Wikis are flexible websites principally designed for document collaboration and content editing by all members involved in a project. Wikis use the collective knowledge and information input of all to create comprehensive documents.
Introduction
Lost amidst a host of web-based project management solutions, project managers are neglecting Wikis – constructive flexible websites designed for collaboration that permit multiple writers to create, edit, delete, and alter content. The Wiki, a unique collaboration and content creation tool, is a powerful weapon deserving to be in any project manager’s armory.
Wiki Features
- Wikis are fundamentally created for the purpose of collaboration. It is agreed that most projects call for certain documentation to be open to collaborative writing.
- Wikis can be formatted easily using text-based commands which are basic in execution, and Wikis are accessible to every team member involved in a particular project.
- By allowing all stakeholders in a project to edit documents, Wikis use the collective knowledge and information of all to create more comprehensive documents. Any team member or stakeholder can view, edit and update at anytime.
- Wikis can also be shared with outside members through syndication. This means Wikis, of the team's output, can be shared with people outside of the project barring unauthorized editing.
- One can add, delete, and edit content in a Wiki with ease. One can also comment on the content of the Wiki, by placing the comments in a box which is colored.
- Wikis are ideal for maintaining notes and sharing/discussing ideas and information with the project team. They can be used to draft the documents of various brain storming sessions as well as a set of instructions and class-based curriculum.
- There is provision to automatically track the history of changes made to each Wiki. The history will display what changes were made, when, and by whom. The members can work on a live document, knowing the full history of changes made by various people, available any time
Basic Role of the Wiki in Project Management
There is no denying that Wikis are excellent tools for documentation as well as communication, which form a critical part of project management. If one sets aside the hugely popular Microsoft Project, Wiki is arguably the most helpful tool for the project manager. Wikis may not be able to substitute for MS Project, but they complement it in several ways. A Wiki can contain complex and advanced tools as well as elaborate information for project work.
Furthermore, a Wiki can be also used as a communication tool by providing the PDF or JPG narrations of the current project plan to team members or, for that matter, even to customers. This is particularly true as not everybody has installed MS Project. Before adding content, it is preferable to decide what topics one would wish to store in the Wiki and the manner it is to be organized. This advance planning will eliminate dead links and avoid a rebuilding of the Wiki’s structure.
General Criticism
While acknowledging the usefulness of Wiki as all team members can access and collaborate, some people associated with project management complain that it calls for a lot of self discipline for Wiki to work properly. The other grouse is open sourced Wikis do not have built-in easily updatable views for Gantt charts and graphical overviews. Again, in order to use a Wiki, one must have connectivity to the Internet as well as inside the network where the Wiki is installed - which may not be always available.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons