"Submarine wikis": a type of ticking time bomb...
Pressures of work and time, the need for fast and simple coordination, the desire for clear versioning and user-friendly collaboration - these are all points in favour of wiki systems in the corporate environment. Many companies are aware of this and have already introduced appropriate solutions (such as Confluence Wiki); others are seriously thinking about it. And then there are those who give greater priority to other IT tasks and projects for the time being. But in the meantime, some departments, divisions or project teams might be introducing their own "wildly burgeoning" wikis on the sly. Thus, quiet time bombs are created, full of company-related data, enriched with valuable corporate knowledge and important information. And the whole thing is usually not organised, not moderated, untrammelled by any "governance" and often not even subject to professional data security measures. If you are lucky, these bombs are duds. It would be better, though, if you could "defuse" such "submarine wikis" before they even take off. HLP has recognised the associated problems and provides pertinent information by way of workshops, webinars and personal consultations.
When Thorsten Heid, managing partner of IT solution provider HLP, contemplates wikis, he is sure about one thing: "By the end of 2011, there will be wikis in use at every company, one way or another. The question is: does the IT department actually know about it?" A heretical statement. But reality supports the thoughts of the wiki specialist and Confluence partner. Because more and more departments, divisions, project teams or other interest groups within an organisation act at their own initiative and conspire to introduce so-called submarine wikis willy-nilly in secret. "That is surely not desirable, nor is it proper," says Heid. The collaboration specialist does, however, have some sympathy with the emergence of these "submarine wikis": "These days, employees are subject to stronger pressures at work than a few years ago. Workloads have increased, projects are being realised faster, a lot of work is generally split between fewer people. In this situation, the individual employee looks for creative and modern solutions that allow fast and unstructured collaboration. Already familiar from the private sphere and appealing by their ease of use, wiki solutions seem the obvious remedy. If there is no corporate strategy to introduce a wiki platform at company level, people quite often act on their own initiative and without consulting the IT department. Open-source wikis represent a convenient solution, which you can install quickly "under the radar". This is how uncontrolled submarine wikis come into existence in an organisation."
Burgeoning landscapes without gardeners
A submarine wiki in itself is undesirable and not what IT strategists like to see. Just think of the lack of data security, lack of governance and the expense for subsequent migration. But the dilemma is multiplied when every department does its own thing and plays around with wiki solutions of its own. The result is unthinkable: a wildly burgeoning landscape, which is not only heterogeneous but simply chaotic. Corporate information "flying around" electronically in the most unorganised and decentralised manner. Corporate information, which is bundled at a local level, yet not available centrally. No "carer", who is in charge of looking after the structures within the wiki and of ensuring clarity.
In short: danger of crashing, of losing data, of losing knowledge, chaos - all the red lights should now be coming on. If only someone knew about this deplorable situation.
Defusing time bombs sensibly
Those who don't want any submarine wikis in their organisation should be proactive. The solution to the problem is actually simple: introduction of a central platform for corporate wikis, supported by the IT department. If you want to do it right and make sure all the potential "submarine captains" come on board, it is advisable to have an initial concept development phase to determine the requirements and wishes of the different operating departments.
Thorsten Heid knows the problems from practice: "In the case of wiki projects, making hasty decisions often results in dissatisfaction in practical operation. Those who don't take care to consider the requirements of their employees and to actually support them in their work through the new wiki must expect resistance to the new corporate wiki and therefore ultimately failure of the project. Our customers use the intensive concept development phase to take account of their employees' wishes in as much detail as possible and to benefit from the experiences made by other companies."
A corporate wiki based on Confluence Wiki, for instance, possibly embedded into the SAP NetWeaver portal, offers unimagined opportunities for virtually all sections of an organisation and all working requirements. It helps support the collaborative day-to-day business as well as strategic working in projects.
Calm waters without submarines
Conclusion: IT strategists will have to act in the near future, one way or another. Being proactive is far simpler and also ensures far more efficient control. Thorsten Heid's recommendation: "You are better off introducing an official, professional wiki that satisfies your employees than having to defuse many ticking time bombs in "submarine wikis". Keep an eye on everything and make sure you hold the reins." The right service provider will support you both in the concept development phase and with the successful technical implementation as well as the subsequent organisational introduction and support phase. Properly introduced wikis with "gardeners" to maintain the wiki landscape ultimately ensure a high level of employee satisfaction. This is because everything is done to facilitate good, fast, efficient and generally successful working.
Information about this topic is available from the specialists at HLP by contacting them at www.hlp.de/kontakt.
About HLP:
HLP has been committed to the optimisation of business processes through IT solutions in the service of its customers for over a decade. Using innovative HLP products from the areas of improvement, information and knowledge management, our customers increase the quality of their processes to enhance productivity and realise appreciable savings potentials overall.
The solutions offered in the area of improvement management are complemented to good effect by SAP NetWeaver consultancy services. Within holistic projects, we identify optimisation potential in your business processes and create new, flexible solutions on the basis of the NetWeaver platform. Important key terms in this context are "Web 2.0", "Business Management, "Enterprise Social Network". The existing investments in your SAP landscape will be maintained - your employees will benefit from up-to-date strategies and technologies while enjoying simple, intuitive user interfaces within the environment of a corporate portal.
Das Unternehmen HLP hat sich seit 10 Jahren der Optimierung von Geschäftsprozessen durch IT-Lösungen im Dienste seiner Kunden verschrieben. Mit innovativen Produkten aus den Bereichen Verbesserungs-, Informations- und Wissensmanagement steigern renommierte Kunden, darunter BASF, Commerzbank, Flughafen München, ThyssenKrupp, die Qualität ihrer Prozesse und sorgen so für höhere Produktivität und in Summe für die Realisierung von nennenswerten Einsparpotenzialen.
Der HLP Produktbereich wird durch ein umfassendes SAP-Dienstleistungsspektrum ergänzt. Im Rahmen ganzheitlicher Projekte identifiziert der IT-Dienstleister das Optimierungspotenzial in Geschäftsprozessen und schafft so für seine Kunden und deren Zielgruppen neue, flexible Lösungen auf Basis der SAP NetWeaver Plattform.
Heike Heger
Referentin Marketing/PR
HLP Informationsmanagement GmbH
Telefon: 06196 / 95 99-202
Fax: 06196 / 95 99-200
E-Mail: heike.heger@hlp.de
