Customer Story

Capturing 20 Years of Knowledge Before It Walked Out the Door

How Great Plains Federal Credit Union avoided losing 20 years of institutional knowledge by documenting systems, decisions, and context before a key retirement.

TL;DR

The short version (TL;DR)

Company: Great Plains Federal Credit Union

Challenge: Retiring VP of IT held 20 years of critical system and operational knowledge, much of it undocumented and at risk of being lost.

Solution: Used ScreenSteps to capture both step-by-step processes and institutional knowledge before retirement.

Results: Smooth leadership transition, preserved institutional knowledge, and a more confident IT team no longer dependent on one single expert.

The short version (TL;DR)

The Company

Great Plains Federal Credit Union

The Challenge

Retiring VP of IT held 20 years of critical system and operational knowledge, much of it undocumented and at risk of being lost.

The Solution

Used ScreenSteps to capture both step-by-step processes and institutional knowledge before retirement.

The Results

Smooth leadership transition, preserved institutional knowledge, and a more confident IT team no longer dependent on one single expert.

“ScreenSteps gave us a way to capture all of our VP of IT’s knowledge before he left. Instead of hoping we’d remember or figure it out later, we knew we had the processes and the context documented so the transition could be smooth.”

Kelsey Helton
VP of Human Resources, Great Plains Federal Credit Union

The Challenge

Decades Worth of Knowledge at Risk of Being Lost

When Great Plains FCU’s VP of IT announced his retirement, leadership needed to capture his knowledge before he left.

20 years of knowledge lived in one person.
He had been involved in nearly every major system and decision across the organization.

Much of that knowledge wasn’t documented.
In some cases, he was the only person performing certain tasks or logging in to systems.

The team needed more than steps. They needed context.
It wasn’t enough to document steps. They needed to understand why systems were set up the way they were, how decisions were made, and what to consider moving forward.

For all credit unions, expectations from the NCUA are increasing

The NCUA has introduced new requirements around succession planning, pushing credit unions to ensure they can maintain continuity when key leaders retire or leave.

The Solution

Turning Expertise Into Shared Knowledge

Great Plains FCU used ScreenSteps coaching and AI knowledge capture tools to extract and document the outgoing VP’s knowledge before the transition.

During ScreenSteps coaching calls, the outgoing VP of IT walked through his day-to-day responsibilities, explaining what he did, where he went, and how each system worked.

As he talked, ScreenSteps AI-powered knowledge capture tools captured that knowledge and generated optimized digital guides.

Used AI to quickly document systems and processes

During ScreenSteps coaching calls, the outgoing VP of IT walked through his day-to-day responsibilities, explaining what he did, where he went, and how each system worked.

As he talked, ScreenSteps AI-powered knowledge capture tools captured that knowledge and generated optimized digital guides.

Team members called out what they needed to know, ensuring the right knowledge was captured.

Involved the entire IT team
to identify gaps

Team members called out what they needed to know, ensuring the right knowledge was captured.

In addition to documenting step-by-step processes across systems, they also captured the broader context behind them.

This included why certain systems were in place, how decisions had been made over time, what to look for when working through tasks, and how different pieces of the technology ecosystem fit together.

Why this matters: Instead of just handing off instructions, they documented the full picture that an incoming VP of IT would need to understand the environment and make informed decisions.

Captured both the “how” and the “why"

In addition to documenting step-by-step processes across systems, they also captured the broader context behind them.

This included why certain systems were in place, how decisions had been made over time, what to look for when working through tasks, and how different pieces of the technology ecosystem fit together.

Why this matters: Instead of just handing off instructions, they documented the full picture that an incoming VP of IT would need to understand the environment and make informed decisions.

During that week, the outgoing and incoming VP of IT worked side by side, walking through the documented processes, testing them in real time, and identifying anything missing. Any gaps or clarifications were immediately added into ScreenSteps.

Created a structured transition period

“It wasn’t just documenting steps. It was making sure we understood why things were set up the way they were, so the next person could come in and actually make decisions, not just follow instructions.”

Kelsey Helton
VP of Human Resources, Great Plains Federal Credit Union

The Results

A Smooth Transition Without Losing Knowledge

A transition like this could have been disruptive, with lost knowledge of processes, context, and past decisions.

Instead, the new VP of IT stepped in with confidence and clear visibility into the IT landscape at Great Plains FCU.

The new VP of IT ramped quickly with full context

They had access to clear documentation explaining both how systems worked and why they were set up that way.

The team is no longer dependent on one person

Knowledge that was previously siloed is now accessible and shared. Anyone on the IT team can find and follow trusted guidance.

Critical context and decisions are now documented

The team doesn’t just know what to do. They understand the reasoning behind it, allowing them to make better decisions moving forward.

The credit union is prepared for future transitions

This approach created a repeatable process for capturing and transferring knowledge. The next time a key employee retires, they'll know what to do.

Don’t Let Critical Knowledge Walk Out the Door

See how you can capture critical knowledge and prepare your team for retirements before it becomes a risk.

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Capturing 20 Years of Knowledge Before It Walked Out the Door

The short version (TL;DR)

The short version (TL;DR)

The Company

The Challenge

The Solution

The Results

Decades Worth of Knowledge at Risk of Being Lost

For all credit unions, expectations from the NCUA are increasing

Turning Expertise Into Shared Knowledge

Used AI to quickly document systems and processes

Involved the entire IT teamto identify gaps

Captured both the “how” and the “why"

Created a structured transition period

A Smooth Transition Without Losing Knowledge

The new VP of IT ramped quickly with full context

The team is no longer dependent on one person

Critical context and decisions are now documented

The credit union is prepared for future transitions

Don’t Let Critical Knowledge Walk Out the Door

Watch Platform Overview

Explore Learning Center

Involved the entire IT team
to identify gaps