR can be implemented pragmatically in day-to-day business. That knowledge isn't in a manual, it's in his head. He will be leaving the company in a few weeks. And with him, there is a risk of losing a wealth of experience that has grown over decades.
This example represents a challenge that is currently affecting the entire financial sector and also many other industries. The baby boomer generation, the mainstay of many banks and insurance companies, is gradually retiring. It leaves gaps that cannot simply be filled by new employees. After all, much of what experienced professionals know is implicit knowledge: It is created through experience, interpretation of regulations and the ability to recognize relationships that are not in any process diagram.
Saving knowledge before it is lost
For institutes, this means:
If this knowledge is lost, there is a risk of compliance violations, process breaches and knowledge islands that can hardly be controlled. Handover interviews or documents are not enough to secure decades of expertise; systematic, digital knowledge management is required.
This is where Aeneis comes in. The BPM and GRC software becomes the organization's digital memory. It makes experiential knowledge visible, documents processes comprehensibly and links regulatory requirements with operational knowledge. This creates continuous compliance that is not tied to people, but to clearly defined and digitally maintained processes. As a result, the knowledge of a generation is no longer hidden in people's heads, but becomes a sustainable resource for regulatory security and future viability.
The challenge: Knowledge is more than documentation
When documentation isn't enough
Documenting knowledge is easy. Maintaining knowledge and making it available to others is one of the biggest challenges of today.
Especially in banks and insurance companies, daily work is not based solely on clearly defined processes, but on a deep understanding of their interactions: How are risk and compliance processes interrelated? What exceptions apply in special cases? And how can regulatory requirements be translated into processes in practice?
This knowledge is rarely fully written down. It is created in daily practice, in discussions, decisions and interpretations. Over the years, specialists and managers have built up a network of experience that goes far beyond manuals and guidelines. It is precisely this knowledge that is in danger of being lost as a result of generational change.
Why knowledge management is not a filing system
Many companies confuse knowledge management with filing. Although documents, checklists, and process manuals exist, they are often static, scattered, and out of date. Without a clear link to the processes in practice, they degenerate into islands of information that no one can find or understand at the decisive moment.
In addition, there is the regulatory dynamic in the financial world:
New requirements such as the 7th MaRisk Amendment, DORA or the EU Taxonomy Regulation require that knowledge is not only stored, but also constantly updated and verifiable. When experienced employees leave, companies often lose not only knowledge of how something is done, but also why it is done that way. An invisible loss that jeopardizes continuous compliance.
According to a recent Fraunhofer Institute knowledge balance study around 60% of companies regard the impending loss of knowledge as one of the biggest risks to their long-term success.
“Knowledge is no longer a resource that you own, but one that you have to actively cultivate,” underlines a study author from the Fraunhofer Knowledge Balance Initiative.
This insight underlines that it is no longer just about documentation, but about building a living system that structures, updates and makes knowledge accessible to all. This is hardly possible without a platform that links processes, roles, documents and regulatory requirements, because classic handover discussions are no longer sufficient here.
Three key challenges for organizations
This study poses three key challenges that determine successful knowledge retention:
- Make implicit knowledge visible:
The experience of individual employees is often unconscious, informal and undocumented. It must be identified and brought into a structured, comprehensible form. - Integrate knowledge into processes:
Knowledge only develops its value when it is available where it is needed, i.e. directly in the process context. This is the only way it can empower new employees to act securely and in accordance with the rules. - Keep knowledge up to date:
In a world of constant regulatory adjustments, knowledge is not a static state of affairs. It must be continuously maintained, versioned and linked to new requirements, a living system instead of a knowledge database.
Without a digital platform that links processes, roles, documents and regulatory requirements, this task is barely achievable. The classic “handover interview” before retirement is not enough; knowledge must be systematically recorded, structured and actively maintained so that it becomes a corporate resource in the long term.
