Re: Wiki

1. Using Wikis for Internal Documentation: ICT Hub Knowledgebase

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   seanabrady 31-Oct-2008

   Most organisations have (or at least should have!) internal documentation that outlines procedures, best practices, and tips to help make every on e’s job easier. For instance, an organisation might write up: How to add a new constituent to the tracking database , or how to send an email newsletter The steps to follow to request office supplies, or to get ready for a new staff member The thought process that went into a complex set of decisions A list of local take-out restaurants, or good hotels for visitors This type of documentation helps train those new to the organisation or to a role, saves staff time in the long run, and can save your skin if you (like many voluntary and community sector organisations) have a lot of employee turnover. Unfortunately, creating this documentation is seldom a coveted task. It often goes unwritten—or once it’s written, it languishes in obscurity and slowly goes out of date. ^{link »}

   it’s best to choose one person to oversee the organisation of the wiki as it grows. This will be an ongoing, active role—your original outline will be a good start, but because wikis allow many to contribute, things will tend to stray from the plan from time to time. The person who does this work, trimming one branch of content, planting the seeds for what will turn into groups of pages on particular topics, is called the wiki gardener . ^{link »}

   But flexibility poses challenges, too: a wiki can gradually turn into an unfriendly tangle of links, as staff add new pages and topics. So it’s important to define a workable structure at the outset—and encourage staff to stick to it. ^{link »}

   tags: oct 08, ictknowledgebase.org.uk, wiki, enterprise, documentation

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