Community of practice

A community of practice (CoP) is a group bound by a shared domain — a profession, role, or craft — who deepen their expertise by interacting: asking questions, sharing what works, and building a collective body of knowledge over time.

Unlike a one-off course or a broadcast audience, a community of practice is ongoing and member-driven. Its value compounds as discussions accumulate into a searchable knowledge base that newer members can learn from.

Organizations run communities of practice to retain knowledge, onboard faster, and keep members engaged. The right software helps by making past discussions searchable, structuring spaces by topic, and (increasingly) layering an AI assistant over the accumulated knowledge.