Project Management Wikis

With the advent of “Web 2.0” and social media, along with continued development of purpose built project software to facilitate project management activities, a wealth of options have emerged to leverage technology to better monitor and improve project performance. With that being said, many companies still fail to capitalize on these innovations, and rely on clumsier, less adaptable forms of communication to capture and transmit information and knowledge, with the predictable result of many projects falling behind schedule, going over budget, or reaching less than optimal conclusions.

The use of Wiki technology for project management purposes is not a cure-all or silver bullet, but it is an option worth considering which can act in concert with existing project software solutions available from various providers. 

What is a Wiki and How Can I Use it? 

Put simply, a Wiki is a user-created repository of information which exists online, and depending on what administrative settings are granted, can have customized access and permissions for each user. For example, some people may have “read only” privileges while others can not only read content but also add to posts or even delete other content. Perhaps the most well-known and publicized Wiki systems are Wikipedia, the online user-generated encyclopedia, and WikiLeaks, which has gained notoriety for publishing (or threatening to publish) sensitive government and corporate documents.

There is a very wide variety of projectsoftware Wiki available on the market. One of them is Clarizen project software Wiki, where users (and also not users) can benefit from each other expertise and knowledge for free.

Some of the projectsoftware Wiki are open source and free to everyone, while others are proprietary and require subscription and/or license fees to use. The technology used to create these systems does vary, but front-end programming is often Java, PHP, ASP, Perl or Ruby-on-Rails based, and most back-ends rely on MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle or even Cloud-based storage solutions. 

Pros and Cons of the Wiki Knowledge Approach 

Obviously, one concern that those new to Wikis may have is the veracity and security of information posted, since the potential ability for users to edit or delete information seems rather chaotic and prone to possible disorganization. This can in part be mitigated by being judicious in the granting of permissions to users, and establishing very clear accountability trails to prevent intentional or even unintentional misuse or abuse of the system.

Wikis, by their very nature, are not static sources of information but dynamic, ever-evolving knowledge bases which can be ideal for capturing and continuously updating best practices and procedures based on empirical, real world experience. Printed manuals, or even digital files of the same, can be far more cumbersome than consulting a Wiki, provided of course, that the reader has Internet connectivity available when information is desired.

Wikis also tend to be popular among younger workers, who are coming of age in a time where “social networking” and the bi-directional use of technology to facilitate communication are expected, and resistant to more rigid hierarchical approaches. Such users are not generally intimidated by projectsoftware, and indeed can quickly grasp the benefits of using it smartly.

In all fairness, there are potential negative consequences to instituting a Wiki based system. There’s naturally the old programming aphorism, “Garbage in, garbage out,” meaning that the value of the information is only as good as those inputting and maintaining it. The fact that without Internet connectivity access to the information on a Wiki is problematic (unless the information has been downloaded locally) in certain situations as well may give some users pause. And without a unified or coherent “authoring voice” or editor, postings on a Wiki may wind up duplicating content and vary wildly in tone, style and accuracy.

Does the Wiki Replace Project Management Project Software?

The good news is that some existing and well-regarded project software not only allows tracking of resources, schedules, assets and other traditional project management concerns, but also integrates Wiki functionality into a comprehensive service suite. Even if your organization is currently utilizing software that does not offer this option, it is a relatively easy matter to either transition to a new project software solution, or alternatively, to implement a Wiki based system that can run in conjunction with existing technology.

Generally speaking, the arguments in favor of utilizing Wikis in support of a project management office (PMO) seem to outweigh the liabilities, but ultimately, every organization is different and as the car manufacturers and their lawyers like to say, “Your mileage may vary.”


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