In many projects, knowledge is often concentrated in a few individuals' minds. While this allows for flexibility and rapid decision-making, it also creates bottlenecks, information gaps, and risks. The concept of the "Brain Baton"—the process of transferring knowledge from individual brains into a structured, accessible system—addresses these challenges and mobilizes a full team. This article explores how to transition from an individual-driven process to a scalable, documented system that empowers entire teams.
The Problem: Knowledge Bottlenecks and Project Chaos
Many projects fail to scale because crucial information resides in one person's brain. While this person may have deep insights, the lack of documentation means that:
• Team members rely on constant verbal updates.
• Work slows down if the key individual is unavailable.
• Decision-making becomes inconsistent and un-trackable.
• Scaling is impossible because new team members cannot easily integrate.
• Team members cannot operate independently in service of the overall goal
On client projects we’ve seen teams face significant hurdles when information wasn’t systematically documented. Instead of streamlined collaboration, there was confusion, wasted time, and last-minute scrambling to meet deadlines.
Why Don't People Document Knowledge?
Despite the clear benefits of documentation, many teams resist it. The primary reasons include:
1. Perceived inefficiency – Writing things down takes time, and people often feel they aren’t making progress.
2. Flexibility – Keeping knowledge informal allows for quick changes without the constraints of documentation.
3. Over-reliance on key individuals – Some teams function well with a single decision-maker, but this only works from small teams.
4. Wrong-sizing – past planning efforts resulted in bloated documents that no one ever used.
These reasons have their place. But as projects increase in size, without documentation, scaling and collaboration become significantly harder—we might argue impossible.
The Brain Baton: A Structured Approach to Knowledge Transfer
The solution is the Brain Baton, a systematic method for moving knowledge from individuals to a shared, structured system. Here’s how it works:
1. Think Slow, Act Fast
One of the biggest barriers to documentation is the mindset that planning delays execution. However, as Bent Flyvbjerg explains in How Big Things Get Done, the key to success is to "think slow, act fast."
• Thinking slow means investing time in structured documentation when the cost of rework is low before rushing into execution when the cost of rework is higher.
• Acting fast follows naturally when teams have clear assignments, one source of project truth and structured processes that everyone follows.
2. Create a Project Plan
A project plan is the foundation for transferring knowledge. It should always include:
• Deliverables – What needs to be done? And “what” is key here. A plan includes all the nouns required to deliver…no tasks, just tangible things like a pitch presentation, a design document, a compliance submission etc.
• Start and end dates – When will each deliverable start and end—for reals.
• Roles and responsibilities – Who is doing the work, who approves it, who provides expertise and who’s informed along the way. WxW uses the RACI framework—responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.
3. Implement a Tracking Systems
Once a project plan is in place, teams need a system to track progress. This can be achieved through:
• Project management software (e.g., Airtable, Monday, Notion). We believe a Gantt chart is essential to effectively viewing the deliverable progression to the end date.
• Regular team and stakeholder check-ins on a known rhythm, we call it rhythm of the business (ROB).
• Centralized document storage so all draft and complete deliverables are available to the whole team.
4. Engage the Whole Team
A knowledge-sharing system only works if the team actively engages with it from leadership to deliverable creators. Key strategies include:
• Training on how to use the system.
• Reinforcing team contributions to encourage keeping documentation updated.
• Creating a culture of collaboration, where knowledge-sharing is essential and programmatic.
How to Ensure Success
To fully implement the Brain Baton approach, teams must:
1. Dedicate time to think and document – Even when it feels like delaying execution.
2. Use the right tools – Choose project management system with a Gantt chart, document storage and tasking ability.
3. Regularly review and update – Identify a cadence of check-ins and stick to it.
Conclusion: The Future of Scalable Teams
In increasingly complex work environments, relying on one person’s brain to hold all the knowledge is unsustainable. By implementing a structured documentation system—the Brain Baton—teams can scale efficiently, reduce stress, and achieve long-term success. The key is to think slow, act fast, and build a system that allows everyone to contribute and access crucial information. When done well, the Brain Baton transforms teams from reactive and chaotic to proactive and organized, setting them up for sustainable growth.
How well does your team pass the Brain Baton? Do you notice the team working overtime before a deadline? Do you see multiple versions of planning documented in different places? Do you make time for planning? Do you need a hand? Schedule a 30-min free consult.
