dave burke

KLMNO

IT Workspace Wiki Update

Background and lessons learned regarding wiki for collaboration and documentation in the IT Department

Dave BurkeManager, IT Web SolutionsFebruary 2008

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dave burke

IT Workspace Update

• Background

• What’s a wiki

• Lessons learned so far

• Special Offer

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dave burke

Background - Web Solutions

• Back to 2005, we’ve been struggling with how to better support our apps

• Much of the problem stemmed from important knowledge being trapped

• Various private and shared drives

• Old email threads

• But mostly, individual brains

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dave burke

Background - Web Solutions

The mantra:

“Let’s hope [insert resource name here] doesn’t get hit by a bus.”

Or worse. . .

http://flickr.com/photos/squeakymarmot/2200609113/

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dave burke

Risk of wetware-based knowledge storage

Technical Architect His boss

On most Saturdays. . .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aok/2190318934 http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelo/614958266/

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dave burke

Background - Web Solutions

• 2006-2007: The stakes for web application support were getting higher

• SOA was making troubleshooting more complex

• SAP integration was making it more business critical

• We needed a better process, and a better knowledge storage tool

• We tried a wiki

• 60-day pilot with Dokuwiki, an open-source product

dave burke

KLMNO

What is a wiki?

dave burke

KLMNO

What is a wiki?

A collection of web pages

Every page is editableJust click, type, and save.

Every page has a nameLink by page name; no HTML required.

Source: Ross Mayfield. http://www.slideshare.net/ross/new-paradigms-for-using-computers

dave burke

KLMNO

What is a wiki?

• Wikis build group memory (or at least a better chance at it)

• Simplifies collaboration (everyone works on the same document)

• Aggregates related information

• Accuracy through peer review

• Every page revision is saved

• Roll-back changes with a click

Source: Ross Mayfield. http://www.slideshare.net/ross/new-paradigms-for-using-computers

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dave burke

What is a wiki?

dave burke

KLMNO

“Destination of first resort”1

1 http://www.hssonline.org/publications/Newsletter2008/NewsJan2008Ross.html

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dave burke

Background - Web Solutions

• Results from our 60-day pilot

• Wiki works as a platform

• But the product we chose didn’t cut it

• Special markup language

• Users were anonymous

• Attachments/Images were difficult to handle

• Even so, we kept using it

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Document Repository Study project

• 2007 IT Project

• Analyzed multiple products spanning traditional document management, wikis, and blogs

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KLMNO

Document Repository Study project

• WYSIWYG Editor - no markup language

• Named users and single signon

• Full-text search, including attachments

• Email, RSS integration

• Tagging for dynamic organization and blogs

We chose Socialtext.

dave burke

KLMNO

Lessons learned so far

• We’re starting to see real documentation benefits

• Building that organizational memory

• Indications that wiki could improve the culture

• Extra benefits come from doing work on the wiki, and tracking work on the wiki. . .

• People who hoard information, or just don’t share it, get outed. And they get out-competed compared to those sharing information.1

• But getting your team to change the way they work requires long-term commitment and daily reinforcement

1Ross Mayfield. http://www.interop.com/newyork/archive/videos/playvideo/index.php?vid=interop-new-york-web2

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KLMNO

Lessons learned so far

• 90% of wiki success is half mental

• Mindset shift from traditional documentation

Traditional

1. Write

2. Edit

3. Publish

New

1. Write

2. Publish

3. Edit

(repeat)

dave burke

KLMNO

Lessons learned so far

• 90% of wiki success is half mental

• Publishing Anxiety

• A belief that the wiki is more “official” makes people think their work needs to be polished and 100% accurate, which leads to fear and procrastination.

• Current: "I'm happy to answer questions in the hallway and by email, but writing something 'official' is a bigger deal."

• New and Better: “I understand that the IT Workspace is a living document. I can contribute information I’m only ‘pretty sure’ about, and note it as such, just like I would in email.”

dave burke

KLMNO

Lessons learned so far

• 90% of wiki success is half mental

• Organize-as-you-go model takes getting used to

#1 Question about the wiki so far:

“Put this info on the wiki? Okay. . . where?”

dave burke

KLMNO

Lessons learned so far

• 90% of wiki success is half mental

• Mindset shift - Sharing by default

• Current: "I only know of three people who need this information, so I'll email it to them."

• New and Better: "I only know of three people who need this information, so I'll put it on the wiki for them, and any others I don't know about."

• Best: “The wiki is my default tool for communication, because it's easy, and it gives me maximum value for my time. I only use email when I really need privacy.”

dave burke

KLMNO

Lessons learned so far

• Some things in life aren’t pretty. The Socialtext UI is one of those things.

• Lots of user frustration stemming from trying to make Socialtext pages prettier; achieve complicated formatting; duplicate the look of Word docs

• My best advice: don’t try to fight it. Focus your energy on Socialtext’s strengths: sharing, aggregating, linking, tagging.

• 90% of wiki success is half mental

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stjohnplanner/15710638/

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KLMNO

Special offer for Post Managers

dave burke

KLMNO

Special offer

• Give me a call/email

• We’ll work for 30 minutes

• You’ll have your starter section of the wiki

30 MinutesGuaranteed!

dave burke

KLMNO

That’s it.

Questions? Find me at daveburke.com