Slate Strategy Sessions: Documentation

2025-08-06

Kristina Kelpe, Founder & CEO of Legato Strategic Consulting, joins host Jon Rowand to explore how higher education institutions can launch or level-up their approach to documentation. Whether your school is starting from scratch or improving an existing system, Kristina offers strategies for building sustainable, effective documentation practices. Drawing on over 20 years of experience in higher ed and technology systems, she shares why starting with the “why” behind every process is key to long-term success. You’ll hear practical tips for organizing knowledge, creating flexible documentation that works for all users, and fostering a culture of shared ownership without falling into perfectionism or chasing shiny new tools. From cycle reset planning to celebrating team contributions, this conversation is packed with strategies to help your institution stay efficient, prepared, and future ready.

📝 Transcript | 🤖 AI Expanded Summary

📺Watch this Episode on YouTube

🔗Connect with Jon LinkedIn | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login) | ReWorkflow

🔗Connect with Kristina LinkedIn | Legato Strategic Consulting

💡Key Takeaways

✅ Start with the Why: Good documentation doesn’t only cover how to complete a task. It explains the why behind each step so future users understand purpose and context.

✅ Keep it Flexible: Pair a short, checklist-style version of documentation with a detailed version that includes screenshots and background. This ensures it helps both confident users and those who need extra guidance.

✅ Use a Calendar of Activities: Map out your annual and cyclical processes on a shared calendar linked to your documentation. This helps teams plan ahead and avoid last-minute scrambles.

✅ Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome: You don’t need the perfect tool. Agree on one system of record (Google Drive, SharePoint, or Confluence) and focus on consistency and habit-building over time.

✅ Document Decisions Promptly: Capture decisions and their reasoning as you go. Even a simple Google Doc or “dear diary” log is better than waiting until the end of a project.

✅ Celebrate Contributions: Recognition fuels a culture of shared ownership. Thank teammates who keep documentation updated and highlight their efforts in meetings or group chats.

✅ Embrace Simplicity and AI: As AI evolves, storing documentation in an accessible, searchable format becomes even more valuable. Start by getting the information down, even if it’s not perfectly organized.

🗣️Sound Bites

“I’m a big ‘why’ person. Tell me the why behind this [not just the steps].”
“…if you don't have the old documentation, if you don't understand your data model, you could just be adding in new problems.”
“It's more important to get it down and that it's just available. So, you could have something…and…we made a decision.“
“And yet we all can relate if we have that messy closet in our house and…I know I have things in there, but I can't find it. And I think we are so guilty of this in higher education…I got students to serve. I got things to do. I don't have time to keep things organized.”

📚Referenced

David Dysart Linkedin | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login) | YouTube | Substack
Katrina Holland Linkedin | Legato Strategic Consulting
Jennifer Champaner Linkedin | Ai