In many companies, there is that one person who seems to know everything.

They know the processes, know where to find every piece of information, understand how to solve certain problems, and whenever someone has a question, they are almost always the person the team turns to.

This knowledge has enormous value for the company. The problem is that, many times, it is concentrated in just a few people.

When this happens, an important question arises: what if this knowledge could be transformed into information accessible to the entire company?

This is precisely the discussion that has become even more relevant with the advances of Google Workspace and Gemini Skills, which make it possible to transform knowledge and context into more practical actions within the work routine.

But there is an even broader question behind this: how can companies transform what happens every day into data capable of supporting better decisions?

This is where the importance of understanding not only what employees do, but how work actually happens, comes into play.

THE KNOWLEDGE THAT STAYS IN ONE PERSON’S HEAD

Every company has knowledge that is not necessarily documented.

It may exist in an employee’s experience, in the way a particular task is performed, in a process someone has learned over the years, or even in one person’s ability to quickly solve situations that seem complex to the rest of the team.

This informal knowledge can be extremely important to the operation.

The problem arises when the company depends exclusively on these people to access certain information or solve certain problems.

Imagine, for example, an employee who knows exactly where to find a particular document, knows every step of a process, and can guide other team members whenever a question comes up.

As long as this knowledge remains only with that person, the company has a dependency.

If that person is absent, changes roles, or leaves the organization, part of that knowledge may no longer be available in the same way.

That is why transforming individual knowledge into shared information is one of the challenges of modern management.

FROM INDIVIDUAL KNOWLEDGE TO ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Digital tools are changing the way companies manage knowledge.

The advancement of resources such as Gemini Skills in Google Workspace shows an important trend: information that already exists within the work routine can be used to perform tasks, organize processes, and make knowledge easier to access.

In practice, this means that knowledge no longer depends exclusively on one person’s memory or experience.

Documents, emails, project information, and other materials can serve as context to make certain activities more practical.

But there is an important difference between knowledge and data about work.

A company may know what information is stored in its systems and still not know exactly how its team uses time throughout the workday.

This is where analyzing the work routine becomes important.

KNOWING WHAT EXISTS IS NOT THE SAME AS KNOWING HOW WORK HAPPENS

Imagine that a company has access to all the documents, emails, and tools used by its team.

It has a lot of information.

But does that mean its managers know how work actually happens?

Not always.

It is possible to know the formally defined processes while, at the same time, being unaware of some of the activities that take up a significant part of the workday.

For example:

A team may spend hours using different applications.

They may constantly switch between tools.

They may lose time searching for information.

They may spend periods without activity.

They may use certain systems much more than others.

They may concentrate certain tasks among just a few people.

These behaviors are part of the routine, but they are not always clear when a manager looks only at results, meetings, or hours worked.

BEFORE IMPROVING, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND

This is one of the main ideas behind data-driven management.

Before deciding what needs to be improved, it is necessary to understand the current scenario.

How does work actually happen?

Which tools are part of the routine?

Which activities consume the most time?

Where are there periods of inactivity?

Which applications are used the most?

Are there processes that could be simplified?

These questions help transform a subjective perception into a more concrete analysis of the work routine.

Instead of relying only on impressions, managers can use information that helps them understand how the team operates.

THE ROLE OF DATA IN PRODUCTIVITY MANAGEMENT

Productivity does not simply mean working more.

A proper analysis needs to consider how time is being used and which activities are part of the workday.

Two people can remain connected for the same number of hours and have completely different routines.

One may spend most of their time performing activities directly related to their responsibilities.

Another may face interruptions, switch between different tools, or spend considerable periods without activity.

That is why looking only at the number of hours connected may not be enough.

Context matters.

WORK HOURS, ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTIVITY, AND INACTIVITY

This is precisely the layer of analysis where monitoring tools can contribute to management.

With Monitoo, managers can view information related to the team’s routine in an organized way, including data about:

• Work hours

• Activities

• Productivity

• Inactivity

• Websites used

• Applications used

This information can help build a clearer view of how time is being used during work.

Instead of analyzing each piece of information separately, managers can view the data within a broader context.

WHEN WORK IS TURNED INTO INFORMATION

The greatest value of data is not simply in collecting it.

It is in being able to use it to understand situations and support decisions.

Imagine identifying that a particular activity requires a significant amount of the team’s time.

The next question could be: is there a step that could be automated, simplified, or reorganized?

