Why wiki?

Knowledge is perhaps the core asset of any organization. In order to do anything, we must know how to do it. Wikis can be a very powerful tool in the dissemination of any kind of information – there's a reason that wikipedia has become the primary destination for anyone seeking knowledge on a new subject. Process documentation is very much the kind of information for which a wiki is a perfect platform.

Strengths of a wiki for process documentation:

Decentralization

Because a wiki is by its nature decentralized, it allows the person with the best insight into a process to create the documentation for that process. There is no need for a central person, who may not understand the process as well, to act as a middle-person in the process.

Collaboration 

If a colleague has valuable input into an existing document, they are able to make a change, or simply suggest that one be made. This allows the best input to come from anywhere we choose (if we want to place limits, we can), instead of being artificially limited in the number of gatekeepers.

Consistency of presentation

The wiki is versatile enough to present information on just about any topic, but we can leverage the use of powerful templates tools to maintain a consistency of presentation, allowing users to quickly find the information they need, and not consume brain resources on learning new and unfamiliar formats.

Single Source of Truth (SSOT) repository for process documentation

Because of the versatility of the wiki platform, there is no reason it cannot be the place to go, when anyone in our organization has a 'how do I?' question.

Synergy with other University of Texas entities

Because many processes are similar or even the same across UT, we can build upon some of the work that has already been done by our colleagues. For example, the Dean of Students wiki has 60+ how-to articles dealing with IT topics. We could build upon existing documentation that we alter as needed for our situation, but we can also create pages that may be useful to others around the university, making us more valuable members of the UT community.

What types of content should be published in the Healthyhorns Wiki space?

Broadly, the Healthyhorns Wiki space represents a repository of knowledge and resources that exist throughout the organization and are not formally published as policies and procedures in Power DMS.

The Healthyhorns portfolio includes over 300 full-time and part time staff, temporary staff, contractors and affiliates, and graduate and undergraduate student workers representing a rich variety of expertise, historical organizational wisdom, professional experience, and personal perspectives and lived experiences. The Healthyhorns Wiki Space is a collection of information that encapsulates the bodies of knowledge accumulated by staff across the organization.

Sharing this knowledge across the Healthyhorns portfolio will:

1. Increase access to this rich body of knowledge in a searchable platform

2. Integrate related bodies of knowledge by allowing linkages to be made between pages

3. Promote a greater degree of transparency and mutual understanding of work being done throughout the portfolio

4. Allow contributions from subject matter experts across the organization in real time

5. Facilitate the onboarding process with up-to-date guides and training manuals

Examples of robust wiki deployments at UT