Wikipatterns

Chapter 4. 11 Steps to a Successful Wiki Pilot

Geek and Poke (http:/geekandpoke.typepad.com). Courtesy of Oliver Widder. Used with permission.

The first major step in making the wiki a core collaboration tool in your organization is to run a pilot. Every successful enterprise wiki rollout I've run or advised began with a pilot involving a small number of groups that are representative of the most common functions of the organization. The pilot is important because it allows you to get wiki use started in a controlled environment, build examples that are extremely relevant to your organization, and develop the administrative and support structure that will keep things running smoothly when the wiki is a full production service. It also lets you work out the kinks that are inevitable with a major software project.

The growth of the iPod is an excellent example of the benefits of a controlled rollout. Today, you see the iconic white headphones everywhere you go, but the iPod has reached this status through a steady and well-managed rise instead of an overnight explosion.

When the iPod was first launched in 2001, there was just one model, and it only worked with the Mac — think of this as the pilot phase. In fact, in an interview with Newsweek's Steven Levy in October 2006, Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained how the Mac's small market share relative to PCs was used as leverage with the recording ...