Wikipatterns

Chapter 5b. Case Study: A Conversation with a WikiChampion: Jeff Calado

Note

A Conversation with Jeff Calado, Release Engineering Manager

Type of organization: Division of a Fortune 500 Technology company Number of wiki users: 150

1. Why did you choose a wiki?

When I started here two years ago all project communication and collaboration was done through email, meetings, and networked drives. It was widely accepted that certain people were the keepers of information on topics they were experts on. The only way to get this knowledge was to email or talk to them, and they'd often send you a document they had sitting on their computer or forward you an old email.

From past experience I knew firsthand the collaboration benefits a good wiki could have given the team's commitment. I put together a sample wiki demonstrating how team and project collaboration could happen, and then I ran a series of one-on-one demos with the more influential members of the organization to sell them on the solution. Upon going through the demo and answering their questions, the benefits were so clear that it took no further convincing.

2. What type of wiki are you using?

We self-host a commercial enterprise wiki that was chosen, among other reasons, because it allows us to flexibly control access rights to various areas in the site.

3. How are you using the wiki?

We create a space for each team within the organization and for each project, plus one space for information relevant to the entire organization.

Each project ...