KM-301f · Module 3

The ATLAS Knowledge Resilience Score

3 min read

Knowledge resilience is not a qualitative judgment — it is a measurable state. The ATLAS Knowledge Resilience Score (KRS) is a diagnostic instrument that quantifies an organization's exposure to knowledge loss across five dimensions. The score does not predict departures. It measures the degree to which the organization can absorb a knowledge loss event without operational degradation. Organizations with high KRS scores survive departures. Organizations with low KRS scores are surprised by them.

  1. Dimension 1: Bus Factor Coverage Score 0–20. What percentage of critical processes have a bus factor of two or greater? Score: (percentage of critical processes with bus factor ≥ 2) × 20. A score of 20 means every critical process has at least two independent knowledge holders. A score of 0 means every critical process is a single point of failure.
  2. Dimension 2: Documentation Coverage Score 0–20. What percentage of critical processes have transfer-quality documentation? Score: (percentage with transfer documentation) × 20. Transfer-quality documentation passes the capability transfer test from KM-301e. A process that has a document that has not been tested for transfer does not count toward this score.
  3. Dimension 3: Continuous Capture Adoption Score 0–20. What percentage of critical knowledge holders regularly contribute to the knowledge management system? Score: (percentage who captured knowledge in last 30 days) × 20. Contribution is measured by knowledge system activity — entries added, documents updated, decisions logged.
  4. Dimension 4: Offboarding Protocol Compliance Score 0–20. What percentage of departures in the last 12 months executed the full offboarding knowledge protocol? Score: (percentage compliance) × 20. An organization that has never had a departure in the last 12 months scores 20 by definition — but should apply the protocol retroactively to its highest-risk holders.
  5. Dimension 5: Recovery Capability Score 0–20. Has the organization tested its ability to execute a knowledge recovery event in the last 12 months? Score: 20 if a recovery exercise has been completed, 10 if one is planned, 0 if no recovery capability has been tested. An organization that has never practiced recovery will perform significantly worse under actual recovery conditions.

Do This

  • Score the KRS quarterly and trend it over time — direction matters as much as absolute score
  • Treat any dimension score below 10 as a critical risk requiring immediate remediation
  • Use the KRS as a management reporting instrument — leadership should see it alongside other operational health metrics
  • Target a minimum total KRS of 75 before considering the knowledge resilience function operational

Avoid This

  • Use the KRS as a compliance checkbox — the point is the improvement, not the score
  • Average the score across the organization and treat high performers as offsetting low performers — dimension scores below 10 are critical risks regardless of the average
  • Score the KRS once and file it — it is a living measurement that requires quarterly re-evaluation