The solution: Securing knowledge with Aeneis
The good news: The impending loss of knowledge is not an inevitable fate. With the Aeneis BPM and GRC software, the knowledge of a generation can be secured, structured and made sustainable use, for all employees and across all levels of the hierarchy.
1. Making implicit knowledge visible through process-oriented knowledge management
In Aeneis, knowledge is not documented in isolation, but embedded in the operational context of the processes. Every process, task and decision is represented in Aeneis exactly as they actually take place in practice. This creates a digital image of the organization that not only shows what is done, but also why and how.
Experience gained from decades of practice can thus be incorporated step by step in process models, descriptions and links.
With integrated BPMN modeling, processes can be visually represented and linked to roles, IT systems and documents, which is a decisive advantage over static knowledge databases.
The result:
The knowledge of experienced specialists is not simply documented, but is brought to life, structured and made comprehensible for everyone in a contextual manner.
2. Integrating knowledge into processes with SmartDocs and the integrated management system
Aeneis goes far beyond traditional process documentation. With SmartDocs, guidelines, work instructions and manuals can be linked directly to processes. As a result, employees not only know what they should do, but also find on the spot how they must do it in accordance with the rules.
The integrated management system (IMS) in Aeneis combines all relevant content, from compliance requirements to audit documents and training materials. This creates a holistic knowledge network that is constantly up to date. Regulatory requirements from MaRisk, BAIT or ISO standards can be linked directly to processes, which automatically supports continuous compliance.
3. Keeping knowledge up to date with versioning, role models and digital responsibility
Knowledge is only valuable if it remains up to date. With versioning and clear responsibilities, Aeneis ensures that every change remains comprehensible. If, for example, a MaRisk requirement changes, affected processes can be immediately identified, adapted and released.
The integrated role model ensures that responsibilities are clearly defined as to who is allowed to change, review or approve what. As a result, knowledge remains maintained and organized in the system, even when personnel change.
In combination with the organizational chart, it becomes transparent who has which knowledge and where representatives exist, creating organizational resilience.
4. Making knowledge available with intelligent links and AI support
Aeneis intelligently connects knowledge: processes, systems, documents, risks and controls are directly related to each other. Employees don't have to search long anymore; they can find the relevant information where they need it.
A particular highlight is AI-supported process modeling in Aeneis:
Based on the input of a process name, Aeneis automatically creates a first BPMN process design. This draft serves as a well-founded starting point and can then be optimized and completed with the help of AI or manually by specialist or process managers, for example by adding tasks, responsibilities, IT systems, documents and exceptions.
This quickly creates comprehensible, context-rich process documentation that anchors experiential knowledge in the system in a structured manner and accelerates knowledge transfer.
More about AI modeling in Aeneis
5. Making knowledge a future resource with continuous improvement as a culture
With Aeneis, you can not only preserve knowledge, but also develop it. With integrated maturity analyses and feedback functions, you can regularly review and improve processes. This creates a dynamic knowledge cycle: Experienced employees contribute their knowledge, new employees use and expand it, and the digital knowledge base continues to grow.
Especially in the regulated environment of banks and insurance companies, this ensures that knowledge, compliance and efficiency remain permanently linked.
6. Maintaining and verifying knowledge with the Compliance Manager in Aeneis
With the new Aeneis version 7.5, the Compliance Manager adds a decisive dimension to knowledge management: active and verifiable knowledge retention.
Especially now that the baby boomer generation is retiring, companies can specifically ensure that valuable expertise and experience is not lost but is passed on to the next generation in a comprehensible way.
The Compliance Manager uses artificial intelligence to generate automated knowledge and understanding checks from existing processes, documents, roles and all other information on a process. This makes it possible to check whether employees have really understood the relevant content, such as process instructions, regulatory requirements or compliance rules, instead of just acknowledging them.
