corporate wiki: success factors?

> The aim of a corporate wiki is, instead of "oh,
Bob did that for two
> years, but he left last week ... I wonder how he did
it", to be able
> to say "Bob did that for two years, he left how-to
notes on the wiki."
> 
> I write up something on any process, procedure or
in-house
> application I have to use a lot, as notes to *myself*
and others.
> 
> You know how a lot of people start a new job by getting
a notebook and
> writing everything in it? The wiki should be used for
that. It's
> EVERYONE'S COLLECTIVE NOTEPAD.

So your approach would be using the Wiki as a kind of
knowledge base rather than a collaboration tool?! (Although,
of course, the one doesn't exclude the other.)
The problem I see there is that the individual employee
usually doesn't really have much of a stake in such a
knowledge base (what does he care about a possible
successor... ). So why should he contribute (if there's be
no obligation to make use of the wiki)?!
Therefore I'm trying to convey it as a tool that makes
collaboration a lot easier - after all, who ain't sick of
sending MS Office documents back and forth...

> How is your office culture? If you have a secretive
office culture -
> where people guard knowledge through fear - a wiki
won't fix that.

It's not secretive (for the most part), but people are quite
busy with their regular tasks and thus reluctant to take on
new ones (like documenting their work - see above).

> The actual wiki software hardly matters. MediaWiki is
very easy to use
> and install, but a bit heavyweight for a small team; it
also doesn't
> even try to do access control. My work has various
installations of
> MoinMoin, TWiki, MediaWiki, UseMod, Trac ... my group
uses MoinMoin
> because it uses flat files rather than a database, and
it's only used
> by ten people, so MediaWiki was a bit fat for the job.

Well, I picked MediaWiki 'cause it's supposedly easy to set
up - which, for the basics at least, is true.
I might look into the ones you've mentioned though.

> If there isn't a wiki on how to use corporate wikis,
you should start one
> ;-D

Hehe, maybe at a later time, when I actually do have some
experience in this matter...

Thanks!


-- Frederik
-- 
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2006/11/24, Frederik Dohr <FDG001gmx.net>:
>
> The problem I see there is that the individual employee
usually doesn't
> really have much of a stake in such a knowledge base
(what does he care
> about a possible successor... ). So why should he
contribute (if there's be
> no obligation to make use of the wiki)?!
>

I agree. People are busy and they will only put their
knowledge on the wiki
if they perceive some value in doing it. Some will do it
because it is their
job to share information (technical writers). Others because
they need to
communicate information to others that use what they
develop. Others will
use it as a personal notepad and share the information.

I think peer recognition would also be a powerful
motivational tool. It
would be great to see some ways to reward people that make
good
contributions, like giving them some stars. It is a little
difficult to do
this because in a wiki articles don't have owners. How can
you judge the
value of each individual contribution?


Well, I picked MediaWiki 'cause it's supposedly easy to set
up - which, for
> the basics at least, is true.
> I might look into the ones you've mentioned though.



I used to think that MediaWiki was too complex. For a time I
used MoinMoin.
It is a great wiki and it has access control.

But now I think MediaWiki is superior, and that it is not so
complex after
all.

Not to belittle MoinMoin. It is a great product as well.
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