Internal Knowledge Base in Planfix: Getting Started
An internal knowledge base for employees keeps company rules, instructions and know-how in one place, so the team handles tasks faster and new hires train on the same material. Planfix now recommends building one with Objects rather than the Directory: each section and article is a task in a knowledge base project. This four-minute video shows how to use it, from quick search filters to access settings.
What the video covers
- Find an article by name, section, creation date, participant or keyword (0:36).
- Set up the quick search filter and its columns (1:09).
- Add knowledge base sections and articles (1:31).
- Move articles between the Active and Archived statuses (1:59).
- Fill an article with text, links, images, tables and lists (2:22).
- Give employees access to the whole knowledge base or to single articles (3:02).
How to use an internal knowledge base in Planfix, step by step
Step 1. Search knowledge base articles with filters
The knowledge base is a project: sections are parent tasks, and articles are their subtasks, a hierarchy meant to make search and navigation faster. To find an article, filter by its name; to narrow the search to one section, use the parent task filter. Don’t remember the name? Sort by creation date, filter by participants or run a keyword search on the article text.
To set up the filter, click the gear icon to open the column settings, add columns such as name, status, parent task, participant and auditor, and drag them into order. The same tools work in any task list; see task search in Planfix to find, filter and sort tasks.
Step 2. Add sections and articles
To add a section, type its name in the list and press Enter. A task created inside a filter inherits its selection parameters, so the new section appears in the knowledge base right away. To add an article:
- Open the section’s additional menu and click the link that adds an article.
- Or open the section, expand the Subtasks panel on the right and type the article name in the field there.
Step 3. Manage knowledge base article statuses
Articles have two statuses: Active for articles in use and Archived for outdated ones you don’t want to delete. Change the status in the article itself, or for several articles at once with bulk actions. You can also create custom statuses for your team or department.
Step 4. Write the article content
An article’s content goes into its task description. To link to another section or article, copy its link, highlight the text and press Ctrl + V; the linked article opens in the same tab. You can also insert images and structure information with tables and lists: to add a table, click the table icon in the editing area or type /.
Step 5. Set knowledge base access permissions
Access works on two levels:
- General covers the whole knowledge base. In the project’s editing settings, give employees the Participant role to view all articles or the Auditor role to edit them.
- Specific opens individual articles to an employee or a group. Change it for several articles at once with bulk actions, or for one article in the general list or on the Details tab of its card.
To give someone only some of the articles, leave them out of the project roles and open just those articles to them with specific access.
Who an internal knowledge base is for
- HR and team leads: run a knowledge base for employee training, so every new hire learns from the same articles; with specific access, a newcomer can start with only the articles for their role.
- Department heads: keep a section for each department and add custom statuses where Active and Archived aren’t enough.
- Teams still using the Directory: move to Objects to get comments on articles, filter-based search and automation, such as a notification when an article is updated. The step-by-step guide to building a knowledge base with objects compares the two approaches.
FAQ
What is an internal knowledge base in Planfix?
An internal knowledge base in Planfix is a project whose tasks use a Knowledge base object: sections are parent tasks, and articles are their subtasks. Employees search it with task filters, and project roles decide who can view articles and who can edit them.
Where can a company create an internal knowledge base?
Either on a dedicated knowledge base platform or in the tool where the team already works. Planfix is the second kind: it isn’t a dedicated knowledge base platform, but it keeps articles as tasks in a project next to the rest of your work.
Is this the same as knowledge base search in Planfix AI?
No. Knowledge base search is a separate Planfix AI feature that works on uploaded TXT, PDF or DOCX files. The knowledge base in this video is made of tasks you write and edit in Planfix. For the AI feature, see how to let Planfix AI answer customers from your knowledge base.
Start your knowledge base
The quickest start is the Company knowledge base ready-made solution. It adds the Knowledge base object, a Tags field, the Active and Archived statuses, a filter and a workspace. It requires the Professional plan, and only account administrators can install it. To build the base yourself, see how to set up the knowledge base in Planfix. New to Planfix? Sign up to try it.
This video was featured in What’s New in Planfix: November 2024.