In doing so, Aeneis specifically supports the three success factors described in the ability—motivation—opportunity model established in occupational psychology: Knowledge can only be preserved if employees have the ability, motivation and the opportunity to learn and apply it. Dashboards and evaluations make precisely these learning and understanding processes visible. Knowledge gaps can be identified and training measures can be derived in a targeted manner. In this way, knowledge is not only documented, but also actively consolidated and verifiably passed on, which is a central requirement for keeping know-how alive over generations.
Aeneis thus becomes the central platform for institutionalized knowledge: A digital system that balances experience, regulations and practice and thus ensures that knowledge is not lost but becomes a lasting competitive advantage.
From the knowledge of individuals to the strength of the company
For banks, insurance companies and other industries, the imminent generational change is much more than a personnel issue; it is a test of their future viability. While decades of experience are slowly disappearing from companies, it is now being decided whether knowledge becomes a competitive advantage or a risk factor.
The solution lies in combining process orientation, knowledge management and continuous compliance, and this is exactly where Aeneis comes in. The software makes the experience of a generation visible, integrates it into processes and keeps it up to date, independent of individual people. In addition, the new version 7.5 and Compliance Manager not only document knowledge but also keeps it verifiable. The result is a lively, self-learning system that ensures that knowledge is not lost but continuously grows.
For SüdBank AG from the introduction, this would have meant:
The retiring head of risk management would have left his experience in Aeneis, in the form of processes, documentation, responsibilities and comprehensibly linked regulations. Today, new employees could access, understand and further develop this knowledge in a targeted manner, in line with a sustainable knowledge culture.
Companies that systematically approach knowledge retention are thus creating more than just continuity:
They ensure regulatory stability, accelerate familiarization processes, avoid mistakes and create a culture of learning that connects generations.
Make Aeneis your digital knowledge repository:
Test the software for free or arrange a personal live demo. Experience how Aeneis combines knowledge, processes and compliance and thus actively secures the future of your company.
FAQs
Why is knowledge retention so important in companies today?
The imminent retirement of the baby boomer generation is threatening many companies with a massive loss of knowledge. Decades of experience disappear if it is not documented and passed on in good time. This is particularly critical in regulated industries such as finance, where process knowledge is closely linked to compliance requirements.
With Aeneis, this knowledge can be systematically secured: processes, roles, documents and IT systems are digitally linked and represented as a company-wide knowledge network.
What types of knowledge do companies need to obtain?
In addition to documented, i.e. explicit, knowledge, implicit knowledge, which employees have acquired over the years through practice, is particularly decisive. This knowledge is often “between the lines” and is difficult to grasp.
Aeneis helps to make implicit knowledge visible: By modelling processes in BPMN and linking them with roles, systems and guidelines, this experience becomes comprehensible and can be used by others.
How can companies ensure the transfer of knowledge to the next generation?
Successful knowledge transfer requires clear structures, responsibilities and a digital system that stores knowledge in a contextual manner. This is the only way to keep knowledge accessible and up to date, even after personnel changes.
With the Aeneis BPM and GRC software, this is exactly what you can do: The platform combines process knowledge, compliance requirements and organizational structures. New employees can quickly get used to it and access documented experience.
What is the role of technology in maintaining knowledge?
Digital systems are the key to securing and keeping knowledge available in the long term. They make it possible to centralize, version, and link information to processes. Without such tools, knowledge remains scattered and difficult to find.
Here, Aeneis acts as a central knowledge platform: All relevant content, from processes to manuals to IT systems, is intelligently linked, versioned and documented in an audit-proof manner.
How can you check whether knowledge is actually retained in the company?
Knowledge retention can be measured when companies regularly check whether employees understand and can apply relevant content. Dashboards, reports and comprehension checks help identify knowledge gaps and close them in a targeted manner.
The Compliance Manager in Aeneis takes on exactly this function: It automatically creates knowledge and comprehension tests and shows where action is needed. In this way, knowledge is not only documented, but also actively consolidated and verifiable.
