knowledge loss; knowledge retention; turnover; software development; information technology.

Knowledge is considered one of the most important strategic assets for contemporary organizations. Prusak (1997) highlights that ‘knowledge and intelligence are connected: intelligence is necessary to generate knowledge and knowledge provides the basis through which intelligence can be applied.’ Intelligence comes from people that, supported by Information Technology (IT), execute, manage, and make the best decisions for good performance of organizations, whether public or private. Research shows that the turnover of IT professionals has become a critical problem and the deficit may reach half a million by 2025, reflecting a significant acceleration of the demand in that sector. Furthermore, 53,000 people graduate every year in Brazil - a third of the projected demand - and almost 50% of those already hired in the last 12 months have had two additional job offers, which are considered and may represent the voluntary departure from the current organization in the short or medium term. The turnover of IT professionals brings several costs, minimizing and containing its damage has become a difficult and recurrent challenge for Human Resources, not only for economic reasons, but especially for the management and preservation of the main immaterial asset directly responsible for the success of any organization: knowledge. This paper will present a study about knowledge loss and retention at Federal University of Viçosa, where the turnover phenomenon for the position of Information Technology Technician in the last two years was considered relevant in order to ensure software development, preserving the institutional memory, and avoiding possible loss of public resources. A handbook for knowledge retention in software projects will be elaborated in this study in order to support managers and team members in implementing such actions in their work routine. The goal is to ensure good work progress, preserve institutional memory and avoid eventual public resource loss.