Or imagine realizing that a specific tool takes up a large part of the daily routine.

This could lead to an analysis of processes, training, or task distribution.

Data does not automatically provide the answer.

It helps you ask better questions.

LESS GUESSWORK, MORE CONTEXT

One of the challenges of management is making decisions based only on perceptions.

A manager may believe that a particular process is working well.

Another may believe that there is a productivity problem.

Without sufficient data, both perceptions may remain simply hypotheses.

When information about the work routine is organized, it becomes easier to compare scenarios, identify patterns, and investigate possible bottlenecks.

This does not mean turning every number into an automatic conclusion.

It means using data as a starting point for a more structured analysis.

THE CHALLENGE OF REMOTE WORK

In remote work, this discussion becomes even more relevant.

When a team works together in the same physical environment, some information can naturally be observed.

Managers can see interactions, processes, moments of collaboration, and difficulties during task execution.

In remote work, much of this information is no longer visible.

Meetings and messages show only part of the routine.

That is why having structured data can help complement this view.

HOW MONITOO CAN HELP MANAGERS

Monitoo organizes information related to work hours and team activities in a dashboard.

This allows managers to have a clearer view of different aspects of the work routine.

These include:

Work hours: understanding periods related to professional activity.

Activities: viewing activities performed throughout the work routine.

Productivity: tracking indicators related to time usage.

Inactivity: identifying periods without recorded activity.

Websites and applications: understanding the tools used during work.

The goal is not simply to accumulate information.

It is to organize this data so that it can be used in management.

WHY CENTRALIZE THIS INFORMATION?

When data is scattered across different places, analysis becomes more difficult.

Managers may need to consult different systems, reports, or records to build a complete view of the team.

A centralized dashboard makes this visualization easier.

Instead of searching for information individually, managers can access the main indicators in one environment.

This reduces the effort required to find information and allows more time to be dedicated to analysis and decision-making.

DATA DOES NOT REPLACE MANAGEMENT

It is important to emphasize that monitoring tools do not replace the manager’s role.

Data needs to be interpreted within context.

A period of low activity, for example, can have different explanations.

It could represent a break, a meeting, an activity performed away from the computer, or simply a task that does not require constant interaction with the device.

Therefore, data should serve as support for analysis, rather than as an automatic interpretation of a person’s performance.

THE GOAL IS NOT TO CONTROL EVERY MINUTE

Data-driven management must also consider transparency and context.

Monitoring information about the work routine should be connected to clear goals related to management, productivity, and process improvement.

When data is used correctly, it can help a company identify bottlenecks, understand processes, and make more informed decisions.

The focus shifts from simply asking “how long was the person connected?”

To asking:

“What does the data show about how work is happening?”

WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WORK HAPPENS, IT BECOMES EASIER TO DECIDE WHAT NEEDS TO IMPROVE

This is the main connection between knowledge, technology, and management.

Tools such as Gemini Skills show how knowledge that already exists within companies can be used in more practical ways.

Monitoring and analytics solutions, on the other hand, help visualize information about the work routine.

When these two perspectives are combined, a company can look at two important aspects:

what people know

and

how work happens.

This combination can help managers identify opportunities for improvement with greater context.

FROM THE “EMPLOYEE WHO DOES EVERYTHING” TO A COMPANY THAT SHARES KNOWLEDGE

The employee who knows everything can be an important asset to any organization.

But relying exclusively on that person does not have to be the model.

The more knowledge can be documented, shared, and transformed into accessible information, the less dependent the company may become on specific individuals for certain tasks.

Technology can contribute to this process.

Collaboration tools, artificial intelligence, knowledge management, and productivity analytics are part of a broader transformation in the way companies work.

The goal is not to replace people.

It is to allow the knowledge they produce to be better utilized by the organization.

CONCLUSION

The future of management is not simply about working with more tools.

It is about making better use of the information those tools help generate.

One person’s knowledge can teach an entire team.

Routine data can reveal processes that need to be analyzed.

And a clearer view of work can help managers make better-informed decisions.

In the end, the question is no longer simply “how much time did the team work?”

It becomes something much more important:

“How was that time used, and what can we learn from it?”

It is through this understanding that companies can identify opportunities, analyze processes, and decide what truly needs to improve.

Discover Monitoo and turn routine data into information that supports better management.

Turn everyday work into greater clarity for management.