Making knowledge that only lives in people's heads available
In public administration a large share of working knowledge sits not in documents but in experience – and part of it leaves with every retirement. An assistant working on service instructions, procedure descriptions and earlier cases answers the typical beginner questions around the clock, without anyone being interrupted for it. It does not replace professional guidance.
What this is about
Anyone starting in a new office has less of a knowledge problem than an access problem. The service instruction exists, so does the form, the procedure is described – only nobody knows where. So they ask. That works, but it costs the other person time, and the threshold rises with every question.
In public administration the age structure adds to it. When a colleague leaves after decades, the knowledge of why a case runs this way and not another way goes with them. That knowledge is rarely written down anywhere – it used to be passed on verbally, and that chain is breaking in many places right now.
Which sources KOSMO connects to
What gets connected is whatever describes daily work – often more than you would expect:
- Service instructions and rules of procedure that set out who decides what.
- Procedure descriptions and checklists for recurring cases.
- Forms and model texts including guidance on completing them.
- Completed cases as an example of how a matter was actually handled.
How it works
- Connect the material
The filing systems of the offices are connected as sources. Nobody has to tidy up first – on the contrary: which descriptions are missing only becomes visible when questions go unanswered.
- Set permissions per office
Through groups, each person gets access to what belongs to their work. A new colleague in the building office sees the building office's documents, not the HR department's.
- Ask instead of interrupting
The typical entry-level questions can be asked directly – including the ones you would rather not ask a colleague for the third time. Every answer carries its reference, so the original can be read alongside.
- Make gaps visible
Where KOSMO finds nothing, usually nothing is documented. Those places are the best indication of which description should be written next.
An example
How does an application for special use get processed here, and which form belongs to it?
From ServiceInstruction_SpecialUse.pdf, section 2: the application is received by the public order office and, for areas along district roads, referred to the civil engineering office for comment. Under section 4, form Application_SpecialUse_Form_2024.pdf is to be used; the fee follows the special-use fee bylaw.
Illustrative example. What KOSMO answers depends solely on the documents you connect – nothing is invented, and every statement carries its reference.
What does not happen
The documents do not leave your infrastructure. KOSMO runs on-premise or in our German data centre; there is no transfer to a cloud provider, no third-country question and no CLOUD Act caveat. No model is trained on your content either – it serves to answer your question, nothing more. Who may see which source is controlled through group permissions; anyone who may not open a document will not see it quoted in an answer.
Where the limit lies: Onboarding remains a task for people. KOSMO takes over the part that consists of looking things up – it replaces neither professional guidance nor the conversation about why something is handled the way it is. And it can only reproduce what is documented: where knowledge sits exclusively in people's heads, it stays there until someone writes it down.
Frequently asked questions
What if a procedure is not described anywhere?
Then KOSMO does not find it and says so, instead of inventing something. Those blanks are useful: they show which description is missing – and precisely where it is actually needed.
Do new staff see more than they are allowed to?
No. Permissions run through the same groups as access to the filing. Anyone who may not open a document will not have it quoted to them in an answer.
Is this worthwhile for small administrations?
Especially there. In small organisations each task is often held by one person only – if they are away, the knowledge is gone entirely. The benefit depends less on size than on how much depends on individuals.
Does it help with covering for absent colleagues?
Yes, that is the same case in short form. Anyone taking over an unfamiliar task at short notice can look up how it runs here, instead of asking around or leaving it.
See it on your own files
We will show you KOSMO on your own documents – without anything having to be uploaded that leaves your building.
