Why do people forget 90% of what they learn within a week?
In 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted groundbreaking experiments that revealed a startling truth about human memory: we forget information at an exponential rate. His research, replicated numerous times including a comprehensive 2015 study ↗, established what’s now known as the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve.
The findings are sobering for anyone who relies on traditional training and documentation:
50% forgotten within 20 minutes of learning
60% forgotten within 1 hour
70% forgotten within 9 hours
90% forgotten within 7 days
This isn’t a failure of intelligence or motivation - it’s how human memory fundamentally works. Yet most organizations continue investing millions in training programs and documentation systems that ignore this biological reality.
What is the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve?
The forgetting curve is a mathematical model showing how information is lost over time when there’s no attempt to retain it. Ebbinghaus tested himself by memorizing nonsense syllables (like “WID” or “ZOF”) to eliminate the influence of prior knowledge, then measured how much effort it took to relearn them after various time intervals.
The curve reveals three critical insights:
Forgetting is exponential, not linear: Most forgetting happens immediately after learning, with the steepest decline in the first hour
Sleep creates a retention bump: There’s a slight improvement in memory after 24 hours, likely due to sleep consolidation
Without reinforcement, nearly everything is forgotten: After a month, retention approaches zero for most information
Why does the forgetting curve matter for business operations?
Consider the typical business approach to knowledge transfer:
New employee training: Multi-day sessions covering policies, procedures, and systems
Process documentation: Lengthy PDFs or wiki pages explaining how to perform tasks
Annual compliance training: Required courses that employees complete once per year
Expert knowledge transfer: Sitting with experienced staff to learn complex procedures
According to the forgetting curve, 90% of this investment is wasted. By the time employees need to apply what they learned, they’ve forgotten almost everything except vague impressions.
What makes traditional documentation and training fundamentally flawed?
The “Learn Then Do” Fallacy
Traditional approaches assume people can:
Learn information in advance
Store it in memory
Retrieve it perfectly when needed
This model fails because:
Time gap: Days or weeks often pass between learning and application
Context mismatch: Training environments differ from real work situations
Information overload: People are taught everything at once rather than what’s immediately relevant
No retrieval practice: Information isn’t reinforced at the moment of need
The Documentation Paradox
Organizations create extensive documentation believing it solves knowledge management, but:
If people remember the process, they don’t need documentation
If people forget the process, they also forget that documentation exists or where to find it
Even when found, interpreting written procedures requires cognitive effort and leaves room for error
The Expert Dependency Trap
When formal methods fail, organizations fall back on tribal knowledge:
Experts become bottlenecks as everyone depends on their availability
New employees require extended mentorship periods
Knowledge walks out the door when experts leave
Inconsistent execution as each expert develops their own methods
How do different industries experience forgetting curve failures?
Healthcare
Training reality: Nurses receive intensive orientation on medication protocols
Forgetting impact: Months later, facing a rarely-used medication, critical steps are forgotten
Consequences: Medication errors, one of the leading causes of patient harm
Financial Services
Training reality: Extensive compliance training on anti-money laundering procedures
Forgetting impact: When suspicious activity occurs, staff forget specific reporting requirements
Improvements are immediately available to all users
New employees can perform complex tasks from day one
Create Institutional Memory
Knowledge is stored in the system, not individual minds
Process history provides learning examples
Updates propagate instantly to all users
What’s the real cost of ignoring the forgetting curve?
Organizations that rely on traditional training and documentation face hidden costs:
Quantifiable Losses
Training investment waste: 90% of training budget provides no lasting value
Productivity loss: Employees spend hours searching for forgotten information
Error rates: Forgotten steps lead to mistakes requiring rework
Compliance failures: Forgotten procedures result in regulatory violations
Hidden Impacts
Employee frustration: People feel incompetent when they can’t remember training
Customer dissatisfaction: Inconsistent service delivery damages relationships
Innovation barriers: Time spent relearning basics prevents improvement focus
Scaling limitations: Growth becomes impossible when knowledge transfer fails
How can you audit your organization’s forgetting curve vulnerability?
Ask these diagnostic questions:
How long after training do employees first use what they learned?
If more than a week, you’re already at 90% forgetting
What percentage of documented procedures are regularly referenced?
Unused documentation indicates reliance on memory
How often do employees ask colleagues “How do I do this?”
Frequent questions reveal forgotten training
How many errors trace back to missed or incorrect steps?
Process errors often indicate memory failures
How long does it take new employees to work independently?
Extended mentorship suggests ineffective knowledge transfer
What’s the path forward for sustainable knowledge management?
The forgetting curve isn’t a problem to solve - it’s a reality to design around. Successful organizations:
Accept Biological Reality
Stop expecting people to remember complex procedures
Design systems that work with human limitations
Focus on execution support rather than information retention
Invest in Systems, Not Training
Shift budget from training programs to workflow systems
Measure success by consistent execution, not test scores
Value real-time guidance over advance preparation
Create Adaptive Processes
Build flexibility into workflows rather than rigid procedures
Enable continuous improvement based on execution data
Empower employees to succeed without perfect memory
The science is clear: traditional training and documentation methods fight a losing battle against human biology. The forgetting curve isn’t a flaw in your employees - it’s a fundamental aspect of human cognition. Organizations that accept this reality and design around it achieve consistent execution, reduced errors, and scalable growth.
By providing real-time guidance exactly when needed, workflow management systems transform the forgetting curve from an insurmountable obstacle into an irrelevant historical curiosity. The question isn’t whether your employees will forget - they will. The question is whether your organization will continue pretending otherwise or embrace systems designed for how humans actually work.
Tribal knowledge creates business risks when critical processes exist only in employees’ heads. Tallyfy transforms undocumented expertise into systematic workflows that eliminate training bottlenecks, reduce dependency risks, and ensure consistent execution regardless of staff availability.
Tallyfy transforms traditional static operations manuals into dynamic digital processes that can be accessed on any device with automated workflows rich media support clear ownership structures and continuous improvement mechanisms for maintaining consistent business operations.
Process improvements require effective implementation and ongoing control measures to ensure lasting benefits through proper execution communication training and continuous monitoring of standardized workflows.
Strategic template organization in Tallyfy accelerates workflow discovery through department-based folders consistent naming conventions effective tagging systems proper access controls regular audits and structured governance frameworks that scale with business growth while maintaining operational efficiency and standardized processes across teams.
